2009 Fall/Winter Work of Human Hands Catalog

Work of Human Hands Sales not only give you an excuse to get out of the house and send some time in a warm, festive atmosphere with beautiful handcrafts and delicious gourmet foods surrounding you. It gives you and your community a shopping alternative that reflects the values of our faith and an opportunity to put your dollars toward helping those  in need.  Through Work of Human Hands Sales you can transform your parish hall into a market where faith and justice meet!

If you haven’t received your Work of Human Hands catalog in the mail, or are a first-time sale organizer ready to get started, you can order your free catalog and a consignment sale information packet from our order page. The consignment planner in the information packet offers a step-by-step guide to make holding a sale easy.

SERRV, our partner on Work of Human Hands, has some special offers for sale hosts this year. Don’t miss out!

• Fair Trade Gift Set
  Orders of at least $750, received at least 4 weeks before your first sale date will receive a free gift set of fair trade foods as our thanks to you. This will ship with your order, and you can share it with your committee, use it in a raffle, or whatever works for you!
• Fall 2010 Artisan Tour
  Sell more than $1000 worth of handcrafts and your group is eligible to be chosen for an artisan visit. You must also return no more than 25% of your order, and pay for your items within 10 days of your sale to qualify. We will contact you next spring if your order met these conditions, to request your proposal for hosting an artisan. The organization selected for the 2010 artisan visit will be contacted in late spring/early summer.
• 25 for 25
  If you order at least $750, pay on time and return less than 25% of your total order, we will send you a $25 gift certificate in May 2010 to use towards a future order.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call our Customer Service team at 1.800.685.7572.

And remember, with each purchase made through Work of Human Hands, SERRV donates a portion of the sale to the CRS Fair Trade Fund. So whether you host a sale in your parish, or shop at home, your purchase gives in 3 ways – a beautiful gift for you, a fair trade for the artisan, and a donation to CRS to help us continue to build the Fair Trade marketplace.

If you receive the Higher Grounds newletter you’ve already seen that the CRS Nicaraguan Blend is the featured coffee! Don’t forget you can support the same coffee farmers CRS works with in Nicaragua by simply purchasing their coffee.

They’re a fantastic example of how green a business can be. We think they deserve a round of applause and a vote for Green Business of the Year! Place your vote now!

A big congratulations to the other 9 businesses that were also nominated for the award.  And an apology, because as a CRS Coffee Partner, Grounds for Change is getting all our votes!!

With the school season upon us, CRS Fair Trade offers some ideas for learning more about Fair Trade:

• View a video and download a reflection guide about the coffee farmers of La Fem in Nicaragua.  You’ll hear directly from two cooperative leaders about why Fair Trade is important to them and their families.  These materials are made possible thanks to a partnership between CRS and RENEW International.

• Send student off in style and solidarity with a uniform from Fair Trade Uniforms.  Over the years, students have led the way in confronting sweatshop abuses.  CRS Fair Trade is proud to recommend this  clothing project of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

• Raise Money Right because youth fund-raising is about more than just dollars.  With Divine and Equal Exchange Fair Trade chocolate you can earn dollars for your local causes and support  farmers globally.

Whether as consumers here in the States or as members of producer families, children are often the beneficiaries of Fair Trade.   Help your students experience the fun and justice of Fair Trade this school year.

Children of cocoa farmers attend summer camp. Photo by Jackie DeCarlo/CRS

“This year, after years of discussions, leaders in Catholic health ministry, the labor movement, and the Catholic bishops sought to apply our traditional teaching on work and workers and to offer some practical alternatives on how leaders of hospitals, unions, and others might apply our principles as an aid to reaching agreements in their own situations.

The principal participants— the Catholic Health Association (CHA), the AFL/CIO, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)—reached agreement that offers guidance and options on how workers can make a free decision about whether or not they want to be represented by a union. They agreed on basic principles including mutual respect and open and honest communication as ‘guides’ to appropriate conduct for both employers and union representatives. This paves the way for workers to make informed decisions without undue influence or pressure from either side. The basic elements of such an approach include mutual respect, truth, and a commitment to let the workers decide whether or not they want to be represented by a union. This was not easy or simple. There were many different points of view and perspectives that at times seemed irreconcilable. The dialogue was long, candid and constructive. It led to a significant consensus statement entitled, Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions.”

With all the concerns about the tenor of health care reform debate, it is encouraging to see progress can be made.  As the Bishop said, the success was not easy or simple. But consensus was possible because of Fair Trade values such as dialogue, transparent and respect.  Let us hope on Labor Day and every day those values prevail.

