Fight hunger in Zimbabwe with a bag!

Well it’s official – we’re in recession. But what we’ll experience over the next few months will be nothing compared with what people in Zimbabwe will experience. While inflation here has reached a dizzying peak of 5% the current of rate inflation in Zimbabwe is more than 231million per cent! Just about the whole population is now a Zimbabwe dollar millionaire so worthless is the currency.

Amazingly, there are people making a success of being a business in Zimbabwe – even an export business. Dezign Inc prints t-shirts and bags in Zimbabwe using screen print techniques and traditional designs. Fair trade pioneer Traidcraft imports the products for sale in UK market. 15 years ago the business was thriving and supporting a large workforce and a housing project. Times are tough but the resilience of the team is amazing – they are still managing to export products.

So my Christmas challenge for everyone is why not buy a fair trade shopper from Dezign Inc for your aunt, uncle, dad, mum, sister, brother, son or daughter? Celebrity designer endorsed shoppers may save plastic bags in this country, but the Dezign Inc shoppers could genuinely be saving lives in Zimbabwe as well. The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it had cut maize rations to the 4million Zimbabweans who have no source food at present. Worse news is that there will be no rations after Christmas unless the international community steps in to pledge more aid.

You can buy the Market Scene Fair Trade Shopper for or the Nomad Shopping Bag for just £10. We’d like to sell out this week so we can get more ordered and advance payments out to the folks at Dezign Inc. Do what you can.