Stall-holder and Raffle Donor Last-First Networks
Today, Angie from Last First Networks chats to QFTC about developing social ventures, and community development both globally and locally.
So to start with, tell us a little bit about yourselves.
My name is Angie Andrews and I have been working on the ground with my husband and children for 12 years in India and 25 years in Australia on grass roots initiatives. We did community development in India with struggling and marginalized poorer communities.We could see we needed to address the communal problems with employment initiatives as one of our responses. While we were in India we had many remarkable young men and women working in projects all over the country who are still continuing today.
We also have many friends working in Nepal, Latin America, Afghanistan, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia Africa. These people are passionately committed to creating employment initiatives, and they train and guide people to develop marketable products that can be sold in the western world. They trust people will develop this mentality and also support these initiatives.
Can you give me an example of one of these employment initiatives?
We currently have the Zulu grass jewelry. This is an employment initiative to address the impact of famine on a Masaii Tribe who lost their cattle. The main income earners and their children died through drought and malnutrition.
Did you continue to practise community development principles when you moved back to Australia, to West End?
We came back to Australia and wanted to do the same here and walk with those most marginalized. For me specifically the work has been with settling waives of refugees from Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Afghanistan, Iran, Bosnia, Vietnam, and Africa. I have done this with waves of volunteers who are giving time and energy to create employment initiatives that are relevant to the women's and children's needs. This has been my passion and quest.
So you have products that are made by marginalised people both overseas and in Australia.
The issues are the same, how to create fair work with refugee women who are marginalized in our society and on our doorstep, whilst supporting small co-operatives of artisan women in poorer communities around the world.
If you had a friend who never bought fair trade products, what's one reason you would give them to encourage them to consider fair trade?
Two quotes that come to mind that capture the essence of why we should as individuals and collectively should act fairer in all our dealings with those most dispossessed.
The first is:
FAIR TRADE GIVES THEM AN IDENTITY
And the other quote is:
Thank you for taking the time out to speak to us, and we look forward to seeing you at the Fair Trade Christmas Markets!
For more information about Last First Networks community development bookshop and fair trade handcrafts store, visit lastfirst.net.
Social Ventures website: westendnetwork.com
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