Canaan Fair Trade

Image source: https://vicbethlehem.wordpress.com

With the advent of modern equipments and practices across the world, farming has become an industry. Small farmers have been routed by large corporate houses. And in rare cases where small farmers do exist, they are exposed to fierce competition, resulting in low productivity and poverty,  prompting them to migrate to towns and cities.

Though the constant conflicts played out in the news obscure Palestine’s ancient and rich farming tradition, they have been able to flourish, thanks to Canaan.

Canaan is a mission based Palestinian fair trade company that seeks to empower small and marginalized Palestinian producer communities caught in the midst of conflict through organic agricultural production and fair trade.

Nasser Abufarha, a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, wrapped up his dissertation on suicide bombers and headed home to the West Bank. The olive farming industry there was  a disaster. Low yields due to poor soil treatment, and farmers barely breaking even—leading many to abandon their fields and migrate to Palestinian cities, where unemployment was around 40 percent. Tapping into savings from running a Middle Eastern restaurant in Madison, Abufarha in 2004 invested

Image Source: www.canaanfairtrade.com

some $100,000 to start a company he called Canaan Fair Trade. The son of a watermelon farmer, he offered growers nearly twice the going rate during the olive harvest that year and soon started shipping oil to the U.S. and Europe. The company today works with more than 1,500 farmers in 43 villages. Mr. Abufarha helped create farmer cooperatives and network the co-ops to address quality issues.

Canaan Fair Trade Products. Image source: www.thechangecreation.com

By working together, farmers benefit from collective pressing that allows them to press smaller yields on a daily basis, resulting in higher quality oil. They are also able to maintain traditional farming techniques, with minimal use of machinery, ensuring that the land retains its quality for future generations.  Along with Olive Oil, the farmers at Canaan also produce honey, tahini, couscous, and Za’ atar.  Canaan is an excellent example of how  fair trade can help disadvantaged farmers and their families rebuild their lives and communities around their land.

 Mr. Abufarha says that “his satisfaction with the success of the association goes beyond the economics as it touches the lives of thousands of families, creates positive change in the producers’  environment, brings special delicacies to the world, and connects Palestinian producers with food lovers and socially and environmentally responsible communities around the world.”

Unique prison outsourcing unit set to open

Computer training at Cherlapally jail. Image source: www.bbc.co.uk

M Nageshwar, 37, is a software engineer who worked with a company for 10 years before he was found guilty of killing his wife and sentenced to life. Thanks to a unique program at the Cherrapally jail, he is leading a group of convicts who are training to work at a unique Business Process Outsourcing(BPO) unit.
Cherlapally jail is located on the outskirts of Hyderabad city in Andhra Pradesh. A conference room in the jail has been converted into a computer room where nearly a dozen prisoners are being trained to perform jobs such as data processing and data entry.

It will specialise in non-voice based, off-line outsourcing work like digitising records, legal documents, scripts, manuscripts and text books, and medical transcription, says K Mohan Menon, a manager with Radiant Info Systems, a Bangalore-based company which is assisting the venture as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Typically, the convicts would be paid 15 rupees [33 cents] per day for work like making steel furniture or working on looms in the prison, but authorities expect to pay them 100 rupees [$2.2] to 150 rupees [$3.32] a day for working in the BPO unit.

Mr. Nageshwar has contested his case in the Supreme Court.

“I am excited about the project. Educated people like me can easily slip into depression when they are incarcerated. It is a relief for convicts like me and a good opportunity to prove ourselves,” he says.

Other inmates of the prison hope that this project would enable them to integrate into the mainstream after completion of their jail term.
Read more here.

The Kishkinda Trust

Anegundi Fort. Image source: www.kishkindaheritage.com

Anegundi is a small village in Gangavathi Taluk,  Koppal district of Karnataka, located on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. The picturesque village has an illustrious past. It is believed to be the ancient place known as Kishkindha,  the legendary kingdom of Vali and Sugreeva, and the birthplace of Hanuman, the devotee of Lord Rama in the epic Ramayana. Historically, this place is associated with various kingdoms that ruled southern India, including the Kadamba, Chalukya, and Vijaynagar empires.

