Many of our customers have been asking how they can help our artisans at this difficult time. Due to the exceptional and unprecedented scale of the current situation, we have decided to set up a JustGiving page to offer support to those most in need.

JUST TRADE’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

- As the UK went into lockdown, almost all of our wholesale orders were cancelled or postponed.

- Thankfully, foreseeing long-term issues with shipping to the UK, we allocated as much work as possible to our artisans in February. We have paid in full for all of this work, whether our artisans were able to make these products or not.

- The team in India were able to secure sponsorship from a Canadian charity, to pay for the production of 20,000 face masks for their local community. We ensured them that once we were confident their local community was provided for, we would place orders for masks to keep providing them with work. You can now buy these masks over on our retail website.(trade customers can order them through our wholesale website)

- The fair trade production unit we work with in Vietnam were largely able to continue production, and have been provided with additional work, manufacturing masks, for a number of other fair trade companies.

- As the situation progressed through March we allocated forward orders to artisans in South America. Paying in advance for products they will make and ship whenever it is safe for them to do so in the future.

- We worked closely with the project leaders in Peru and Ecuador to identify artisans that were most vulnerable at this point and distributed emergency grants.

APRIL 2020

- The situation in South America began to rapidly deteriorate at the beginning of April. This is when we organised our first round of emergency food parcels to the communities in Ecuador.

- Realising the need for regular food parcels would only increase from April onwards, and unable to allocate any more work, we created a JustGiving page to help us provide this service long term.

MAY 2020

- In Peru they have had some access to government grants, but not since May. This change in situation prompted us to begin distributing emergency food parcels in Peru towards the end of May.

- We calculated the costs of continuing these vital food parcels to be $3500 per month. You can see the breakdown of these costs here. We are providing 27 food parcels in Peru and 12 food parcels in Ecuador, feeding a total of approximately 178 people. (It is worth noting, that number is an underestimate. Our artisans have been generously dividing these parcels between their wider community as best as they can)

LETTER FROM ECUADOR: https://www.justtrade.co.uk/single-post/2020/05/05/A-Letter-from-Ecuador

JUNE 2020

- Food parcels have continued to be distributed.

- We received the masks from India. Access to necessities like sanitary products has become increasingly difficult over the last few months. The women at Flowering Desert have temporarily turned production focus to making reusable sanitary towels for local women. We will be sponsoring them to create a stock of these towels for all 78 women living at the refuge.

- We were able to help pay for Paty and Tabitha’s return to Lima and the rest of their family, they had been stuck 1000km away from home, in Arequipa since the beginning of lockdown.

- We are heart broken to say the team in Ecuador lost a loved one in June. We have helped pay for tests for the family affected (tests are mandatory for families affected, but cost approx $100 each)

JULY 2020

- Wholesale orders have begun to trickle in, we are working with the teams who are still able to work to safely start production again.

- Food parcels have continued to be distributed. It was Peruvian Independence Day on 28th July, we were able to provide a special round of food parcels to help the team celebrate.

AUGUST 2020

- India has been put back in lockdown, no one is allowed in or out of the refuge. Production has been completely stopped again. We have ensured the women we will cover wages for this time they are unable to work, and make sure that the refuge is supplied with food.

SEPTEMBER 2020 - MARCH 2021

- Food parcels are continuing to be distributed. We are expecting this service to continue throughout 2021.

- Many members of the teams are now facing COVID within their communities and family units. We continue to offer financial help for medical care and COVID tests.

- In Ecuador some of the funds are now being used to help individuals/groups set up side micro-enterprises, to create more financial stability long-term. (For example, one community bought watermelon seeds and have started to harvest watermelons to sell locally)

MARCH 2021

- Food parcels are continuing to be distributed in Ecuador and Peru. We are now looking into food parcels/additional support for the team in India as the situation there is developing.

(Pictured: Holger and his family in Ecuador)

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