To mark Fairtrade Fortnight 2020, our eco-council organised an assembly to share how we can make a difference through our power as consumers and start thinking more about our shared responsibility to care for our planet.

The assembly was based around the cocoa farmers of the Gola Rainforest, who are farming in a forest friendly way whilst earning a decent living through Fairtrade.

“Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day. With simple shopping choices you can get farmers a better deal. And that means they can make their own decisions, control their future and lead the dignified life everyone deserves”

Source: Fairtrade.org.uk

Students watched a short film (see below) by 14-year-old Beshey, who shares the story of his family, explaining how a group of cocoa farmers have come together to protect the forest, and develop their communities through Fairtrade.

Members of our eco-council then performed a role play of a news report about a group of cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone who are working to protect the rainforest from deforestation.

Through their assembly, students highlighted how communities across the globe, from the UK to Sierra Leone, care deeply about the environment and the changing climate and how it’s important for all of us to work together to protect the world’s precious natural resources.

For more information about Fairtrade, please visit Fairtrade.org.uk