Until few years back, most of the villagers were entrenched in poverty, and the archeological site was in a dilapidated state. Anegundi, which is within the vicinity of the Hampi UNESCO World Heritage Site, has benefited from the UN program, in coordination with The Kishkinda Trust.

The Kishkinda Trust was established in 1997 by Ms. Shama Pawar, to integrate heritage conservation with the lives of the people and towards the socio-economic and cultural enhancement of Anegundi. Their programs combine heritage conservation with crafts, rural tourism, and organic farming.  You can see the work of The Kishkinda Trust in the video above. Anegundi is an example of eco-tourism which improves livelihoods of locals while conserving the archeological and cultural diversity of the place.

Salsal and Shahmama

Bamiyan Buddha.Image Source: www.rev-know-it-all.com

The mythical story of Salsal and Shahmama is embedded in the history and culture of the Bamiyan people in Afghanistan for generations. It is believed that these Buddha statues symbolized the ancestry of the Bamyan people. The 55 metre high statue was known as Salsal whereas the 38 metre high statue was known as Shahmama. In 2000, when the Taliban demolished the statues, they wiped out the art, history, and an important identity of the Bamiyan people.

Decades of war and unrest in Afghanistan has resulted in a myriad of social ills. The war has cost the Afghan people their freedom, education, health, and culture. Amidst this turmoil, is a brave initiative aimed at revitalizing the lost culture.

24 year old Monireh Hashemi established the Simorgh Film Association of Culture and Art (SFACA) in Kabul. Earlier this year at the First South Asian Women’s Theatre Festival in Delhi, she and her theatre troupe staged ‘Salsal and Shahmama’ – a play performed in Dari, based on the story of two sisters living near a Buddha statue of Bamyan. Through the course of the play, the sisters find themselves witnessing the explosion and destruction of the statues. The 75 minute play includes forgotten songs and dances that were part of the culture.

“I visited elderly people and tribals who remembered the days when these songs were still sung, but they could only give me a line or a verse. I pieced these together to create the pieces for the play,” says Monireh . Source: www.indianexpress.com

Salsal and Shahmama is one of the few plays staged by this troupe. Various themes depicting mythology, and also reflecting today’s social problems are enacted by the troupe. At a time when women in Afghanistan are not permitted to leave their homes, a woman performing in theater is bound to risk her life. Monireh Hashemi is a young, Afghan girl who writes, directs, and acts in plays – a rarity in Afghanistan. She and her troupe defy family members and religious leaders to perform the plays. They continue to receive threatening anonymous phone calls. Mindful of the threats, they believe in a few concessions. In keeping with the tradition, actresses on stage always have their heads covered. Impacts of violence is felt by everyone, and according to Monireh Hashemi, more so by women.

Monireh says, ‘it is women who have to suffer most from the violence in Afghanistan—it is we who lose our husbands, our brothers, our love and our happiness…and women of Afghanistan will have to come forward to assert and do something to end this never ending atmosphere of terror in our wonderful country.’ Source:http://thediplomat.com

After decades of turmoil, Afghan art and culture is hesitantly on the revival path. And at the center of it are individuals who risk their lives to preserve the country’s historic culture.

Cinepop – Screening free movies for the poor

Films are a source of entertainment. We learn from them, enjoy them, and relate the fantasy on screen to our own lives. These cultural artifacts reflect our culture, beliefs, and provide joy and relaxation.

In the past decades, Mexico has witnessed many small cinema houses go out of business or converted into multiplexes. This trend in turn has led to soaring ticket prices as high as US $4.50 (close to INR 250). While this is affordable for the middle-class and the elite, for 90% of the Mexican population who earn less than US $300 per month (close to INR 1500), this is a luxury they cannot afford.

Cinepop movie on inflated screen. Image Source: www.socialearth.org

Ariel Zylbersztejn, a young film-maker, came up with a unique model to screen free movies without relying on donations to sustain operations. He founded Cinepop. Cinepop provides free access to family movies for the urban and rural poor in Mexico.

“We give massive movies shows on gigantic inflatable screens totally free, in places where the average family income is approximately $300 a month. On weekend evenings, we project family films in central spots of the city for about 5,000 people,” exclaims Cinepop’s founder Ariel Zylbersztejn.

