A Sunday morning tradition around the Morris house is to watch CBS Sunday morning. I have missed this tradition lately, but occasionally dad fills me in on stories I may like. Just this evening he told me about a story on chocolate or rather cacao from Congo. To watch, click here.
I needed to know more. My heart has an unmistakable and sometimes unexplainable need to help those farmers in countries such as Congo and Honduras. They have a commodity we as Americans love and occasionally think we can't live without. Okay. I know I can't live without chocolate.
I've seen first hand how developed countries (U.S., Canada, Great Britain) have given handouts to developing nations to the point they expect us to keep giving. Why do it themselves when someday a North American will come and do it for them? For the longest time we have been inadvertently telling them they can't do anything without our help. They are poor, uneducated, and need our benevolence. Right?
Maybe that's true, but I would like to propose we're going about it the wrong way. Instead of giving them handouts, maybe we should teach them how to do it themselves. Oh, you need a chicken coop. Well, instead of shipping all the parts from Texas, lets go to your local ag store and see what they have.
Your corn isn't producing enough to supply your family with food for an entire year? Let's see if we can plant it closer together, or add some fertilizer to get the yield up. That would have a greater long term impact than shipping them a five pound bag of rice.
What Theo Chocolate is doing is paying the hard working farmer what he deserves to get for his cacao crop. Rewarding him for trying to provide for his family. So it may cost twice as much, but why not spend the extra 2 bucks? That's less than a drink from Starbucks, a six pack of Dr. Pepper, a bottle of nail polish, a combo meal at McDonald's.
I buy chocolate anyway, why not buy from a company dedicated to the well being of the cacao farmer?
Oh, and this week I tried 72% cacao for the first time. It's healthier and has fewer calories. Love it!
And if you are at all interested in donating to a ministry dedicated to reaching the hearts of people by sharing the Gospel and teaching them about agriculture rather than giving them handouts check out 61 Isaiah Ministries. I've worked with them personally and LOVE what they do and the way they go about doing it.
But it's so much easier to just give them what they need so we can get what we "need" quicker..right?
ReplyDeleteI love your hands on approach. Sometimes it might take more time, effort, and money up front to ACTUALLY fix a problem, but the end results would certainly be more rewarding.