COVID relief: how you can help

Photo by Karthik Pillai on Unsplash.

As we celebrate World Fair Trade Day this weekend, we reflect on this year’s theme to Build Back Fairer.

Fair trade prioritizes the people and the planet over profit. It is a quiet revolution—a radical way of doing business that brings shared prosperity when things go well, and resilience when faced with challenges. This past year has been one of challenges, and as the pandemic continues around the world, we are continually reminded of the strength of our partnerships. We are greater together than apart.

Lately, our hearts and minds have turned to our artisan partners and communities in Asia—specifically Cambodia, India, and Nepal. COVD-19 infections are raging throughout these countries and their resources are limited. India just experienced its deadliest day since the start of the pandemic. In Cambodia, people are running out of food. Nepal’s health system is already fragile, and their infection rates are rising as fast as India’s.

The biggest question is: what can our fair trade community do?

✔️ Donate! We have complied a list from our fair trade friends and artisan partners who are in contact with their artisans on the ground in these countries. We will continue to add to this list as we learn more.

• Register for the Holding Space fundraising event to support garment makers in India & Cambodia on May 14. Folks on the ground will discuss what’s happening, and they will offer a time for reflection. There will also be a raffle for great fair trade products and a DJ!
• Matr Boomie: https://gofund.me/cec0b4ff
  SaveLIFE Foundation is sending Oxygen Concentrators and other essential equipment to Delhi
• JOYN: https://www.joycorps.org/donate
  They have started their own fund to purchase medical supplies, ensure wages, and give food supplies for approximately 120 partners and their families for the next 60 days.
• Rover & Kin:  https://mutualaidindia.com/
  Includes a list of opportunities to give to small business owners, migrant workers, waste pickers, and to provide ration kits to those in the most need.
  Support for local efforts and oxygen cylinder relief
• Mata Traders: https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/donate-dry-ration-to-families-struggling-with-hunger-in-covid-second-wave?utm_
  Fundraiser for hunger relief to provide food essentials to families, like rice, dal, salt, sugar and oil.
• Sevya: https://www.sewausa.org
  Raising funds for much-needed lifesaving medical equipment like oxygen-concentrators and ventilators for hospitals across India.
• Sudara: https://www.sudarafreedomfund.org/
  Funds for food kit distribution, vaccines, and other life-saving aid.
• Passion Lilie: Support for Lydia, a tailor in Bangladore, and her family, who all have COVID. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-team-affected-by-covid?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet
• AID India is providing food to communities and protective equipment to healthcare workers. Donate to the COVID relief fund here.
• BUDS, a pediatrician and citizen-run organization, is providing medical care, food, and education for children and families. Donate here.
• AOW Handmade: www.akshayapatra.org/covid-relief-services
  www.giveindia.org
  www.dastkar.org/donation
• PACT: Would love your support for Path, a nonprofit that’s actively working to secure medical oxygen for the facilities in India that desperately need it.
• For those looking to support artists during this difficult time, Marcella Echavarria has created a virtual souk, partnering with exquisite craftsmen and women in India, allowing you to purchase some incredibly special heirloom pieces. She is working with companies like Injiri (you can also read more about here).
• Ganesh Himal Trading is distributing resources directly to their artisan communities in Nepal through their non-profit Conscious Connections Foundation: https://www.consciousconnectionsfoundation.org/donate

✔️ Share! The more you share and promote these fundraisers, the more it will help. There are so many ways to help—one will certainly resonate with you.

Thank you for your continued support!

Paul, Sarah, and Ben  pictured with block print artisans in Rajasthan, India (pre-COVID).