Cinepop shows more than one film a week in Mexico, reaching upwards of 350,000 people a year. The showings are occasions to promote social programs, like free or low-cost medical consultations and education on self-employment.

“At one show, we were able to start 250 lines of microcredit for those wanting to start a business or in need of working capital,” says Zylbersztejn. “By bringing a lot of people to the same place, we’ve found we can do many different things.”

Zylbersztejn has changed the ‘pay-for entertainment’ paradigm by creating a win-win situation for all stakeholders involved. The local government provides a spot for Cinepop to host its massive screening events. They also provide venue facilities, and transport. Prior to film showings, Cinepop offers an opportunity for sponsors to carry out promotional activities and public service messages to an audience otherwise inaccessible. Sponsors include microfinance organizations, low-cost medical clinics, housing projects, and education organizations.

Cinepop does have a huge responsibility towards its audience. They need to be cautious of whom they partner with for sponsorship and what message is provided to the people. They have expansion plans and would like to replicate the model in developing countries such as India and China.

Electricity from dirt

These days we hear a lot about ‘green’ energy, and ‘renewable’ sources such as wind power and solar power. How about generating power using dirt?

That is exactly what Lebone Solutions, does. They are a social enterprise that generate power using dirt. Lebone translates to ‘light stick’ in the Banthu language Sotho dialect, spoken in some southern African nations.

The soil isn’t really turned into electricity per say, instead an anode and cathode are placed in the ground. Dirt is then placed on top of the anode and cathode and this is all connected to circuit board that charges a battery. The battery is charged and is then strong enough to provide a few hours of lighting. “A cubic metre of organic matter will generate only enough energy to light one high-efficiency LED light”.

To charge the battery activity from soil, microbes (bacteria or fungi) break down organic matter generating electricity.

The electricity can provide a few hours of lighting, and charge a cell phone. This may not appear much to those of us living in cities, but in parts of Africa, this is valuable.. Especially, since it is an inexpensive source and can be made from recyclable material. (The cost of the Microbial Fuel Cell, circuit board, and LED lights is estimated to be less than 10 dollars)

Mirakle Couriers – Employing the Deaf

India has a large population of deaf people. It is very unfortunate that in India, not only do you have to cope with your daily struggle, you are also shackled by the clutches of social stigma widespread in India.  By founding Mirakle Couriers, Dhruv Lakra is economically empowering these people. Mirakle Couriers  employs only deaf people.

All the staff members including delivery personnel are deaf. The company’s business model is based on creating a service driven profitable enterprise that uses the deaf. To this end, they marry professional excellence with social cause.

Mirakle Couriers is not a non-profit or a charity. They are a social enterprise.  He faced a lot of challenges, most importantly the attitude’s of his employee’s families.

While some are proud, most are over-protective about their children, especially girls.

Deliveries are done by boys, while sorting, accounting and other back-end work are done by girls.

Girls do not go for deliveries only because they would be more vulnerable to abuse and bias, says Lakra.

He also spent a lot of time on the job helping to fine-tune the process of courier delivery. His 15-member team devised signs to communicate possibly everything we would deem mundane. Names of places: Wavy hands indicate Chowpatty or Charni Road, Vile Parle is indicated by a biscuit-bite gesture.  Dhruv ensures he is in touch with all of his boys on the field.

SMS is our lifeline at times, he says.

There is so much we do not know about people a little different from us.  We need to embed a sensitive chip into our thought process.  Future plans for Mirakle Couriers include expanding their operations beyond Mumbai.

Ger to Ger – A Social Venture in Mongolia

‘Ger to Ger’ is a social enterprise started in Mongolia that aims at improving the lives of the nomadic people.

Half of Mongolia’s population are herders of which 65% are living at or below the poverty line. Rural poverty has been exacerbated by  extreme winters, that caused the death of nearly 10 million livestock.  In addition, inadequate pasture management has resulted in advance desertification and water shortages that will require many years for the environment to recover.

To address this need, Ger to Ger was started. The concept of community tourism was re-designed to ensure its

Ger to Ger community tourism. Image Source: www.changemakers.com

implementation was within the boundaries of  social  and cultural networks of Mongolia’s nomadic tribes.

