WFTO Asia Fair Trade Dinner 2012

World Fair Trade Organization ASIA (WFTO ASIA) and World Fair Trade Organization Philippines are hosting a “Fair Trade Dinner” where guests can “Enjoy a meaningful dinner, and savor Fair Trade Fine Food” to culminate the week-long celebration of the Social Enterprises Week and the World Fair Trade Day at the Cocoon Boutique Hotel on Monday May 28, 2012 at 7:00 pm. 


The event aims to showcase and promote Fair Trade food, crafts and social enterprise groups whilst bringing together key personalities in the government, business and NGO sectors.


Tickets are priced at Php 800 (single) Php 1,500 (double) and Php 7,000 (table - group of 10). Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance at World Fair Trade Organization ASIA by emailing fairtradedinner@gmail.com or calling at (632) 415 2219.

Fair Trade Shopping

Vote for fair trade products with your wallet

Gifts and Graces would like to thank WFTO Asia for inviting us to their Open House today. Support WFTO Asia's Open House and support fair trade organizations in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and of course the Philippines.  

G&G products: Newspaper bags, newspaper wine caddies, monster dolls, retaso travel pillows, retaso denim bears, bead robot charms, travel sets, retaso cellphone cases, handmade paper gift tags

Fair trade seeks to correct the flaw in trading practices between the North and South; it seeks to correct the imbalances and injustices in this trading system and dared to ask Why not a trading system that protects and benefits the producers who globalization is supposed to benefit? Read about the 10 principles of fair trade in our About Fair Trade page.

The fair trade movement has grown to include many producers to help them gain access to opportunities and develop sustainable livelihoods. Fair trade builds the community's capabilities and incorporates environmental stewardship in production and business practice. To quote from the WFTO Asia website

"In an era of mass consumption, Fair Trade puts forward a big challenge for producers and consumers to seriously think about. The underpaid workers at the far end of the line, the rapidly degrading environment, the fading cultural identity and traditions, the discriminated women, the exploited and overworked children, and the families and communities searching for means to survive."

The fair trade model is not only a social enterprise, it is a social innovation that is a wholistic approach to conducting business in a creative, resourceful, and most of all humane way. Gifts and Graces believes that fair trade is a powerful model to fight poverty because it is an inclusive and empowering model that enables livelihood communities to move from vulnerability to self-sufficiency. 

Gifts and Graces supports WFTO's campaign to encourage consumers to do their part in fighting poverty by making the switch to fair trade products. By buying Gifts and Graces products you buy gifts that lift the spirit because even as a giver, you are blessed by the knowledge that you are buying great products that are aligned with your values. What's more, you are doing your part to support the entrepreneurial efforts of our marginalized partners such as urban poor communities, former prison inmates, former streetchildren, persons with disabilities, special needs individuals, and indigenous groups. 

Sharing below a video from WFTO Asia. Choose with your heart, buy with your conscience, vote with your wallet. Make the switch today.

G&G Annual Partner's Conference

Creating a Win-win Partnership

Last April 18, 2011 Gifts and Graces held its annual partner's conference at the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Partner's Conference is a whole day event that is a venue for G&G to dialogue with its partners, give updates, and share new learnings, all towards the objective of creating a win-win partnership. The Partner's Conference is a key component of G&G's capability building program.

Participants enjoy the Airplane game icebreaker

This year, the Partner's Conference was about creating and capturing value along the value chain. To kick off the conference, Executive Director Greg Perez shared G&G's updated mission, vision, strategic direction, and values. Greg announced that G&G would partner with organizations with expertise in capability building, just like its recent partnership with the UP College of Engineering Department of Industrial Engineering; pursue its application for certification with the World Fair Trade Organization, and enter the retail market. 

As part of its commitment to advocate fair trade and fair trade practices, G&G invited Ronald Lagazo, Country Manager of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Philippines to make a presentation about fair trade in the Philippines. Ronald shared the principles of fair trade and the value of being fair trade certified.

Another guest speaker was Ms. Ma. Rocelyn Bernabe of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) who presented PBSP's Business Advisory Program (BAP) that G&G partners can avail of. This is in line with G&G's strategy to link its partners with capability building experts to help them improve their enterprise management skills.

 

On the learning part of the program, Darlyn Ty made a presentation on the value chain based on GTZ's value chain framework. Darlyn is the successful entrepreneur behind the Belle de Jour planners and is a long-time G&G volunteer. We at G&G believe it is important to understand the value chain to better appreciate the cooperation necessary along the chain. 

To supplement and reinforce Darlyn's presentation, AYAD Strategic and Performance Improvement Adviser Michael Golsworthy led the group in a pre-game warm-up, then the group played a value chain game designed by AIM student Anurag Goel. Anurag helped out with the partners conference as part of his walkabout project in AIM. Greg, Mike, Dar, and Anurag facilitated the game. 

The partners present had a lot of fun negotiating along the value chain. At the end of the game the participants said they better understood the concept of the value chain and they appreciated the importance of cooperating along the chain.

After the value chain game, the last part of the conference was a mini case conference where participants were asked to come up with common problems related to different parts of the value chain. Different teams were then assigned to come up with solutions for the identified problems and these were discussed with the group. The solutions the group came up with were creative and innovative and showed that even with limited resources we can find solutions to our pressing problems. 

All in all the partners conference was a success. It created a venue for greater understanding and cooperation between G&G and its partners. 

Thanks to those who attended from Alay Kapwa Tindahan, DAWN, FCED Foundation, Kaakbay, Kaibhan, Kapitbahayan Candles, Pangarap Foundation, Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, The Learning Center. Welcome to new G&G partners Caritas, Heidi's Crafts, I4SEE for Pamana Pag-asa, Nuvali, QC livelihood under the office of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Virlanie Foundation. Many thanks again to our volunteers Dar, Mike, Anurag, without whom the partner conference would not be the success that it was.