Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (Clac) established a Fairtrade fund with the purpose of assisting cocoa producers with equipment and operational assistance for protecting against COVID
The fund is reportedly proving effective including in Peru, where the charity has reported that in the country’s collection centre of the Cooperativa Agraria Ecológica Cacaotera Valle Río Ene (Coopavre), each producer follows the suggested measures.
Every cocoa producer, who brings cocoa wears a mask, washes their hands, disinfects their shoes, and has their temperature measured before delivering the cocoa, which would not have been possible without financial support.
The help they have given us has been very useful to us. (sic) This aid has helped us a lot to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Marco Antonio Dominguez, president of Coopavre
Coopavre and 117 other organisations have had their requests for the Relief Fund approved under the scheme that was set back in April.
In Satipo province, each of the 212 associates and workers of Coopavre has received a kit including alcohol, bleach, masks, soap, and a face covering.
Also, the organisation purchased protective suits for workers, containers to install handwashing stations, supplies to disinfect shoes, and disinfectant backpack sprayers to sterilise the office and warehouse area.
According to Fairtrade, although the number of people with COVID-19 in Peru is one of the highest in Latin America, there are still areas in the communities where the co-op operates. This is in huge part, thanks to the fact that the members have organised to promote prevention measures.
Until now, 45 other applications have been approved for the Fund to help co-ops implement biosafety protocols and take measures to protect their associates and workers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
CLAC´s Relief Fund is open, and the organisations can ask for financing to implement biosecurity protocols, defray increased production costs, and to contribute to hospital, medical, or funeral expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is additionally a line to subsidise the Fairtrade certification payment.
