Ten Thousand Villages and Fair Trade organizations around the world invite young and old to join in World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) activities on Saturday, May 12.
This year, for the first time, Ten Thousand Villages stores across Canada will be partnering with Canadian Fair Trade Network affiliates to create even greater awareness of Fair Trade.
WFTD is an opportunity for adults and children to discover a world of handicrafts, sample Fair Trade food, play games and hear music at Ten Thousand Villages stores across the country.
Store staff, made up largely of volunteers, will be on hand to answer questions and tell stories.
“This is our favourite day of the year,” said Olga Nickel, manager of Ten Thousand Villages at 20525 Fraser Hwy.
“From people new to Fair Trade to long-time supporters, everyone will have a good time.”
Musician Sam Alviar will perform at 1 p.m., samples of ethnic food, a grand prize draw and special discounts.
Ten Thousand Villages, which began in 1946 as one woman’s volunteer project to provide craft sales for women in rural Puerto Rico, has since grown into North America’s largest and oldest Fair Trade organization.
Decades of experience working directly with producer groups have reinforced the message that paying fair wages and treating people with honesty, transparency and respect makes a real difference and will continue to do so for generations to come.
