247 April 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer

www.advertizer.co.uk april 2015
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Guatemala to Renfrewshire – a 2015 Fairtrade Journey
Ismael Diaz Rivas left hot and sunny Guatemala to visit Communities in
Renfrewshire, during Fairtrade Fortnight, to let us know the importance of
Fairtrade to their families and Communities. Unfortunately the weather was not
too kind during his visit.
He lives with his family close to the border with Mexico, near Chiapas Region.
He has two daughters and a son. He is an active member of the New Jerusalem
Church, which is part of the Central Evangelical Church.
Ismael said, “Forty years
ago, I started to learn beekeeping
from my Dad when
I was eighteen years old. I
now have 150 hives and 10
acres of coffee plants”.
Ismael is the founder and
President of his local CIPAC
organisation, which is a
Producer Co-operative for
Honey and Coffee in the
Huehuetenango District of
Guatemala. CIPAC began in
1999 and has been Fairtrade Certified since 2002.
The co-operative assists members with education and training, together with
assisting whenever possible with healthcare and financial support. Examples
of such assistance include :
• His son Ivan was trained by the co-operative and is now responsible for a
CIPAC Honey and Coffee Warehouse.
• One of his daughters is undertaking her studies
with CIPAC support.
• Farmers receive a loan to help them plant and
tend to their bees and coffee. The financial
support can be extended if a farmer’s
production is severely affected by, say,
adverse weather.
The main function of the co-operative is to
negotiate and facilitate the sale of high quality
honey and coffee to Traidcraft, which is a Christian
Fairtrade Organisation. Traidcraft ensures that
there is a market for producer co-operatives that
are too small to supply supermarket chains. It tries
to ensure that such small producers are not too
disadvantaged and they receive a fair price for a
quality product.
Fancy trying Chess?
Paisley Chess Club are looking for new members
and are keen to hear from anyone in the
Renfrewshire area. We meet at Ralston Bowling
Club, Allanton Ave, Paisley and open three times
a week (Monday & Wednesday evenings 7.15pm-
10pm and Thursday afternoons 1.30pm-4pm) and
fifty weeks a year. Players of all ages and abilities
are welcome and those new to the game will
receive patient instruction in what is a surprisingly
easy game to learn. www.paisleychessclub.org.uk
The price paid by Traidcraft is higher than the normal market price and means
that families and Communities can survive and develop. The prices charged
for Traidcraft products may be higher than normal Supermarket Fairtrade
Products, as Traidcraft operates with smaller scale co-operatives and has lower
production volumes. But without Traidcraft, Ismael’s co-operative and his local
Community would suffer significantly.
Traidcraft products are available at Church Fairtrade stalls and the Rainbow
Turtle Fairtrade Shop in Paisley, across from the Abbey. Please help the
small producers survive and develop by buying Fairtrade products whenever
possible.
When you read this, Ismael will be tending to his bees and coffee plants, thinking
of us and how important our actions are to his family’s future.