CRS offers trip to Africa for students who 'raise money right'

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November 2006

Call to Action convenes 30th annual conference
Chicago's Cardinal George calls US to relationship with the world
CRS offers trip to Africa for students who 'raise money right'
'Deplorable conditions' need political solution in Gaza and West Bank
New international trade union seeks counterforce to globalization
Oxfam on global hunger: act now or go home
UN: World not meeting pledge to slash hunger
USCCB calls for protection of Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq
U.S. stands alone in opposing small arms treaty
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CRS offers trip to Africa for students who 'raise money right'
October 25, 2006, Baltimore, MD - Students in Catholic schools and parishes who participate in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Fair Trade Chocolate Program will have the chance to win a trip to Africa.

CRS announces its “Raise Money Right” contest, which offers students and schools a chance to raise money for their projects while making life a little sweeter for cocoa farmers in Ghana. CRS will sponsor a trip to Africa for the student who sells the most chocolate and an educator who brings Fair Trade into the classroom in a creative way. Other prizes will be awarded in diverse categories, including “most school participation,” and educational activities will include an online Fair Trade quiz. Resources to support students and faculty who wish to participate are now available online at crsfairtrade.org.

The contest for students started on Halloween (October 31) and continues until Valentine’s Day (February 14) next spring. The winners will be announced at Easter time! Winners will travel to Ghana in summer 2007 during the observation of the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, and will meet members of the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative. Kuapa Kokoo is the pioneering cooperative whose cocoa is used to produce great-tasting chocolate bars, the proceeds of which go toward community development projects in Ghana, such as fresh water wells and elementary schools.

In one of the most unique ownership arrangements in the industry, the members of Kuapa Kokoo own almost half of Day Chocolate, the company that makes Divine Fair Trade Chocolate. As owners, Kuapa's farmers receive a share of the profits from sales of candy bars. Divine fundraisers not only support the school or parish activity but also help to put African farmers in charge of how to use the funds they raise.

“Divine chocolate comes from the Fair Trade purchases of cocoa beans, helping to raise farmer incomes. But what makes the Divine model so exciting from an economic justice perspective is the fact that the farmers themselves own part of the company,” CRS Fair Trade Program Advisor Jacqueline DeCarlo said. “The Raise Money Right contest is yet another way people here in the United States can make a difference. It is also an opportunity for students to learn how to be ethical entrepreneurs. CRS is proud to promote Divine chocolate as a fun learning experience that promotes farmer empowerment.”

The United States is the world's largest chocolate consumer. In 2000, the US imported 729,000 tons of cocoa beans/processed products, ate 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate and spent $13 billion on it. Sales of Fair Trade products in North America more than doubled in 2002-2003 and grew more than 20% from 2003 to 2004. The CRS Fair Trade Chocolate Program is nearing its goal of $200,000 in chocolate sales since the program was launched a year ago.

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