Across Britain, we drink over 165 million cups of tea a day, and by my calculations, around 5 million of them are for me! I’m what my mum calls ‘a right Tea Jenny’. I believe there is a cuppa for every occasion. There’s the comforter (with a little sugar when I’m upset), the congratulatory cuppa (at the end of any difficult task – and always served with a biscuit), the pick-me-up (which again, comes with a biscuit) and the relaxing nightcap before bed. Tea is an essential in my weekly shopping basket. And I enjoy my tea even more because I know that by buying Fair Trade I’m helping to change the lives of millions of farmers and workers worldwide.
In between all these cups of tea, I work as an Outreach Officer for SCIAF (an international aid and development charity which helps communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to free themselves from poverty). I visit schools, parishes, youth groups, offices and anywhere that’ll have me really, to show people how fundraising and campaigning with SCIAF can have a lasting impact on communities in developing countries and inspire them to get involved. My job isn’t to make people feel guilty about what they buy or what they eat, it’s to show them that by making careful choices, they can be proud consumers buying products that give people living in poverty the opportunity to turn their hard work into a sustainable future for themselves and their families. Over 285,000 tea farmers and workers benefit from Fairtrade. It has changed their lives for the better, and that’s something we ‘Tea Jenny’s’ should be proud of.
At SCIAF we’re inspired by the Gospel call to build a just world. We all have the power to create a more equal world, a world in which everyone has the opportunity to flourish. You have that power in your wallet right now. You can change lives every day just by choosing to buy Fair Trade. Archbishop Oscar Romero famously urged that we: ‘aspire not to have more, but to be more’. Everyone has an essential in their weekly shopping basket. For me, it’s tea, but for you it might be coffee, biscuits, chocolate or sugar. Being more than just a consumer means caring about where these essential products come from, who makes them and whether they’re earning a fair wage. It means asking your local shops, your canteen, even your supermarket, if they can stock Fair Trade versions of the things you love.
Being more than a consumer also means being a voice for marginalised and oppressed communities that are locked in poverty by unfair trading systems. You can do this by going to (or organising) Fair Trade events in your workplace or local community, or by writing to your local politicians (MPs, MSPs, MEPs and Councillors) asking them to do what they can to influence world trade in favour of fair trade. You can also tell your friends and family why you’ve chosen to go Fair Trade and encourage them to follow your example by becoming more than just consumers…and not just for Fairtrade Fortnight, but for life.
My advice is that the best time to inspire people is, of course, over a cuppa. So get the kettle on and be a voice for change!
Last modified on 23 January 2020
