Travel not only broadens the mind – it also deepens commitment, if the experience of some of our recent Meet The People tourists is anything to go by.

Pam and Steve Lineham have been members at Maidstone Road Baptist Church in Walton, Felixstowe, for around 20 years and were fairly regular mail order customers.

“Like a lot of people, I suppose, we didn’t really know much about Traidcraft, other than seeing the catalogue from time to time,” said Pam. That changed when they went on a Meet The People Tour to Peru, last autumn.

“It was just an amazing experience,” said Pam. “Meeting the producers, seeing the impact on their communities and the difference fair trade is making was a revelation.”

For Pam, who teaches English as a foreign language, and Steve, a BT project manager, the experience was so inspiring they decided they would become Fair Traders in their church.

“We have always felt we had a responsibility to support the poor but, like many people, we have only a limited amount of money to give so this felt like an easy and practical way for us to do something,” said Pam. “And as well as meeting and staying with the producers, we were also inspired by others in our group. Quite a few of them were Fair Traders and they were so committed and passionate about what they were doing it was hard not to be impressed.”

The turnover of their regular Traidcraft stall has already topped £1000 and they have signed up for the Kenya Meet The People Tour this year, as a 60th birthday treat for Steve.

“We’re really enjoying running the stall,” added Pam. “We’ve been very encouraged by the response in our church and it’s good to give others the opportunity to get involved.”

That desire to spread the word about the impact of fair trade is what prompted Eleanor Butters to join the Traidcraft speaker network when she returned from last year’s Kenya tour.

For Eleanor, the trip was a return to a country she had last seen more than 25 years earlier. For husband David, a retired Church of Scotland minister, it was a first visit.

“David thought he would find the safaris the highlight. They were great – but it was meeting the producers and hearing their stories that most impressed him,” said Eleanor.

“Having been there before I had some idea what to expect, especially as I am also a member of Shared Interest, but it was fascinating to see the practical difference that Traidcraft is making through its programmes with the milk traders and tea growers.

“Whenever I go somewhere interesting I like to share the experience when I get back. Becoming a member of the Speaker Network was just such a logical thing to do,” Eleanor added.

By clicking on the following links you can find out more about this year’s Meet The People tours to Peru and Kenya or to see our entire programme of tours for 2011 and 2012.

To book a speaker for your event go to www.traidcraft.co.uk/speakers or call 0191 4976463


Thanks to Peter Collins from Traidcraft for this fantastic article. You can find the original article in Traidcraft's Extra Mile magazine which you can find by clicking on the image below: