Conferences

My week in Mombasa, Kenya

Usually I have designers with me, but this time everyone’s super busy – so I decided to attend the WFTO conference alone! Mad! As I told you in my last blog I barely had time to sleep.

I love fashion and trying something new, so I decided to produce a People Tree Bombolulu Workshops Fashion Show – 30 minutes before we were still finalising the outfits – OMG.

Anyway, follow me around the WFTO Conference, the voting group photo. The market place full of wonderful, Fair Trade craft – watch me design dresses at Bombolulu, styling the fashion show and stressing out!

WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) Conference, Mombasa, Kenya

Safia and Geoff from Traid Aid New Zealand at the WFTO conference

Safia, Geoff and Craig ('CAJUNZ') from Traid Aid New Zealand and Ten Thousand Villages USA

Usually a few of us from People tree attend the biannual WFTO conference – there’s so much to do! There are over 100 Fair Trade organsiations there – but this time I’m solo! So I’m developing new products with Fair Trade groups at lunch breaks, talking about Fair Trade retailing in the US and New Zealand at tea break and trying not to fall asleep reading background papers on everything from how we strengthen WFTO Fair Trade systems, strategic direction, budgets, accounts, etc, etc before falling asleep under my mosquito net.

Where? I’m in Mombassa, it’s very warm although it’s winter for Kenya and the locals are shivering in their cardigans, for us British we’re as happy as can be – only problem is my is a frizz ball hair due to the humidity.

Who am I? CAJANZ, a European or an Asian? As People Tree Japan and People Tree UK are members of WFTO I belong in two different regional groups. Europe – easy and CAJANZ (Canada, America, Japan… err Australia and New Zealand) we’re a tiny group whose motivation is to sell more Fair Trade products – The Europeans are much more political and into advocacy – so I love having a leg in both camps as it were – although I played on the CAJUN football team. I was little benefit to them though, having not played football since teaching my son at the age of two! I used to join my Asia regional talks before as I spend more time with producer groups than anyone else and after all Japan is in Asia when I last checked the map.

Can’t shut me up! – I’m an advocate for the WFTO Fair Trade system having piloted it in Bangladesh and Nepal, it helps Fair Trade groups develop capacity to compete and win a market share. So I’m very vocal all conference and delighted that the new Executive Committee with President friend Rudi Dalvai of CTM gets the vote from the floor to steam ahead with it. Only problem is when Rudi, now President, is too busy to buy me shampoo and conditioner – my hair further revolts and by the time I get home I’m so fed up with my frizzy hair I cut it off myself!