College deliver Fair Trade message from Madagascar to Carrick

Ulidia has established a Fair Trade education programme within their school, which includes retail research and the exploration of Fair Trade and Fair Trade products wihin Home Economics, Music, and Geography lessons, and the school has worked hard to achieve the ‘Fair Trade Aware’ award which it attained in 2016.

In a bid to further promote Fair Trade awareness, Ulidia’s Eco-Team undertook fundraising at the School’s Christmas craft fair where each year the team host a stall to provide an interactive decorating activity when children can decorate a biscuit while their parents are given information about Fair Trade.

Their successful twinning programme with Madagascar has been made possible thanks to the support of the Adsum Foundation which was established in 2008 in Belfast with the aim of investing money in people and communities in the developing world.

A joint update by the College and Lycee Pole, Fort Dauphin in Madagascar, stated: “Coffee growers are in a way victims because of the poor prices offered by the collectors. Farmers need the cash income, and often have no choice but to accept the price offered to them for their products, even if it is not to their liking.

“Fair trade advantages include the workers getting more money for their labour.

“When the workers get more money, they can build a school for their community and children, by investing their money.

“...If we pay a small amount more for a fair trade product, then we ensure that our friends in Madagascar are receiving a fair price for their labour“