About me

I am becoming increasingly aware of the impact that we in the western developed world have on those people in developing nations who make the goods we buy.  I’m by no means perfect when it comes to making decisions about what I purchase (can’t resist a bargain!) and where it comes from, but I’m trying to find out more about ethical goods and fair-trade and hope to share my learning experience here.

I know that everytime we make a purchase it amounts to a ‘vote’ for the shop or brand that produced it and how it was made.  I want to use my ‘votes’ wisely.

I spent two years living in Nepal and know that poverty is a fact and that there are people who are desperate to make ends meet, we should not be taking advantage of them.  As a consequence of my being in Nepal I now run a small charity that supports women that have been abandoned by their husbands and often left with children to raise.  Many of these women have leprosy (or have overcome it) but were left because of the social stigma that leprosy carries.  The charity’s website is www.wwrnepal.wordpress.com

My relationship with God is so important to me.  I am a Christian and know that each person is made and loved by him.  This verse sums up how I feel about fair-trade and ethical issues: “No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. ” Isaiah 58:6 (NLT) – it is pretty clear about what we should be doing.