Strengthening women's rights with Fairtrade roses
Flower worker from Kenya visits Chemnitz
On Sunday, 4 March at 11 a.m., Esther Nyambura, a flower worker from Kenya, accompanied by Serah Mwangi, gender equality officer at Fairtrade Africa, is expected to attend a church coffee at the Pauli-Kreuz parish, Henriettenstraße 36. In a round table discussion, the two women will talk about the everyday lives of flower workers in Kenya and explain how Fairtrade contributes to strengthening women's rights. The environmental centre will also provide information on fair trade activities in Chemnitz. The Kenyan guests are visiting Chemnitz at the invitation of TransFair e.V. as part of the 2018 Fairtrade Rose Campaign.
29-year-old Esther Nyambura has been working on the Fairtrade-certified flower farm Bigot Flowers for five years. She is a single mother of two daughters. Educating and empowering young women is particularly important to her.
Around half of all employees in the labour-intensive flower-growing sector are women. Many of the women are single parents, their level of education is often low and they are frequently unaware of their labour rights. Fairtrade is active in the flower sector to improve the living and working conditions of workers. Fixed labour contracts, maternity protection, protective clothing and, last but not least, the Fairtrade premium for community projects make fairly traded flowers and plants a better alternative for many consumers.
The producer network Fairtrade Africa represents African smallholders and workers in the Fairtrade system to ensure that the Fairtrade standards and guidelines are practicable and reflect the needs of producers.
Background
The city of Chemnitz is participating in the international "Fairtrade Towns" campaign in accordance with a city council resolution from last year and is striving to achieve the title of "Fairtrade Town" awarded in Germany by TransFair e.V. The city is seeking the participation of various players from politics, society and business.