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ECM offers Fair Trade Market until Thursday

By Beth Beavers

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

While Kim Koelling volunteered at the Fair Trade Holiday Market at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, she savored a few bites of a Divine brand chocolate bar. Koelling read the wrapper, which explained that the chocolate came from Kuapakokoo Farmer’s Cooperative in Ghana and also told how it was made.

She bought the chocolate bar at the market, which opened Friday and will run until Thursday.

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The Fair Trade Holiday Market and Film Festival is being held at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries on campus this week. The event started on Friday and goes until Thursday of this week.

Alicia Erickson, organizer of the market and owner of Two Hands Worldshop, a local fair trade organization, said the market had been going on for more than 10 years. The market features more than 15 vendors and products that range from chocolate and coffee to jewelry, bags, scarves and candles. There is even a section with children’s toys and clothes. This year, there will be a film festival about fair trade that coincides with the market.

“We hope to give the Lawrence community and students the opportunity to buy unique gifts from around the world,” Erickson said.

Erickson said fair trade meant the products were made by artisans who were paid a fair wage with no forced labor.

Sarah Stern, Lawrence freshman, volunteered at the market and said the turnout had been good. She said volunteers were busy all weekend and had seen a steady flow of customers on weekdays as well.

Stern joined the Fair Trade Group at the ECM after learning about fair trade from two Bolivian men who sold scarves on Wescoe Beach. She said that she was interested in what they were doing and that getting involved with the group was her way of giving back.

Koelling said she had been attending events at the ECM since she was a freshman.

“I’ve come here for different things, and I’ve gone to a lot of events,” Koelling said. “Now I’m trying to give back.”

Koelling also said that the timing for the market was perfect for holiday shopping.

Erickson said the film festival was aimed at educating students about fair trade and how it could help communities worldwide.

At 5:15 p.m. today three short films will be shown. The first is an introduction to fair trade. The second is a film about a small group of women in Africa that makes beads out of old magazines. The final film will show the process of making chocolate — from the cocoa pod to edible chocolate.

At 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, a 40-minute feature will be shown that follows a group of women in India who have been forced into prostitution. Erickson said India had the highest forced sex trade industry in the world. She said the women in the film made bags to support themselves so they could get away from the sex trade industry.

The Fair Trade Market is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Thursday.

— Edited by Lauren Cunningham

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