A choice as tiny as the candy we purchase for Halloween can be extremely significant. The chocolate we buy at the supermarket has probably contributed to terrible labor conditions in other countries. Just one tiny example from the Global Exchange: "In 2000, a report
by the US State Department concluded that in recent years approximately
15,000 children aged 9 to 12 have been sold into forced labor on
cotton, coffee and cocoa plantations in the north of the country." However, there is an alternative. Take the time this Halloween to purchase Fair Trade chocolate! Find a place where you can purchase fair trade chocolate.
Or, you can take it one step further, and join Global Exchange in its Reverse Trick-or-Treating campaign! Have your kids hand out fliers and fair trade chocolate to the adults who answer the door, and raise awareness in a unique and thought-provoking way. Learn more.
UPDATE: There was local news coverage here in Massachusetts concerning this campaign. Read more!
(Photo courtesy of Flickr user minato, shared under a Creative Commons license.)
