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By John F. Kutsko
Newscope

Fair Trade Chocolate Helps Fight Global Poverty Equal Exchange, the UM Committee on Relief and the General Board of Church and Society have partnered to raise awareness about Fair Trade this Halloween.

"It can be a delicious way to work for justice," said Sandra Ferguson Baltimore-Washington Conference director of social justice ministries.

Fairly traded products provide small-scale farmers a fair living wage and an opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty. The three organizations have created an educational resource to increase awareness of the UMCOR Coffee Project and the need to advocate with both wallets and voices for better working conditions and prices for cocoa farmers throughout the world. Now, United Methodists can fight global poverty while participating in Halloween fun by purchasing mini-chocolates and trick-or-treat bags from the Equal Exchange Interfaith Store at http://www.equalexchange.com

The continuing practice of forced child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa-where 70 percent of the world's chocolate is sourced-has been a well documented problem. As an alternative, Fair Trade Certified cocoa is monitored-from the farmers to the store shelf-by independent, non-profit, certifying organizations. FLO International and TransFair USA guarantee that no child labor or forced labor was used in the production of cocoa, the cocoa was bought directly from a democratically controlled cooperative of small-scale farmers and the farmers are paid enough money to support their families with food, education and other essentials.

Susan Burton, Director of the UM Seminar Program at the Board of Church and Society, recalls, "After my three-year-old and I went trick-or-treating, I sorted her candy. I found a postcard in her bag encouraging me to buy fair trade chocolate. I realized that was another way that I could put my faith into action and I wanted to make this opportunity available to UMs." This initiative offers United Methodists an opportunity to increase awareness of systems contributing to global poverty in their churches and beyond by handing out fairly traded chocolate and a post card with additional information and resources to support Fair Trade products.

According to the General Church and Society Web site, Global Poverty is one of the four focus areas of The United Methodist Church. This initiative offers United Methodists an opportunity to increase awareness of systems contributing to global poverty in their churches and beyond by handing out fair trade chocolate and a post card with additional information and resources to support fair trade products. Many local United Methodist Churches already serve Equal Exchange's Fair Trade products because they recognize their ability to participate in ending the exploitation of child slave laborers on cocoa farms.

United Methodists can support cocoa farmers, their families and children by purchasing fair trade chocolate for your church, family and friends through UMCOR's 100-Ton Challenge (http://www.umcorcoffee.org/) currently underway. This 12-month campaign that began on World Fair Trade Sunday on May 10, encourages United Methodists to support purchase of fair trade products from Equal Exchange through the UMCOR Coffee Project partnership.