World Fair Trade Day at Pembroke on Saturday

Students at St Michael Foundation in Pembroke are to help in efforts to make a success of the events being organised locally to mark the first World Fair Trade Day, known as Worldfest.

The event is being organised by Med2000 Local Action Group (Third World Group) and Koperattiva Kummerc Gust in collaboration with St Michael Foundation, Inizjamed and Ritmi (Third World Group) at St Michael Foundation on Saturday.

Worldfest is being held to celebrate fair trade and honour the achievements of grassroots farmers and craftspeople who create quality products for the market, to tell consumers how their spending power can make a difference and to tell other companies how they can make a contribution to sustainable development through fair trade.

"World trade rules are loaded against poor people and the environment. World Fair Trade Day is a clear proof that there exists another path that benefits poor people and the planet. This is an excellent opportunity for Maltese consumers to bring about justice while having fun, returning home with a unique handicraft or tasteful jar of coffee," Vince Caruana, of the Third World Group, and general coordinator of Worldfest said.

Families will be able to enjoy a day out in a cleaner, greener environment, with various activities such as sports, live ethnic music and face painting.

There will also be public talks on global citizenship education and fair trade for primary and secondary schoolteachers and a public seminar by Clementina Carbone, headteacher of the Vincenzo de Paoli school in Reggio Calabria.

This school has decided to stop selling foodstuffs by multinational companies in their canteen. Instead it has formed an innovative cooperative, Nosotros, managed by the students themselves and selling only fair trade foodstuffs.

A public seminar will be held by Stefano Magnoni, who is a founding member and general coordinator of Chico Mendes - the largest Italian Fair Trade shop.

Finally Anna Bucca, president of ARCI Catania, will be speaking about the role of fair trade in a globalised economy. Throughout the day, L-Arka, Malta`s only fair trade shop, a non-profit initiative at 306, St Paul`s Street, Valletta will also be represented at the various fair trade stalls that will be set up at the St Michael`s grounds.

These stalls will be full of foodstuffs, handicrafts from various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin and Central America and clothes, among others, produced under international fair trade criteria. The whole day will be brought to an end by a live performance by the Drum Circle workshop led by Renzo Spiteri.