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GFI Newsletter: Providing Security to Workers in Old Age

March 2012 - Vol 4# 3

Befair Campaign Has a New partner!

OnThe Guatemalan Federation of Coffee Cooperatives (Fedecogua) will
work with GFI to deliver farmer livelihood kits to help small coffee
farmers diversify productions and improve food security.

See pictures here! -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/719478809d/b91e6a0e30/14928246b8/eventId=48301142&action=detail

With woman representing the minority of coffee farmers in Guatemala,
Fedecocagua will work with wifes, mothers and daughters of their
members so they too can benefit in the belonging to a cooperative
that promotes organic certification.See pictures here! -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/719478809d/b91e6a0e30/2753987fe5/eventId=48301142&action=detail

And all our volunteers were fantastic -
thank you!

Next:Join Us inNew Orleans
The BeFair Campaign is bringing together truly committed individuals
throughout the US.

Want to be updated on events? Want to propose an event? Like us on
facebook and share your ideas with us.

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You Can Help

The Global Fairness Initiative launched the BeFair Campaign -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/719478809d/b91e6a0e30/294e900a98 to bring low-cost technologies that improve livelihoods.

Farmer Livelihood Kits use low-cost drip irrigation and specialized
trainings to help farmers improve their nutrition and increase their
incomes by as much as 50%. Your contribution of $40 will deliver one
irrigation kit plus technical trainings to an indigenous farming
family in Guatemala.

Donate $40 or more and receive a BeFair water bottle!

LEARN MORE AT
BEFAIRCAMPAIGN.ORG -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/719478809d/b91e6a0e30/b06a9f6c02

Introducing our new fellow Andile Mxotwa

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As a South African, I have
firsthand experience in how the most vulnerable communities can find
themselves in a structural poverty trap while trying very hard to
extricate themselves from it. This happens in a numbers of ways, such
as the inability of poor communities to navigate the channels that
are required to start a business, or just lacking the necessary
expertise to get access to funds, and the salient element that
accompanies all poor people, illiteracy—a result of lack of
educational opportunity.
Thus, my firsthand experience of how devastating the lack of economic
development can be for most people in developing countries will aid
my learning through this fellowship, with the aim of plowing what I
learn back to those vulnerable communities I left back home. To be a
fellow at GFI is to situate myself in an organization that is
grappling with the developmental issues for developing countries and
developing solutions.
As a fellow at GFI am exposed to the vast experiences that they have
accumulated through dealing with issues of a similar nature in their
engagements in developing countries from from West Africa to South
America and South Asia. My experience at GFI will give me a
perceptive lens to filter some of the developmental issues that face
my own country. I am able to compare the issues from a global
framework and translate my experience at GFI for the betterment of
poor communities back home.
That is why I would like to thank GFI and the Sapin-Fellowship for
giving me the opportunity to be their fellow. Shirley Sapin strived
for equality and opportunity for all people; and I intend to espouse
the same values when tackling the problems of economic development
while at GFI and throughout my life.

About the Sapin Fellowship Created in honor of Shirley Sapin in
recognition for her commitment to equality and opportunity for all
people, the Sapin Opportunity Fellowship was established to offer
students in post-secondary institutions the opportunity to work for
four months with Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) on issues of
economic development and the workforce equity.

Fellowship overview
The sapin Fellowship is a four-month program offered twice each year
to any student pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree from any
accredited academic institution. The Fellowship creates an
opportunity for engagement, networking and training through direct
and substantive work with GFI on issues and programs at the heart of
economic access for the working poor. They participate on all levels
with GFI staff and initiatives and are exposed to the broader
international development community in the Washington, DC region. A
grant of $2,000 is included for the four-month term of the
Fellowship.

Who is eligible to apply?Sapin Fellowship applicants must be willing
to commit an academic or summer semester to working at GFI. Fellows
must meet a minimum of 18 hours of work per week and are required to
complete a research study or proposal on a subject to be developed
with GFI staff. Applicants should also be able to demonstrate a range
of academic interests, personal perspe, and life experiences suited
to work with GFI and our beneficiaries.

How do I apply
If you want to learn more about the Sapin Fellowship or are
interested in applying, please visit
www.gloabalfairness.org/sapinfellowship complete the online
application form and include a CV specifying relevant professional
and course work, a personal cover letter, and one academic
recommendation to sapinfellows@globalfairness.org.

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MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Field Update:Building the Foundation For Successful Market
Development
GFI hosted a 2-day training with the Board of the Association of
Agro-Producers of Alta Verapaz.This interesting training focused on
organizing small farmers who currently operate in the informal market
in Guatemala. Most farmers who are able to grow enough produce to
sell to locally have to do so on the streets, as there is no
infrastructure for this type of sale in a near by town of Fray
Bartolome. Selling on the street and putting their produce on the
ground while carrying a handful of samples to show to passer-bys,
they pay the municipality a small amount for using a public space. If
they were to abide by standard taxation laws for small producers,
they would have to pay an aggregate of approximately 30% of their
earnings—which for a small farmer would entail reverting to a food
insecurity situation. Also, farmers have a limited math skills and
cannot calculate complicated percentages and calculation needed to
pay their taxes.

The association has successfully negotiated with the municipality to
refurbish an old building in downtown Fray Bartome, with the
Municipality providing running water and services,and farmers working
with them directly for the payment of their dues in an affordable
manner (and in increments as the market gets more settled and the
farmers gain more experience).

The training helped farmers organize responsibilities of their
members, agree on the activities and effort needed to re-build the
selected building, organize their receipts, agree on products each
will market, pricing, promotion and more. By forming an association,
farmers have space to help each other, where the ones with greater
knowledge and experience can coach other farmers. But also it gives
farmer a voice that allows them to negotiate to improve working
conditions. In the photos you can see snapshots of that training,
next month you will see the before and after pictures of the market,
stay tuned!

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The Global Fairness Initiative - 2122 P St NW Suite 302 - Washington,
DC 20037
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info@globalfairness.org - 1 (202) 898-9022

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