To alleviate rural poverty and prevent others from slipping into poverty, it is critical that there is a mobilization of the industry to develop an interlacing rural tourism infrastructure that responsibly fulfills private sector needs, while addressing the needs of sustainable community growth. Furthermore by cultivating Mongolia’s natural and herder resources, rural communities are engaging in income generating activities that is generating towards enhance public-private partnerships towards economic development, health and education development, and natural resource management in rural areas where Ger to Ger operates.

Today, Ger to Ger is generating income to the nomadic people of Mongolia. As one of them, Mr. Chuluuunhuu, a Nomadic Herder attests

“Before we involve in Ger to Ger project we did not have own animals and we used to herd other people’s animals to feed our four daughters. We are very happy now to became member of Ger to Ger. We bought sheep, few cows and horses. Even we could send our two daughters to Universities.”

For the inquisitive, ‘Ger’ is the traditional dwelling of nomads in Mongolia. Visit http://www.gertoger.org to learn more about this social venture.

Basketball for Kashmiri kids

Kashmir has been ravaged by war for nearly 2 decades and has lost an entire generation to violence. The mental trauma experienced by children and elders  is difficult to comprehend.

J.D.Walsh was well aware of the toll the war had taken on the Kashmir residents.

Quite improbably, Walsh felt right at home and was immediately convinced of two things: that this “was a time for peace” and that it could be achieved through a game unknown to the Kashmiris: basketball. Walsh’s mission in Kashmir was to bring the sport of basketball to kids who had been orphaned by Kashmir’s violence. This curious notion attracted all kinds of youngsters, who had never played basketball, to JD’s two-day workshop.

Sports, has the power to transcend conflict.  Walsh came to Kashmir through Child Nurture and Relief (CHINAR), a non profit working toward ‘psychosocial rehabilitation’ of  children in conflict areas.

“These kids had “gone through various traumatic conditions, maybe seen something bad happen,” said Chinar’s president Nazir Ahmed Qureshi. “These children become easy recruits for all sorts of violent causes,” Qureshi said. “Chinar seeks to end that cycle.” Chinar’s young people live in a building in Srinagar that Chinar rents and attend local schools.

As it is with all over India, in Kashmir too, cricket is extremely popular. None of the kids had played basketball before. The first day of the training session, kids couldn’t focus. But, second day onwards, they took more interest and learned the basics.

One of Walsh’s fundamental themes is that “everything in life is a dance,” and if you watch a basketball game, you can “put it to music, pretty much.” There’s a spatial relationship between the players and the lines on the court. Bring together body and movement and the free flow of the game, and that’s the core of basketball. Walsh gets kids to think that way on court.

All this, according to Chinar,  has aided in the psychosocial rehabilitation of the children. Nazir says the workshop brought “the positives out of the kids,” where earlier they had “no avenues to express themselves.” That’s groundwork solid enough that not only will Walsh return to Srinagar for more workshops, he and Chinar plan to hire a local coach and build a “sustainable” program for the game.

Bosnian Handicrafts

In the early 1990′s, war raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As with every war, this too resulted in lot of traumatized people and thousands of displaced refugees. Displaced people especially women, belonging to different religious and ethnic groups needed a livelihood to support their family.

Using knitting as a vehicle to provide income and heal , Norwegian’s People Aid, an NGO along with Lejla Radoncic started Bosnian Handicrafts in 1995.  Today, Bosnian Handicrafts is a modern retail business that trains and employs refugees displaced by the Bosnian war. 

These women, many of whom lost husbands, children, brothers and fathers in civil war, are empowered to use their traditional skills to reintegrate into a full life through creativity and personal ownership. Each BHcrafts product is a one-of-a-kind, handmade work of art created by traditional knitting, crocheting and weaving, creating practical and stylish knitwear and accessories and beautiful home décor inspired by traditional Bosnian patterns. Plus, every BHcrafts product features a label identifying the artist who created it, allowing the purchaser to put a real name to the artistry.

In every war-ravaged areas of the world, innocent people bear the brunt of conflict. Creating innovative ways to not only help them heal, but also generate income is a nice way of bringing them some relief.