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Traidcraft Exchange, a leading development charity, is celebrating a record-breaking fundraising campaign that will help hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest people work their way out of poverty.
Donations to the Fair Necessities Appeal, which ran from January to April this year, totalled £615,000, smashing the original target of £300,000 and setting a fundraising record for the charity.
The great news is that donations will be match-funded by the government as part of the UK Aid Match scheme; the money will be used specifically to help tea growers in northern Bangladesh.
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The Fair Necessities campaign will help smallholder farmers in some of the world’s poorest countries escape poverty and build better lives.
The money raised will help thousands of these farmers – farmers like Josna Begum, who lives in north-eastern Bangladesh.
Working with Traidcraft as part of the APONE project (Alleviating Poverty in North East Bangladesh), she has seen her profits from crops grow by 700% in one year. This is down to learning new growing techniques which have transformed her farming, and also her life.
‘Before joining the project my social and financial conditions were very poor. I had a house made of paper, and faced problems with being isolated and getting my children an education. I felt so sad then. Now my production is double what it was.’
Josna Begum, farmer from Bangladesh
The three-year APONE project, which worked directly with more than 8,000 farmers and their families in Bangladesh, has been a resounding success for the economic and social empowerment of the farmers involved.
For every £1 invested in the project, the return was more than £5, with a study showing significant rises in feelings of wellbeing, self-empowerment and quality of life.
‘The Fair Necessities Appeal has exceeded all our expectations and has become the biggest and most successful fundraising campaign we’ve ever undertaken. But the real praise has to go to our dedicated supporters who have donated and fundraised to make this appeal a huge success. We want to offer them a huge thanks – they’ve been so generous.
‘Traidcraft really is making a big difference to the lives of people in some of the world’s poorest countries. We work alongside them and equip them with the knowledge and skills to grow their way out of poverty, and to be able to provide themselves and their families with food, basic levels of healthcare or an education for their children.’
Larry Bush, Traidcraft’s marketing director
The appeal kicked off in January with the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge being lit in the Traidcraft colours of yellow and green.
Click here for more information about Traidcraft and its work with smallholder farmers.
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