Chocolate with the Fair Trade logo

That said, there was a time when I regularly bought the orange juice and the quinoa.

I returned to the subject a couple of weeks ago during a seminar in Frankfurt, where there was not only a presentation about the Fair Trade principles and organisation, but a chance to try some of the chocolate that is produced, one type of which was actually very good.

One question that came up was whether there were coffee pads with the Fair Trade certification – and apparently there are.  So I set off in search of them.

For a while now my company has been buying a brand of sugar that carries the Fair Trade logo, and now – after visiting several supermarkets in the area – I can happily say that we have switched to the coffee pads as well.  Not only do I think that the coffee tastes better than when I first tried it all those years ago, but the pads are actually cheaper than the brand we were using before!

Which products do you buy?

As is usual for the annual DPSG Jahresaktion, the whole thing that be split into two parts:

1. Raising Money

The easy part, you might say.  Not that raising money in itself is necessarily easy, but the goals are pretty much well defined.

There are 8 projects in Bolivia that require funding.  Each of these is in some way connected to children’s rights, 7 are in the different Bolivian regions (Distritos) and one is a national project.

I say that this is the easy part, because these are clearly defined projects and it is a matter of asking for donations, holding an event to raise money or even just selling some of the merchandising that will be available.

My previous experience with such events is that even if Groups do not want to get involved with the second part, they will at least contribute in some way to the fundraising part.

2. Politics

“Politics” may not be the best word to describe what I mean, but it sort of does the job.

The second half is more directly to do with children’s rights – both in Germany and in Bolivia.  Here the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) plays a pivotal role as although Germany has signed and ratified the treaty, it places German asylum law above the requirements of the treaty.

This apparently makes it one of only two countries in Europe that take children into custody pending deportation.  We were also told that this can mean children of asylum seekers not being able to go to school as the right to schooling underlies the asylum process.

On the Bolivian side, children’s rights also play a role in the projects that will be funded, however here topics such as the right to education, cultural identity and participation play a stronger role.

Ideally the Groups in Germany will not only be raising money for the projects, but dealing with the political side at all levels in a way that is suitable for the different age groups.

To help them do this there is the annual Jahresaktionsheft – a booklet full of information and ideas for things to do, and a network of people to disseminate the information and assist where necessary.

Since I am now one of those myself, I will no doubt be blogging quite a bit more about this topic over the next 12 months.

Today I’m just sharing a photo with you that I took in front of “La Ricoletta” as the sun set over Sucre.

(17th July 2000)

It may well be that Bolivia is sitting on a gold mine, with future technological developments requiring ever more lithium, there is talk of Bolivia having a similar role to play to that of Saudi Arabia in the oil industry.  The question is: will the country benefit as a whole?

This is not the first time that Bolivia has been the main supplier of a particular commodity – much of the world’s silver originally came from the cerro rico in Potosí.  It is said that during the time that Bolivia was a Spanish colony, enough silver was shipped back to Spain to build a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean!  The colonial powers literally depleted the country of a rich resource, even using slave labour to remove the silver from the mines.

In recent years there have been discussions about the way contracts with neighbouring countries or multi-national companies were negotiated – often benefiting a few but not the population as a whole.

So will it be different with lithium?  Are the salt flats of Uyuni in danger or being exploited?  And are the people of Bolivia in danger of losing another precious resource?

This family-run business offers specialities from Bolivia, that you are unlikely to find in many other restaurants in Germany.  And it is a family from Bolivia that cooks and serves it!  (I even met them once on a flight from Santa Cruz to Sucre).

One of our favourites has to be the Pique a lo Macho – spiced strips of beef with jalapeño slices, served on a bed of chips with salad.  Be aware that one of the spices is locoto – which can be very hot.

Another good dish is the Aji de Pollo, aji being another spice which is made of ground red peppers and in this dish it is a sauce that the pollo (chicken) resides in.  Pre-booked, even Salteñas can be ordered.

As a starter, we often have strips of deep-fried yuca, covered in melted cheese and served with a red dip called llajwa.

The restaurant also serves Bolivian wines, and a special type of schnaps called Singani, made from distilled grapes.

El Latino, Mainz-Finthen

The new address is: El Latino, Borngasse 59, 55126 Mainz-Finthen. If you are going there on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening, then it is advisable to book a table in advance.

Opening Times

Wed & Thu 6pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat 6pm – 12am
Sun 12pm – 2pm & 5pm – 10pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Telephone: +49 (0) 6131 / 6693550

P.S. Don’t forget to say that you read about it on AmigosDeSucre!