Fair Trade and Helping Developing Countries

These are two of our Eco Icons and two more ways in which you can help contribute to a better world for the future by buying gifts from lesser developed countries from http://www.yourtomorrow.co.uk/. The benefits for buying products that are made by people employed in fair, safe and human conditions are obvious; what a demonstration of people's greed that they take advantage of other's weaknesses to make money for themselves. Fair Trade is a simple way to ensure that market pressures do not result in human suffering, no employment of children, reduced price fluctuation because of climatic or market conditions, fair pay and employment policies. These are well documented and for more details about these, see the websites http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ and http://www.ifat.org/.
However, why do we have two sections on our website http://www.yourtomorrow.co.uk/ , both Fair Trade and Helping Developing Countries? We aim to help the future of the world and a lot of good ethical local activities are not able to get Fair Trade accreditation, because they are too small or do not want to get involved in administration and bureaucracy. These are developed countries' ideas and can detract from the job in hand. We, therefore, have to recognise that Fair Trade does some good, but that also there are communities that cannot, or do not want to be, accredited by Fair Trade organisations. Two examples, at different ends of the spectrum, are featured on the website. Firstly we sell items from a well established business which imports product from Cambodia. I have no doubts about their "ethical" credentials, but they avoid Fair Trade organisations because they believe these organisations are bureaucratic and unnecessary; see some of their handbags on http://www.yourtomorrow.co.uk/product/12/11.php. At the other extreme the Whatknot Wellness Centre is a brand new community trying to help AIDs patients in South Africa and being approved by a Fair Trade organisation is far from the top of their priority list; see their Thump Mats on http://www.yourtomorrow.co.uk/product/30/176.php
Those of you with suspicious natures will be thinking, "but supposing that behind these organisations is someone just out to make money from me". That is the fear that provides the raison d'etre behind the Fair Trade organisations and provides much employment and intellectual activity. Far be it from me to discount this view, but it is just not my priority. My answer to this is just to point you towards John Seddon and his views on getting the job done, rather than just focussing on the administration and paperwork; http://www.lean-service.com/home.asp. I read his book "Freedom From Command and Control, A Better Way To Make The Work Work" and this inspired me that it far better to concentrate on just trying to get things done, rather than ensuring things were administratively perfect. I include just one of his articles on the Knowledgebase of the website and you can see this at the following address is http://www.yourtomorrow.co.uk/kbase_category/9.php.