Monday, October 10, 2011

Retailers Profile: Fair Planet

Awava is a proud supplier for Canadian company, Fair Planet. Fair Planet provides quality fairly traded items to conscious consumers while promoting the values of fair trade, sustainability, and social justice. They specialize in accessories, home decor items and toys.

In 2008, Fair Planet Founder Janalee Morris-Wales travelled to Uganda to work with women with disabilities on a research project. Many of these women were artisans and small business owners, but they met difficulties in running their businesses. Women with disabilities in the developing world face stigma and discrimination, extreme levels of poverty, and are highly unlikely to get an education (only 2% of women with disabilities in the developing world are literate). This translates into problems with making a living - they are discriminated against in the markets, they lack capital to start and maintain their production, and because most of them have never been to school, they struggle with basic tasks like counting money and making change.

Out of their stories came the idea for this business - and Fair Planet was born. In the many times Janalee visited these women since 2008, they have never failed to impress her with their desire for a better life for themselves and their families. Fair Planet was conceived out of her desire to provide immediate, tangible, and sustainable development assistance to those women. Since then it has expanded to include fair trade artisans from around the world.

To become an Awava retailer, please email kate@awavamarket.com!

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