Lyn Brown MP visited Forest Gate Community School to talk to students and see what activities they have been doing as part of Fair Trade Fortnight (22^nd February – 7^th March).  Lyn met young people from Godwin Primary School, who had popped in to make some amazing Fair Trade t-shirts with colourful and personalised messages.  Lyn was then grilled by Lister School students on her attitude and knowledge of the Fair Trade Movement before being offered healthy refreshments from the school’s own Fair Trade Juice Bar. 

Events at Forest Gate Community School are part of events across the Borough to mark the first anniversary of Newham’s Fair Trade status.  The main event is on Wednesday, March 4 from 6pm to 8.30pm at The Hub in Star Lane, Canning Town, where there will be a South American-themed night. 

To coincide with Fair Trade Fortnight, Labour is quadrupling its funding for Fair Trade to £12million.  This will help bring an extra 1 million producers into the scheme, benefiting 7 million more people in the developing world to benefit.

Lyn has seen first hand the improvement the Fair Trade products have made to communities when visiting Ghana in September 2007.  She told pupils about the very real difference a Fair Trade business can make in an area and about Ghana’s cocoa and pineapple trade.

Lyn’s visit to Forest Gate School comes after she was in Parliament last Friday supporting a law to provide greater protection for the world’s poorest countries from the activities of ‘vulture funds’.

 ‘Vulture funds’ buy up the debts of third world countries and when they can’t repay them, they take them to court for full repayment at extortionate rates of interest.  Stopping these funds will help the poorest in the world use their aid to provide food, hospitals and schools rather than to pay the banks.

The Bill has full Government support and passed its Second Reading.

Lyn Brown MP said:

“I was absolutely delighted to be at Forest Gate Community School to see for myself how the students have been supporting Fair Trade Fortnight.   I thought the t-shirts were wonderful and enjoyed talking with the young people about Fair Trade.  I was able to tell them about my visit to Fair Trade concerns in Ghana and we talked we about using the pound in our pocket to support other people and political causes we agree with.  The energy and creativity of the young people was great to see and the juice from their juice bar was delicious.

This visit followed my support for a Bill in Parliament to outlaw the activities of vulture funds and protect the world’s poor from their activities.  This is a law that can be implemented quickly and builds on the work that the Government has already done.  By carefully targeting the law at the 40 poorest countries in the world, this Government is really helping those in the direst need.

We will never be able to beat world poverty with a ‘one size fits all’ approach.   The developed world needs to be constantly vigilant on behalf of those in the developing countries to ensure that our actions do not have a negative impact on emerging economies.

Initiatives like Fair Trade Fortnight give us all the opportunity to act to help the world’s poor.  Just a small change in our shopping habits makes an enormous difference.  Buying food, gifts and other products from developing countries will help them to grow their economies, reduce poverty and their reliance on aid.

All this support makes an unimaginable difference on the ground.  I know there is so much more to do but I think we have made a start.”