Getting sustainable economic development happening is the challenge in any developing country. NGOs generally do the small scale grassroots stuff like micro-credit and the challenge is how to scale up. Governments usually focus on macro-economic reform and infrastructure but the challenge is how do you make sure the poor get the benefit of any growth.
Country Calendar have profiled an NGO in Samoa who are hitting the sweet spot. Women in Business are working with 1000 families, mostly subsistence farmers, helping them add value to their produce and find niche markets. They just delivered 400 tonnes of organic virgin coconut oil to the Bodyshop. It’s grassroots alright, but they have scaled up, working in 234 of Samoa’s 300-odd villages. And they are fast establishing a thriving organics industry.
They are finding a path for Samoa beyond the classic Pacific aid-tourism-remittances economy, and breathing new life into the country’s depressed subsistence agriculture.
It is good to see Kiwis helping out. Women in Business are supported by Oxfam NZ, the Tindall Foundation, and NZAID (at least it was NZAID until Mr McCully disestablished it). The other NZ connection is that Women in Business have brokered a link with Christchurch cafe C1 Espresso who are working with Samoan farmers to grow and supply an exclusive line of organic fairtrade coffee. Breakfast at C1 a couple of weeks back alerted me to this story (thanks James!).
Watch the Country Calendar item here. And by the way, it is Fairtrade Fortnight.
That’s great Phil!
Great project
Oh yeah, great to see they are helping out women