With more drastic changes in climate expected over the next 10-15years, regardless of the altitude of their farm, coffee farmers will need to adapt their farming techniques, and possibly even the crops they farm, to ensure they have a crop to harvest and a continued source of income. As the result of 3 year grant, CRS and our partner CIAT are working on a project called CUP – Coffee Under Pressure: Climate Change Adaptation in Mesoamerica. Through the project we are developing a system to identify how farms at different elevations will be affected by climate change and working with farmers make the appropriate adaptations to their farms.

The article in Reuters stresses the importance of government involvement in the coffee industry to assist farmers and maintain a stable supply of coffee. However, we in the U.S. also have a role to play in stemming the tide of climate change. Catholics Confront Global Poverty, a joint initiative between the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services, invites Catholics to take action on climate change. If you haven’t joined yet, sign up for Catholics Confront Global Poverty!

Here’s why…

“The Catholic Church brings a distinct perspective to the debate about climate change by lifting up the moral dimensions of this issue and the needs of the most vulnerable among us. As Catholics our faith calls us to care for all of God’s creation, especially the ‘least of these’ (Mt 25:40). Of particular concern to the Church is how climate change and the response to it will affect poor and vulnerable people here at home and around the world.” (learn more…)

The Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative helped shape good ideas for celebration through a national webcast on August 25, 2009.   CRS Fair Trade, along with Jill Rauh of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, grounded the discussion in the call of Catholic social teaching to promoting economic justice.  We then explored what Fair Trade means and the opportunities CRS Fair Trade offers for converting your parish to Fair Trade coffee, Raising Money Right through chocolate, or hosting a community Work of Human Hands crafts sale.

October is a great month to implement or launch Fair Trade activities, so be sure and check out the webcast for organizing ideas.  Also check out our free resources for your community.

This is particularly true when it comes to the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative coordinated by CRS and USCCB.  I recently came across a video podcast on the initiative’s website and wanted to make sure you had a look at it too.  In this clip, Fr. Andrew Small explains the injustices that many farmers and artisans are facing in some of the world’s poorest countries.  He speaks of how we are in relationship to those producers and thus need to consume responsibly and advocate strongly for policies that reflect Catholic social teaching.   It only takes a few minutes to view, but the video is a persuasive argument for fairer trade.

Be one in a million: click and learn more about trade policy and our brothers and sisters around the world.

This week CRS Fair Trade is at the Catholic Marketing Network trade show. Religious bookstores and schools come to the event to make purchases from publishers such as St. Benedict’s Press, iconic images, vestments and we hope, some day, Fair Trade items.  Offering samples of Equal Exchange coffee, chocolate, and snacks, a team of CRS Fair Traders- Dennis Fisher of the CRS-Northeast office, Global Fellows Msgr. Joe Ciampaglio  and Fr. Tom Fenlon, and Charitable Giving and Awareness staffer Rob Kearney, talked to Catholic business owners about CRS’s work in more than 100 countries and the power of Fair Trade.  Yesterday we were joined by Sr. Maureen McGowan, of Fair Trade Uniforms and Handcrafting Justice, who displayed unique handcrafted items from countries such as the Philippines.  Sr. Maureen’s organization is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, and we were also proud to distribute the FTF’s  “Does your Gift Shop Make Change” handout made possible in part through the Fair Trade Fund.

It is hard to know at these types of events what impact, if any, you are making.  Some people listen intently to why Fair Trade is important and how products will appeal to U.S. Catholics.  Others breeze by, picking up a bit of chocolate or two.  The vast majority of people politely pick up materials and walk away.

For me, though, the only thing better than talking directly to consumers is the chance to get away from my desk and be with colleagues.  Away from the cubicle, and with several hours together, you learn about the great work people are doing in ways large and small, hidden and popular.  You trade travel stories and favorite tales of producers who touched your heart.   You munch on yummy chocolate, and you feel so grateful to do work you love with people you care about.  Great colleagues and good times are not exclusive to the Fair Trade world, of course  But through the CRS network of fully committed Fair Trade companies, I’ve been blessed to know many good, dedicated people who make justice bloom for the disadvantaged and marginalized around the world! We are glad you are part of our work, and we look forward to some retail stores joining us.

But in the meantime I wanted to share an inspiring reflection from my colleague Fr. David Garcia.  Published July 31, by Today’s Catholic, the Archdiocesan newspaper of San  Antonio , this article helps us see how our daily routines can play an important role in pursuing the values of Pope Benedict’s latest teach on solidarity.

