Fairtrade is a movement using the efficiency of the international market-based commercial system to restore some wealth to developing countries in the south that have been unfairly extracted by the First World over the past 300 years of colonialism. It provides the hard working people of the southern devoloping countries with a fair price for their products, primarily coffee beans. It costs $.80-$.90/lb (US) to produce coffee. When the world price paid by the multinational corporations, who control the coffee industry, was $.50lb(US), the Fairtrade growers were being paid a guaranteed $1.26/lb(US). In addition to paying the growers a fair price, the premiums are used to build schools, clinics, clean water supplies etc. There are strict rules associated with Fairtrade, one of which is that the growers must be democratically organized as Co-ops where every member has a vote.
In January 2005, the Parish of French Village took an innovative step to help the 230 members of Buena Vista, Mexico expand their communications. By selling Fair Trade coffee, the parish raised $2,100 for the community. This money was sent to the villagers of Buena Vista (who would normally have to walk for two hours to make an urgent telephone call) as a Christmas present from the Parish of French Village, which was used to purchase an antenna that now connects the village to the Internet and makes it possible to use a program called skype- an Internet-based calling system that allows users to call anywhere in the world free of charge. Needless to say, this piece of modern equipment has brought a priceless amount of knowedge and opportunity to the hard working people of Buena Vista and joy to the Parish of French Village.
