Fair Trade Resource Network

If you want to find out more about the world of fair trade and what it can do for people across the planet, you might want to check out the Fair Trade Resource Network. They describe themselves as an "information hub designed to grow the fair trade movement". Obviously, we at Karuna Village applaud their efforts and wish to support their work in any way we can - even if it just by giving them a plug here!

The Fair Trade Network was founded in 1999 and is a nonprofit organisation. Its primary purpose is education of the buying public - "helping people to better understand the impact of their buying decisions". If you are a fair trade outlet, or thinking of providing fair trade goods, they have a wide variety of resources that can help you in getting your fair trade message across to your audience.

One of the key elements of Karuna Village was that we didn't just want to sell high quality art on a fair trade basis, we wanted to tell the story behind the art. Think of the value you get as an art buyer over buying some derivative department store 'decor', when you get a personal story, belief, culture, and often a mythology, as well as a unique piece of fine art. Plus, you are helping to support an economy where often there are few alternatives to earn a living for the people involved. That's what I love about the internet - it gives a global market to the remotest peoples. How great is that!