This August Indonesia’s oldest Fair Trade organisation, Pekerti Foundation, celebrates its 35th anniversary working with Indonesian people to alleviate poverty.
Having been founded in 1975, Pekerti Foundation began with a view to helping Indonesia’s rural population live more sustainable lives in the wake of industrialisation.
Since then the organisation has worked with over 30 Indonesian communities to rebuild housing after earthquakes, provide poor Indonesians with soft loans to start businesses and preserved traditional Indonesian handicraft production techniques.
It also directly supports partner Fair Trade company Pekerti Nusantara, which exports Indonesian handicrafts on behalf of 50 production groups, under the principles of Fair Trade.
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As part of celebrations, Pekerti Foundation will hold its campaign 35 Reasons to Support Fair Trade. In doing so, they will invite people involved in the Fair Trade system to share their reason to be proud when they support Fair Trade.
Director Mochamad Ichwani says the campaign aims to celebrate all of the reasons we can and should feel positive when we choose to create, sell or purchase Fair Trade products.
“When you buy Fair Trade, there is an understanding that you have bought your product under just terms, and that you are helping people who might otherwise be poor. But the reasons don’t end there.
“For the consumer, there are also strict standards in product quality and use of non-toxic materials. But everyone involved in the process, from the pandanuse farmer to the World Shop manager has something to be proud of.”
About Pekerti
Pekerti was the first Fair Trade member to be established in Indonesia, and one of the first in the world. With 35 years of experience, we provide over 50 producer groups across the archipelago with a source of income. Pekerti acts as a bridge between underprivileged people in Indonesia and people overseas who wish to support them through the buying and selling of Fair Trade products. In addition to providing a platform from which producers can market their goods, we deliver training to producers in the 10 Standards of Fair Trade, including gender equality, environmental responsibility and safe working conditions, and conduct projects in economic development. Pekerti is a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).
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