The reading “Reluctant Entrepreneurs” was an interesting one. My favorite quote from the reading was: “Use your ingenuity to create something out of nothing.” I think this is so true of entrepreneurship, especially in the case of these people with very little. If you use your creativity, you can come up with a simple entrepreneurial idea to support yourself. For example, the article had one story where the women would go to the seashore and collect the wet sand. They used the sand later to scrub and clean dishes. This is great idea to make “something out of nothing.”

Another idea that many of us overlook when it comes to fair trade or poverty is that many are forced into entrepreneurship as the only means of survival. They have to come up with an idea or create something to support them selves. They barely get buy, many poor entrepreneurs in developing countries, and they want nothing more than to get out of their position.

“The Parable of a Black Sheep” was an interesting read, very different from any we have read before. Seeing how this man pulled himself out of poverty and become a multi billionaire in India is pretty amazing. This connects to the point that often times people who have gone through hardship and have struggled can do wonderful things later, because life’s obstacles make a person stronger and capable of great success. Stronger people will not give up as easily as others might in an entrepreneurial venture or in any other challenge in life.

One quote from this reading that really struck me was: “Domestic violence thrives in areas where women don’t know what they’re capable of.” This quote makes a great deal of sense to me, but it also makes sad. Women born into this position in India accept this and know they have very few rights and the ability to move up in society and provide for themselves. They know nothing different, so the majority stays complacent and goes about making just enough money to get by and accepting abuse from men in many cases. If they knew there is a way out, it could change their lives. This is why fair trade organizations are so wonderful, because they can give women a place to go and work. They gain skills and confidence, which enables them to make change in their own life.

“Harnessing Entrepreneurial Energy” proved to be a very interesting read. The story about Shiwahiade from Tanzania made me optimistic about how fair trade can help so many people in the world in situations like hers. She went from making $2 a day and not being able to educate her two sons to being self sufficient. She doubled her income and was able to invest in buying farm animals like cows, goats, and a new chicken coup. Through joining Root Capital’s association she was able to completely change her life around.

Root Capital’s business model is fantastic in my opinion. Will Foote and his colleagues are able to turn struggling farmers into successful entrepreneurs by providing them with capital, technology, managerial training, and access to markets to sell the products. What a perfect setup to help get people like Shiwahiade on their feet.
A particular statistic really shocked me. In the developing world, 75% of the 2.6 billion people living on less than $2 a day are excluded from the rural economy. I never realized how astoundingly high these numbers are. Foote realized this disparity and recognized the happy medium between micro finance and traditional banking. These small agricultural communities do not have access to traditional banking. They need outside help, and this help is provided by Root Capital. At the end of the article, when Foote was observing the proud parents watching their children make music, it made me realize how Root Capital is not only helping a family, but the generations to follow. Root Capital puts a structure in place to allow these people to be entrepreneurial and the families can pass their knowledge and expertise down to the children so they can also be successful for years to come.

Reading “Fair Trade: a Human Journey” really opened my eyes to how important it is for fair trade to exist. So many people, particularly women have no rights and cannot provide for themselves. It is so important for organizations like the MCC to reach out to the oppressed people in communities around the world to enable them to make money to be self-sufficient. I enjoyed reading about the different artisan organizations the MCC has set up around the world. It gives me hope that more women can go to these organizations for refuge.

The Action Bag organization really impressed me. Not only can women earn money for their embroidery, but they can save up from making 5,000 takas and withdraw that money to start their own business. It is such an entrepreneurial idea that helps women be independent, not victims of their sexist, unjust society.

Shilpi’s story really affected me. I cannot imagine what she was going through before she joined the MCC’s soap producing business, Sacred Mark. It is astonishing how women can be abused and raped with no punishment for the perpetrator. It broke my heart to hear that the only way she could make money is to get into the prostitution business where the men treated her horribly, often leaving her with no pay. Hearing her story reinforces how important it is for these artisan groups to exist, so women can get out of the vicious cycle of abuse and oppression. I am happy she is making soaps for Sacred Mark, and that she now has a small home for herself, her mother and three children.

My favorite line from the passage:
“The strength of fair trade is that it offers a very real alternative, which can be expressed every day through our consumption choices, our purchases, and the businesses we patronize.”

This idea is so important, because we as consumers have the power to support and spread awareness about fair trade organizations and the power to educate the masses of the companies that do no practice fair trade. Education is so powerful, so that consumers can make informed, ethical decisions.

Hi. My name is Katie Mericle and I am a student in Kate Combellick's Fair Trade and Entrepreneurship class.

The Dark Side of Chocolate” really opened my eyes to the problem of child labor and trafficking. It was difficult for me to watch some of the scenes of the children being taken away and forced to work in such conditions. It made me angry that this is happening when I know the companies should be putting an end to it. Forty two percent of the world’s cocoa production is from the Ivory Coast and so many large companies like Nestle and Barry Callebaut get their cocoa from there. It is hard to believe that they claim to have no idea that children are working on the farms.

One part of the video that really impacted me was when they rescued the young girl Miriam from being smuggled to the Ivory Coast. It was so sad that although she was rescued she was still afraid to go home, because she would not have earned any money. It makes you realize the poverty she lives in and the pressure she is under to provide for family, yet she is so young. You could see the sadness and frustration the local man who led the rescue was experiencing after he rescued her. He was so disheartened that this is happening and that so many more children were going to be victims of the trafficking and child labor. Watching this scene made me very sad.

I was frustrated by the ILO’s reaction to Miki’s documentary. To be honest, he didn’t seem very bothered by what he was seeing and he was kind of saying there isn’t much he can do. I understand it hard to eliminate it completely, because it so widespread, but he lacked any passion to make a stop to it.

The most powerful scene in my opinion was when Miki projected his documentary outside the Nestle headquarters in Switzerland. I was happy that Miki was forcing them to acknowledge the problem. People should know that Nestle and other very successful chocolate and food companies know the injustices are happening and doing nothing to stop it. Although they do not own the farms, they have employees checking up on operations, and they must see the children there.