The Problem Over three billion people – almost half the world – survive on less than $2.50 (£1.70) a day and every second child is living in poverty. A major factor keeping people in poverty is the way international trade is conducted. Many people in the UK are aware of this and have started to buy fair trade products, which guarantee producers in developing countries a fair price and decent working conditions. Support for the 2005 Make Poverty History (MPH) campaign showed that people are willing to take action to demand changes to trade rules, however the opportunities to harness this interest are quickly being lost. Public interest is shifting from trade and development to other issues such as climate change, and many key organisations from MPH are no longer campaigning on trade. The Project This project is helping people gain a better understanding of how trade impacts on poverty, and showing them different ways they can encourage trade justice. In total we expect to reach approximately 150,000 fair trade consumers. We will achieve these objectives through the following activities: • Developing awareness-raising materials • Running awareness-raising activities and campaigns • Undertaking media work Who will benefit? The ultimate beneficiaries of this project will be producers in developing countries. Fair trade has shown that trade can reduce poverty, but there are many millions more producers for whom the benefits remain out of reach. By building awareness of wider trade issues, and encouraging people to take action in support of trade justice, this project will leverage consumer power to influence other companies to treat all their producers more fairly. How much will this work cost? This is a three-year project, which began in June 2009. The total cost is £221,587. We are fortunate to have secured a grant from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the majority of the work (£199,565) but we need to raise the balance of £22,022 to enable the project to go ahead. Please consider supporting this project. The work is vital: getting widespread public support and action will provide the catalyst for change among businesses, supermarkets and policy makers, benefiting millions of producers worldwide. Any contribution will be gratefully received.