OBSERVING FAIR TRADE IN GHANABy Mocha, Section Philosopher's Corner
Cora Rose Lewicki, a talented young person from our area, now works in Ghana with a fair trade organization.
Read her whole story in the Full Story
In our time many young people hear the call to bring service to people in far places. Courageously they travel to unfamiliar cultures opening their hearts and minds to those places and the people they meet there.
Cora Rose Lewicki came of age near us. Perhaps you've heard her sing and play her songs. Cora responded to her call. Now Cora's interning in Ghana in West Africa with a nongovernmental organization dedicated to empowering women as the basis of their efforts. These women work long and hard to achieve this goal. Cora met a woman, aged 61, who often travels from the coastal area of Ghana to the poorest region, the northern section of the country. The arduous trip requires 13 hours of traveling. This women dedicated the last three years of her life to establishing a business relationship with a woman's organization in the north. She serves as a dependable buyer who can connect their goods with international markets and help them develop quality control in their work. Reflecting on her experiences Cora says, "From the consumer's standpoint, certification gives confidence that the product one buys was truly produced under 'fair trade conditions'. But honestly, from the standpoint of everyone else in the commodity chain--the retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors, exporters and finally the producers--we do not need a sound certification system that assures ethical trading practices. What we need are more people like these women, acting with honor, dedication, and the hearts of lions." Looking towards the future Cora concludes, "I place my hope in people, simply people, and all the rest seems to fall to the wayside. We can try to build incredible schemes that govern and assure we care for each other, but they can never rival the pure goodness people can create all on their own. Years and years in the future, perhaps the allure of fair-trade will have faded away. When that happens, I hope people like the women I'm working with will still be working their magic."
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