Fr. David, in white shirt, talks to coffee farmers

Fr. David has traveled to Nicaragua as a member of our Global Fellows program and learned directly from farmers the importance of economic justice.  Read his thoughts on the encyclical and Fair Trade here.

The photos and the story they tell of farmer ownership of a Fair Trade business is beautiful in any language!

Photo by Michelle Frankfurter for CRS

New market access

Working with Frente Democratico Campesino de Chihuaha (FDC), CRS-Mexico was awarded $25,000 to develop a capacity building and marketing plan to support blue corn and apples farmers access Hispanic, whole foods and border markets in the United States.  In order to implement the plan, FDC and two of its member cooperatives, will work with a U.S. based wholesaler, Sunny Valley Organics, to gain food safety and organic certification, as well as develop product labeling and marketing infrastructure.  By the end of the year-long grant, up to 70 farmers will be prepared to a begin entry into the U.S. market.

Environmentally friendly trade

Long-time crafts partner, SERRV, with the sponsorship of CRS-Ecuador, received $4,500 to conduct a natural dye workshop with partners Camari, MCCH and Sinchi Sacha.  The aim of the five-day training is to help producers effectively meet market demand for environmentally friendly products.  With increased international sales, much needed income will be brought into the families of 20 artisans in Ecuador.

Creating new commerical connections

Marketplace: Handwork of India received $3,650 to expand the wholesale customer base for a new line of organic knit products developed through a previous CRS Fair Trade Fund grant.  Both electronic media and a sample book will be constructed to demonstrate the skills and capabilities of artisans.  The grant will help take the knit project to the next level by introducing the work of the artisans to buyers in larger companies for purchase in 2010.

Youth, technology and culture

Long-time CRS partner, Fair Trade Resource Network, received $15,000 for its “Youth United Across Borders” project which will expand on a traditional pen-pal exchange model by pairing six US-based youth groups with six producer groups overseas.  Approximately 360 youth will build cross-cultural connections and help create print and electronic media, including a photo exhibit, to share information about their home communities and the positive impacts of Fair Trade.

Spreading the Word

The Diocese of Arlington Virginia, sponsored by CRS-Northeast, was awarded $9,700 to train at least 10 youth Fair Trade Ambassadors and to encourage parishes and diverse Catholic community organizations to host Fair Trade sales.  In the short-term, the youth will take the message of Fair Trade to their peers and parishes and become long-term supporters of Fair Trade.   The diocesan communities will have the opportunity to make connections between economic development around the world and community vibrancy here in the United States.

Campus activism

Through the sponsorship of CRS-Midwest, the Fr. Herman Center for Peace and Justice at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa received $5,200 to develop a two year plan of Fair Trade activism on campus.  The plan, including specific activities for the 2009-2010 academic year, will focus on awareness building, education and creation of a Fair Trade “university”.

Making the Case for Fair Trade

CRS is providing long-time partner, Fair Trade Federation, $3,500 for web-development and communication strategies to promote case studies of the positive impacts of Fair Trade in producer countries.

In total, the CRS Fair Trade Fund is leveraging $66,500 to build the capacity of the movement.  These grant are made possible by your support of our partners.   Individual donations to the Fund can be made on-line.   On behalf of the grantees and our program, we thank you!

Photo by CRS

This group of students and adults–who had used Fair Trade chocolate as a fun, tasty tool for awareness and education back home–were humbled and chastened by the grim tour of a place where human beings had been treated as property, forced in squalid cells while waiting for transport to a life of enslavement.   Even two years after the trip, I recall the empty and shameful feelings that the brief time of glimpsing slave trade relics stirred in me.

I wonder what President Obama’s reactions—both personal and political—will be to his time in Ghana, and I am curious about the response of his hosts.  Apparently the arrival of our first African-American president is being much anticipated by the people of Ghana, who are rolling out quite a welcome mat of festivities.  I also suspect Pope Benedict, who is meeting with Obama before the trip to Africa, is looking forward to their conversation just days after his encyclical on charity and truth has been published.

