Baskets from Vietnam are one of countless products sold by Global Village Nanaimo during its 25-year run of operating a store locally. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

fair trade

Global Village Nanaimo celebrates 25 years advancing the value of fair trade

Feb 20, 2022 | 7:49 AM

NANAIMO —A long-standing Nanaimo based movement to bolster the bottom line of worldwide fair trade producers had humble beginnings.

Global Village Nanaimo (GVN) is celebrating 25 years since a fair trade store presence was first made in the region on Fitzwilliam St. in 1997.

The non-profit organization started in the mid 1970’s as a resource centre focusing on international development, but pivoted due to evaporated government funding, and also GVN hearing from a contact in Haiti.

Executive director Joan Hiemstra said a man in the Caribbean nation wanted to sell carvings in order to feed hungry students, altering the course of GVN for years to come.

“That led to weekend events once a year in the old Franklyn St. gym where Global Village and other like-minded groups all sold items there. The earnings from these events were kept to buy more products with the hope of opening a store one day.”

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GVN establishes twice a year seasonal stores in various locations in the spring and again in the fall where shoppers can acquire unique, often hard to find holiday gifts.

GVN also has a year-round online store.

Fair trade producers in about 30 countries have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in pre-paid payments from GVN over the past quarter century, Hiemstra said.

She’s encouraged fair trade products are available in a growing number of stores on Vancouver Island, which GVN helps source and supply for the private sector.

“It has created awareness as to the fact there are alternatives for shopping, there is an ability and an option to think about what you buy and think about the impact that it has.”

Hiemstra said GVN is celebrating 25 years by connecting with current and past volunteers and is planning to host an event for them later this year.

She said they’re also using the anniversary celebration to promote its 10 fair trade principles to the broader community, which includes no child and forced labour, transparency and accountability and respecting the environment.

Supporting GVN cooperatives and individual producers has taken on an even more important meaning with the pandemic wiping out local tourism related sales, Hiemstra said.

“They have lost a big chunk of their ability to sell anything, anywhere. At this point while we’re starting to really gear up some of our orders again, we’re getting phone calls and requests from them to place orders, they want to get back working.”

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes