We caught up with Traidcraft Exchange fundraiser, Sarah, who gives us a deeper understanding of what projects they are currently working on and what our jewellery recycling partnership can help them to achieve! Take a look at Sarah’s interview on our Instagram Guide’s
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at Traidcraft
My name is Sarah McQuaid and I work in Fundraising at Traidcraft Exchange.
We are the partner charity of Traidcraft, the fair trade charity. Traidcraft Exchange is an international development charity passionate about making trade work for everyone. We believe in a future where everyone gets a fair income for their work, and no matter what country they live in.
When did you first become interested in working in the not-for-profit or charity sector and how has Traidcraft helped you to fulfil this ambition?
I’ve worked here for ten years now which just goes to show how satisfying I find working in this sector! I know that the job I’m doing every day is making a genuine difference to people’s lives.
How will our partnership help to support a better tomorrow? What will you be doing with the forgotten pieces?
Our recycling partnership with EB will mean less items going to landfill and the funds raised from recycling the jewellery will go towards our vital development projects, such as the Regenerators project in Tanzania, helping those on the frontline of climate change to fight back through initiatives such as tree planting, diversifying their incomes in climate friendly ways and supporting renewable energy.
Our partner will sort through your old and broken items and sell off any pieces that can be kept intact and recycle other items so they can be reused elsewhere. We will accept costume jewellery, gold, silver, odd earrings, broken watches – you name it, we can recycle it!
What is the one piece of advice you would offer to others seeking to create change?
We can all make a difference, however small you think that change seems. Added together it creates a movement. By filling one of the recycling envelopes with your old and unwanted jewellery, you are saving precious resources and ensuring less of the stuff we consume goes to landfill.
Tell us about some of your other initiatives you have going on and Traidcraft Exchange’s focuses for the year ahead.
We currently have something very exciting running, our Regenerators appeal which is live until 7th June and is supported by the UK government. The appeal focuses on supporting those living on the frontline of the climate crisis, by teaching them ways to investing in new, eco-friendly businesses and ways to plant climate friendly crops, with the support of using green technology like solar panels and irrigation in order to give them more security for generating regular income and support their families.
For people like Monira, inrural Bangladesh, the project is already having an incredible impact.
“Our community is already very poor, and climate change is making our days miserable. However this project is changing our lives and allow us to learn about climate change.
We discover something new from this project in every meeting. We are trying to plant trees, and we no longer want to be dependent on agricultural work only. The project allows us to learn different skills to support our families in new ways”.
With your help, and donations doubled by the UK government, they can protect the earth for generations to come, and earn more for the hard work they do every day.
Donate here.
Find out more about our jewellery recycling scheme in collaboration with Traidcraft Exchange here.
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