While I am no expert on diplomatic or theological discussions, based on my time in Ghana and my experience with Fair Trade, I suggest a few passages from Chapter Two of the encyclical to get the conversation between Pope Benedict XVI and President Obama started:

•    In anticipation of Obama’s time in a former British colony: “Paul VI hoped to see the journey towards autonomy [and decolonization] unfold freely and in peace. More than forty years later, we must acknowledge how difficult this journey has been, both because of new forms of colonialism and continued dependence on old and new foreign powers, and because of grave irresponsibility within the very countries that have achieved independence.”
•    Regarding strategies to confront the global economic crisis:  “It is important to distinguish between short- and long-term economic or sociological considerations. Lowering the level of protection accorded to the rights of workers, or abandoning mechanisms of wealth redistribution in order to increase the country’s international competitiveness, hinder the achievement of lasting development. Moreover, the human consequences of current tendencies towards a short-term economy — sometimes very short-term — need to be carefully evaluated. This requires further and deeper reflection on the meaning of the economy and its goals, as well as a profound and far-sighted revision of the current model of development, so as to correct its dysfunctions and deviations.”
•    Learning lessons of development: “The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life. It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination.  It is important, moreover, to emphasize that solidarity with poor countries in the process of development can point towards a solution of the current global crisis, as politicians and directors of international institutions have begun to sense in recent times. Through support for economically poor countries by means of financial plans inspired by solidarity ….not only can true economic growth be generated, but a contribution can be made towards sustaining the productive capacities of rich countries that risk being compromised by the crisis.”

In this posting, Fr. Juan Molina (seen third from the right with a group of CRS Fair Trade Ambassadors)  offers some insights on how to make a connection between Fair Trade and consumer society from the perspective of our Catholic tradition.

“In one talk I did at Southern Methodist University, I focused on the tradition of Living Simply. As many of you may know, that tradition is relatively long but was highlighted in the 1970s and ‘80s and now many college students are beginning to pick it up with a new twist. I spoke about how living simply, in our contemporary world, includes three very contemporary issues: Spirituality, sustainability, and solidarity.

• Spirituality: The Simple Living movement and lifestyle has, especially for people of faith, been rooted in a spirituality that acknowledges that more is not necessarily better. Sometimes less is better. In fact, enough is what is really best. Enough to eat, enough to live, enough to be happy. Knowing that God is the one who fulfills all of our longings and desires sometime makes us realize that we do not need it “all.”
• Sustainability: With an almost “post-controversial” discussion on the environmental issues, living simply can focus us on the long-term realization that consuming less, especially of the resources that are nonrenewable, is actually a good idea and a good stewardship action to care for our vulnerable earth.
• Solidarity: Here is where Fair Trade makes sense. Living simply also incorporates an aspect of being in solidarity with others. The old adage of “living simply so others can simply live” highlights this solidarity. With Fair Trade, simple living goes a step further: we can also shop for things we consume everyday and be in solidarity with those who manufacture some of those products. In addition, the act of solidarity with a person — a producer, a farmer, a craftswoman — can also be an act of solidarity with the earth, as when we purchase organic sustainability produced crafts, coffee and chocolate.”

Fr. Juan is an advocacy program officer for CRS in the Southwest United States.  Comment below to let us know how you practice simplicity where you live.

Thanks to our friends at InterAction for permission to share Michael’s article below:

BEYOND FAIR TRADE: FROM SUSTAINABLE COFFEES TO SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
Michael Sheridan, May 2009

Fair Trade has been one of the most celebrated concepts in social entrepreneurship over the past decade. Its explosive growth has been fueled in part by the Fair Trade campaigns of InterAction members. At Catholic Relief Services (CRS), we have increasingly invested in Fair Trade and other “sustainable” coffees.  We supported farmer organizations overseas in their efforts to access Fair Trade and organic coffee markets while also promoting the Fair Trade label at home. I was personally involved in these efforts, directing the CRS Fair Trade Program in the U.S. for nearly four years before relocating to Guatemala.

Here, I supervise our CAFE Livelihoods, an $8.2 million project to strengthen farmers’ engagement with high-value coffee markets. We believe Fair Trade and organic certifications represent the best hope for the largest number of farmers to maximize their coffee income, create sustainable grassroots enterprises, and farm in ecologically sustainable ways.

In recent years, however, Fair Trade has been criticized for failing to foster sustainable rural development. The purpose of this piece is not to adjudicate the claims of Fair Trade’s advocates and critics. Instead, I want to focus on three points concerning the ongoing conversation about sustainability in coffee.

First, the debates over the relative merits of Fair Trade and other certifications miss the larger point. None of the competing coffee certifications, either individually or in combination, can ensure truly sustainable smallholder livelihoods. Second, future discussions of coffee sustainability within the industry, development field and
donor community should apply the concept of sustainability to the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers who grow the majority of the world’s coffee. These discussions should center on a holistic vision of sustainability generated on the ground, in coffee growing countries, and not around the narrower standards of certification systems developed in the U.S. and Europe. Finally, the industry, donors and development agencies must invest more in critical issues that lie beyond the coffee chain but threaten the livelihoods of coffee farmers and put the chain itself at risk.

