wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Go global in fair-trade Marketplace

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Note #7698 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Go global in fair-trade Marketplace
GA03003

Go global in fair-trade Marketplace

Assembly bazaar is the place to shop till you drop

by Nancy Rodman

DENVER, May 24  The Global Marketplace is the place to shop till you drop at
the 215th General Assembly. 

	It offers crafts and food from all over the world, all produced by
artisans and farmers who receive fair payment for their labor.

	When you shop at the Global Marketplace, explained Melanie Hardison
of the Worldwide Ministries Division, you know where every item comes from
and can be confident that the producers have been paid fairly: Your
purchases affect people all over the world in a positive way.

	Hardison, who has visited many of the producers whose products are
sold in the Marketplace, is especially enthusiastic about the Sweat-Free T
from COMAMNUVI, a womens sewing cooperative in Nicaragua. 

	COMAMNUVI, formed in the wake of Hurricane Mitch with a One Great
Hour of Sharing grant from the Presbyterian Hunger Program, now counts the
Presbyterian Church (USA) among its customers. It has about 50 members and
more than 100 interns. Its T-shirts, which can be imprinted with a logo of
the purchasers choosing, also are available through the Presbyterian
Distribution Service. 

	The Marketplace, in Exhibit Hall B of the Colorado Convention Center,
includes SERVV International and such other groups as H.O.M.E. Inc., which
sells pottery, wood, and woven crafts; Bridge of Hope Fair Trade Project,
with items handmade by Peruvian artisans; PAL CRAFTAID, featuring olive-wood
carvings from Palestine; and Harrison Hills Cottage Industries, which
produces various hand-crafted products. The Womens Bean Project and the
Presbyterian Coffee Project are among the providers of food products.

	The Global Marketplace, part of the General Assembly for the second
time, is a project of Enough for Everyone, a partnership ministry of five
General Assembly Council agencies: the Presbyterian Hunger Program, the
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, the Social Justice Program Area, the
Womens Ministries Program Area, and Presbyterian Women. 

	Hardison said Enough for Everyone helps congregations act responsibly
in its purchases of products and utilities and investments. The Electric
Stewardship: Plug into Conservation program helps congregations care for
creation through energy conservation and efficiency. Through Oikocredit,
congregations can invest as little as $1,000 in an international credit
organization that supports small projects.

	Fair trade makes a huge difference in peoples lives, Hardison
said, even to the point of life or death. The producers are working hard and
creatively, making a difference in their communities. 

	The Global Marketplace hours: Sunday 12:30 p.m.-6 p.m.; Monday 9:30
a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wednesday 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thursday
9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. It will be closed on Friday.

	Visit the Global Marketplace in the exhibit hall, where, in
Hardisons words, Our purchases make a difference.

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