Archive for the 'crafts' Category

Here at CRS headquarters, we are fond of sharing that the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops passed a resolution supporting Fair Trade a couple years ago at one of their annual meetings. We were as delighted to learn from our Constituency Relations colleague Christine Smith that the National Council of Catholic Women recently also [...]

Read the entry: Another Fair Trade Resolution from Church Leaders →

UGH! I can’t believe I really wrote that! But, hey, it is part of my job to help you shop your values. I know so many of us want to be thoughtful, responsible consumers, and the upcoming holiday season can full of distractions and temptations that take us of our path. But [...]

Read the entry: Only 49 shopping days until Christmas →

Although Fair Trade is considered by some folks to be a development tool, meaning a set of principles and practices that help disadvantaged people increase incomes, invest in communities and protect the environment in sustainable ways, the fact is I don’t get to hang out with development practitioners all that much. Sure, Catholic Relief [...]

Read the entry: Fair Trade: Feel-good fad or best-kept development secret? →

CRS Fair Trade supports the work of basket weavers in northern Ghana, as well as cocoa farmers in the central region of Kumasi. We are saddened to hear some of the very regions the Raise Money Right delegation visited last month are facing unrelenting rains in West Africa that started in July. CRS [...]

Read the entry: Artisans in Ghana face floods →

As Labor Day approaches, some of us look forward to three day weekends and final opportunities to enjoy the summer. That’s only natural, and I hope you do find ways to rest and rejuvenate before the long sunny days and light work and school schedules slip away. For myself, I have a whole [...]

Read the entry: Celebrating Labor Day the Solidarity Way →

All my fellow travelers will tell you how wonderful it has been to visit a variety of CRS programming. From peace centers, to youth groups, to nutrition programs, we’ve grown in our respect for CRS professionalism, our appreciation to CRS donors, and our desire to be of some use to the people of Ghana. We [...]

Read the entry: Weaving Baskets and Connecting Dots →

The Raise Money Right delegation is on its way to Ghana! We had a mostly uneventful trip to Amsterdam and are eager to get on our second leg to Accra, Ghana. “We” are those involved in the Fair Trade chocolate contests that CRS organized last year.
Elizabeth Cole from St. Austin’s Parish in Austin, [...]

Read the entry: Not quite Accra, but we are officially on our way! →

On my morning commute today, I experienced some rare moments of silence. There were no traffic jams for me to jay-walk through and few subway riders to jostle me. Not a single horn honked this morning! The lazy days of summer are really here in the Baltimore-Washington DC area, with many folks [...]

Read the entry: Lazy days of summer are almost over →