Alaffia is live loading bicycles for students in Togo on June 30 and July 1, 2008 in Olympia, WA. For more information on our Bicycles for Education program, click here. In Olympia and willing to volunteer? Call 360-866-0080.

I am very happy to inform you that we are finally ready to make another bike shipment. First, I would like to thank all of you for your participation, both directly and indirectly, in collecting bicycles over this past year. Without all your individual efforts, we would not have been able to get where we are now with this project. With the help of our stores, representatives, customers and volunteers, we now have over 2000 bicycles. Without your financial support through purchasing Alaffia products, we would not have been able to gather enough funds for the shipping, distribution and ongoing maintenance costs.

I would like to quickly remind you how critical the bike project is to youth in rural Togo. While the majority of girls and boys in Togo complete primary school, attendance drops off rapidly in higher grades. According UNICEF, 90% of girls in rural areas drop out before finishing secondary school. The time and energy required to walk to school are deterrents to continuing school for girls, who have more household chores than boys. We believe that these bicycles will decrease the time and energy required to get to school, and provide an incentive to remain in school.

Togo will not be able to move out of poverty without educating its youth. The lack of education in the female population leads to the continuation of gender and economic inequalities. We feel it is especially important to empower our female students, and for this reason, this shipment will be primarily distributed to female students in 50 different villages. I strongly believe that our communities in West Africa will gain the tools for self-empowerment through projects such as this that encourage respect and gender equality.

If you are close to Olympia, we are welcoming volunteers to prepare bicycles for shipment – sorting bicycles, removing pedals and front tires– from June 27 through July 3, 9 am to 4 pm. We will be loading the shipping containers on July 8th. We are also accepting financial contributions to help with supplies and shipping costs.

Bicycles donated in Summer 2007

I will be in Togo the entire month of September to help with the distribution of bicycles, and will bring a complete update upon my return in October.

Again, we thank you all - friends, volunteers, customers, stores and representatives - very much for your support. Together, we can continue to better our communities.

Peace,

Olowo-n’djo Tchala

[Note from Blog Admin: Alaffia will also have a booth at Expo West this weekend. However, Alaffia is not a Transfair "licensee" because Transfair has opted not to consider fair trade certification for shea butter, stating that there is not enough evidence of unfair market practices in the shea butter market. You don't need a Tranfair guide however to check us out. If you're at the Expo, you are most welcome to come by the Alaffia booth and find out more about fair trade shea butter.]

Fair Trade Certified Products Step into the Natural Foods Limelight at Expo West

Oakland, CA (February 26, 2008) -In 1998, Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” became a billboard chart-topper, organic became a new buzzword for the mainstream consumer, and TransFair USA opened its doors with Fair Trade Certified™ coffee.

Ten years later, Will Smith pulls up 22,000 hits on You Tube, Certified Organic captures 70% of U.S. consumer recognition, and a record 46 companies will showcase Fair Trade Certified products among their offerings at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Ca. on March 13-16, 2008. In 2008, Fair Trade is emerging as a leading trend within the Natural Products industry. Continue Reading »

Alaffia and PCC are working together for Alaffia’s Bikes for Education program! It involves collecting used bikes and shipping them to the Alaffia community in Togo, Africa, so the children can get to school. To read more about Bikes for Education please visit:
http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/0802/sc0802-bikes-africa.html

To read more about GACE and Alaffia’s Bicycles for Education project, our up-coming bicycle drive co-sponsored by Seattle-area’s Pacific Coast Cooperatives, and the relationship between Alaffia and PCC, please visit:
http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/0802/sc0802-bikes-africa.html

Olowo-n’djo Tchala will speak on Fair Trade between West Africa and the Pacific Northwest at Antioch University in Seattle on Wendesday, Nov 28, 2007, 7 - 9 pm

See full program description at Antioch’s website .

Olowo-n’djo Tchala will be a guest speaker for Antioch University’s Global Issues and Perspectives Series this fall. Global Issues & Perspectives is a free lecture/discussion series sponsored by the Center for Creative Change (CCC) to address the question: What do we need to know to become effective global citizens? The series is an enriching opportunity to hear, learn from and be inspired by individuals — many of whom are from other cultures and countries — who are invited to Antioch to share their values and vision. Lectures are open to the public. For more information, contact Shelly Dove in the Center for Creative Change at 206-268-4908.

Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007.

Time: Tentative - 7:00 - 9:00 We will update this as more information is available.

Location: Antioch University 2326 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA

On June 30, 2007, the Global Alliance for Community Empowerment and Alaffia Sustainable Skincare, with support from Fish Tale Ales, held its first Olympia Bike Drive.

In just 4 hours, we received 127 bikes!!! That now brings us up to a total of 659 bikes, more than will fit in one shipping container, which means we’re already on our way to filling a second shipping container!

Thank you so much to Fish Tale Ales for sponsoring the event, lending us their parking lot, and advertising the event to their customers. Also, thank you to our volunteers and to the people of Olympia for donating your bikes to children of Togo, West Africa.

Bicycles for Education is collecting bikes. The community event will take place May 19th, Saturday 11-4PM at the Safeway parking lot on Bainbridge Island. The address is 253 High School Rd NE,Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

To find out more or to volunteer, please contact:

Maria Mason @ 206-842-1991 or masonmaria@aol.com

On May 12th, people around the world will celebrate World Fair Trade Day!

To learn about events happening worldwide visit:http://www.wftday.org/english/index.htm

For events across the U.S: http://www.wftday.org/english/index.htm

And here in Olympia Continue Reading »