Let the children
across Canada, thereby promoting fair trade
and fighting the scourge of child labour. Any
play...soccer!
profits are used to support peace building
and youth projects in poor and war-affected
Fair Trade soccer balls fight
countries.
When you buy a Fair Trade certified sports
scourge of child labour
ball, it means that no child under 15 was
BY DaVe Hall
involved in its manufacture. It also means that
the workplace was safe, the wages higher than
“I have been stitching balls for as long as I can the minimum wage (usually) and the workers
remember,” confided Greeta, a young girl from enjoyed rights we take for granted.
Jalandhar, who estimated her age to be between Fair World Sports pays a premium of 20 take balls when travelling to visit projects
10 and 12 years old. “My hands are constantly in per cent on the manufacturing price, and the they support. One Ottawa wedding party
pain. It feels like they are burning. There is nothing workers and management jointly decide where took balls to distribute on their honeymoon
I can do. I have to help my older sister complete to spend these extra funds: health care, day in Cuba! Others travel as tourists with a few
the order.” care, training, or for any number of community balls in their baggage. More recently, Fair
Most children like Greeta, are forced development projects. The generally higher World Sports received donations to send
to stitch balls just to help their families wages makes schooling possible for the new Fair Trade certified soccer balls directly
survive. Ball stitching is a home-based children; to pay for books, school fees and from Pakistan to African countries. There, the
process where a middleman, acting on uniforms, and still have money left over. The YMCA distributes them to agencies working
behalf of a sporting goods manufacturer, children have time to play soccer and not just with refugees, orphans, AIDS victims or slum
provides the ball pieces. The children miss dream about it. dwellers.
out on their education, creating a vicious There is another group of children that Fair The response is encouraging. A dozen
cycle of poverty and uneducated labour. World Sports help – those in poor and war- new soccer balls allowed a school in Tanzania
It’s stories like this about children that led affected countries, where the only soccer ball to develop a complete Physical Education
me to combine my love of soccer and my may be some plastic bags or paper, tied with program.
interest in the rights of children, and start Fair string. We have collected and distributed Please visit http://yfocus.ncf.ca/fairtrade
World Sports. We import Fair Trade certified more than 1,400 used soccer balls and other for more information as to how you can get
sports balls and distribute them for sale supplies to children in 26 countries. Volunteers involved and support this project.
www.Kickabout.ca
ING/suMMer 2008 << Otta
27
spr wa
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