Did you know that even just shopping at Trade Aid helps make the world a better place? Founded in New Zealand in 1973, Trade Aid is a social enterprise dedicated to fair trade, putting people first, and supporting impoverished communities. The handmade goods in store are sold to support their artisan creators directly.
Ask the team if you want to know more about where an item came from – staff and volunteers undergo fair trade training when they start working at Trade Aid, and also have the option to become certified. They’ll always be able to tell you who made your purchase – some items are even personally signed by their makers! The store also has pamphlets available giving more information on each group of creators.
Trade Aid also offers educational talks on fair trade to schools and community groups. Trade Aid educators are volunteers that can come to you and share knowledge and resources, and a collection of free teaching resources is available on the Trade Aid website. The Colombo’s Trade Aid educator is available to teach Christchurch groups more about equity, conscious consumption, and the communities that Trade Aid supports.