Miami's Center for Social Entrepreneurship has recently found a way to earn money for its student programs, while fighting povery in Africa at the same time. It almost sounds too good to be true, but that tends to be the nature of fair trade. Most of us are conditioned to think of poverty as a kind of "pestilence" running rampant in Third World countries, with little to no connection to us, and therefore no cure near at hand. It seems hard to believe that something as simple as paying fair wages for goods could actually eliminate poverty--but that is exactly what these "social entrprenuers" are banking on.
Teaming with Edun Apparell Ltd, a fair trade clothing company founded by Irish singer-humanitarian Bono and his wife, students buy blank T-shirts at $4 a piece and screen print them with various icons and slogans such as: "I know who made my t-shirt, do you?" Students sell the t-shirts to other students to raise money, as well as increase awareness about concepts of fair trade.
They are hoping this idea can spread to other campuses as a progressive means of fundraising for student organizations, as well as a way to increase awareness about "social entreprenuership."
Source: College's fair-trade project has local ties
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