1: A paragraph
Fair trade is not yet a common activity in Japan, and we do not have so much exeperience, and we are in a rather different position in Asia,compared with other European and Noth American countries because of our position as the only buyer in the region. We hope that you develop the mutual trust and mutual understanding for each other, and get much more Fair Trade in Japan.
2: Introduction of NEPALI BAZARO
◆At the beginning ...
NEPALI BAZARO was established in 1992. At first, we started as a NGO for education support of poor children. We changed our activity towards FAIR TRADE a little by a little. We aimed to import handicraft goods and some beverage foods from Nepal since then. Why only from Nepal? It is a very simple question, and easy to answer. We thought that we would like to concentrate our power, and would like to know the situation more deeply.
◆The size of us
We have no supporter background unlike other organizations. There are paid and unpaid staffers with some volunteers. We wholesale to about 300 shops, and have our own shop.
***** It was published for FAIR TRADE BOOK introducing such shops on February 2000 by us. Please contact us if you become curious.(Almost written in Japanese though)*****
◆EARTH PLAZA (our own shop)
The picture shown below shows the public facility where we have a Fair Trade shop. It is named as Kanagawa Plaza for Global Citizenship. Peoples call it EARTH PLAZA,too! It's mission is to give the citizens the occassion to associate with international exchange and cooperation. The round ball of left side is the moon. The front of the building is an image of earth. you can see our shop just under the part of it.
◆Promotion of Fair Trade activity
Regarding Japanese Fair Trade activity, we have about 10 years of history. So it is very impotant activity to dispatch our message.We had the ceremony of cooking, dancing, speech and panel discussions for women's independence, and for producers situation each year. We could have a relationship with Women's Promotion sector of City goverment body then, have a good occasion to introduce our activity through TV program some times before. When we participated the world organic conference in Yokohama we promoted FAIR TRADE to major newspaers, and so ASAHI newspaper introduced fair trade goods with some information every Tuesday after then. We invited sourthern producers or organizations to Japan each year. It's our purpose to give our market and quality needs for them. It is with co-operation of city and goverment body,and cooperation of COOP_KANAGAWA.
3: Relationship between producers and shoppers
We open the 2 days Fair Trade Seminor, and one day seminor for our members each year inviting the producer concerned.
A workshop is held in Yokohama wherein each day 35 to 50 different participants who are mainly shop owners, managers and concerned individuals interested to promote Fair Trade activity. The objective of the workshop was to discuss Fair Trade learning activities in greater detail. Participants at the workshop come from major cities of Japan who are clients of Nepali Bazaro and also people who are interested in starting Alternative Trading Businesses in support of Fair trade.
During the workshop, the producer begin his/her presentation with a general view of the social status of the Nepali Women with details of their livelihood, economic backgrounds, access to education, health and employment, forms of discrimination, etc.f.g. This is followed by a self introduction and why and how He/She establish his/her business. It is also discussed the Fair Trade movement in Nepal and its advantages in some detail.
The following information provides an overview of the participants interest :
a. Their interest to collaborate with the Fair Trade Movement.
b. Building contacts with other participants could be useful for their business.
c. Sense of commitment to Women's Development through Fair Trade.
While the participants share details of their business situations, we incorporate discussions on Fair
Trade activities, its benefit for buyers and producers and how it can be more effective than the ssistance
received from various NGOs and INGOs in developing countries like Nepal depending on the cases.
Towards the end of each day , a question answer session is held where answering the various queries of the participants. The areas of concern shown were :
・ Fair Trade background.
・ Producers situation & how Fair Trade can help?
・ How to source information?
・ Difference between activities of Fair Trade groups and NGOs?
Visits to:-
・ 100 YEN Shops
・ making units
・ Department stores which also sell products from developing countries.
・ FAITR TRADE Shops
100 Yen shop(General Market Example)
The technique of selling products ranging from a simple ceramic vase to kitchen ware and household accessories, all sold at one rate would be interesting. This method encourage the shopper to buy more.
FAIR TRADE Shops
It would be interesting and educative to see how each shop owner has individually displayed Nepali products along with products from other countries, blending it all without losing the originality of each country's products with their warm hart
4. The Key of FAIR TRADE activity
The most important one to keep our acitivity is the real efficiency that it is useful for improving their sustaing life. The disadvantage situation would be depended on much more complicated factor through, we must need to indicate it more clearly.
1) It must be a linkage of individuals.(buyers and producers, hart to hart,mutual trust, etc.)
2) It must be felt that FAIR TRADE is really useful for the producers.("really useful" would be not to explain easily)
3) Participants have a simple question what is fair.(we could not ignore the current commercial system though)
4) Consumers expect that the Fair Trade goods will go on the usual market, and everybody could buy them without recongnition.(We must give the alternative way to consumers at the morment though)
Looking around that point shown above,we must comment further more that some partipants intended to stop their current activity before because of unfeeling that it would be useful,but they tried again to continue after the encounter with us.It would mean that hart-to-hart relationship would be very important in this FAIR TRADE activity. It would be a basic idea of alternative way, and sustains their motivation which we should pay more attention.