Fair trade and rural livelihoods under pressure
Fair Trade is concerned primarily with improving the terms of trade for smallholder farmers. Over the past decade, it has mitigated price risk and volatility for these farmers by fostering longerterm trading relationships with guaranteed
minimum prices above prevailing market rates. It is a worthy accomplishment. But the primary issue that Fair Trade Certification addresses—unfavorable terms of trade—is only one of the increasing threats to fragile smallholder livelihoods, and not necessarily the most urgent.

Perhaps the most significant limitation of coffee certification schemes in improving smallholder livelihoods concerns
the volume of coffee that smallholders produce. While coffee represents the most significant agricultural activity for most smallholder farmers, it is not the only one. Most also devote a significant portion of their land to other crops. So
even if farmers can sell all their coffee at premium prices— and few are so lucky—the low volume of coffee traded may
limit coffee’s contribution to their overall well-being. And the decreasing size of many small farms due to inheritance and subdivision is only intensifying the pressure on the land and livelihoods.

These vulnerabilities are exacerbated by global shocks like the food price crisis, long-term trends like climate change,
and the constant threat of natural disaster. Collectively, these challenges make smallholder coffee farmers highly susceptible to even the mildest ecological or economic pressure.

In this context, it seems almost unreasonable to expect coffee certification to make much headway. In fact, evidence suggests that even small-scale coffee farmers who sell shadegrown, Fair Trade and organic coffee may be going hungry for as many as four to six months per year.

To cope with economic stress, smallholder farmers turn to short-term strategies that undermine their long-term wellbeing. They buy and eat less food, withdraw children from school, spend less on health care, sell coffee at a fraction of its value, clear-cut forests to sell timber and grow higher-yield crops, take out loans they will struggle to repay, sell
household and productive assets, and leave for longer periods to work elsewhere.

These strategies compromise their future ability to produce large volumes of high-quality coffee. A hungry farmer works less effectively than a well-fed one. A farmer who is away from his fields for months earning money cannot tend to the farm with the care necessary to meet the high quality standards of specialty coffee markets. When capital that should be reinvested in the farm is instead needed to pay interest on a never-ending cycle of debt, productivity declines. Farmers who clear-cut their forests remove the shade that is the foundation of any concept of environmentally friendly coffee. And when desperation finally forces a farmer to sell off land, the availability of coffee is jeopardized. Without investment to address these issues, the gains farmers make through their participation in sustainable coffee markets can be, quite literally, swept away overnight.

Sustainable for whom?
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and a sustainable coffee trade must work for all stakeholders in the chain. But today, the entire “sustainable coffee” enterprise is at risk because many smallholder farmers simply do not have livelihoods that are sustainable by any standard. Indicators for “sustainability” in the specialty coffee market are certifications whose standards are set and enforced at the market end of the coffee chain by organizations in the U.S.
and Europe. Meanwhile, at the production end, we see a gap between the reality and the rhetoric of sustainable coffees.
Even some smallholder farmers selling double and triple-certified coffees struggle mightily. The sustainable coffee conversation needs to refocus on coffee origins to address the acute needs of smallholder farmers.

Sustainability 2.0
It is time to expand the concept of sustainability and build on the foundation laid by two generations of sustainability pioneers all along the coffee chain. “Sustainability 2.0” will require new perspectives and non-traditional collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

Development agencies and the donors that fund them will need to couple traditional “development” issues with new disciplines in the field. Too often in the development community we have divorced our work on core issues like food security from narrower, newer pursuits, including the highly specialized technical assistance farmer organizations need to meet the stringent demands of dynamic coffee markets.

For coffee industry actors, this may mean building non-traditional competencies and new investments into their business models to secure supplies of high-quality coffee in competitive markets. Donors and development agencies will need to support the industry in this process and provide expertise in livelihoods issues. We will all need a better understanding of one another’s opportunities and constraints.

The first step, however, is broadening the conversation on sustainable coffees. Leading academics have begun to incorporate livelihoods issues into their analysis of sustainable coffees, but few in the mainstream of the coffee industry, development field or donor community have followed suit. Comprehensive analysis of smallholder farmer livelihoods will reveal potential sources of unsustainability in coffee chains and identify opportunities for new investments beyond them. Sharing examples of successful community-driven interventions that are costeffective
and replicable can help show the way forward.

Let us know how you celebrated!

Or just ask us why Katy is dressed as a mermaid…it is all in the name of economic justice!