Archive for the category "Peru"

New documentary: “Photography against child labour”

Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

This new 11 minute documentary shows the harsh conditions under which children have to work in Peru and the contribution a social enterprise like FairMail makes to change these situations.

The documentary had its premiere just before FairMail’s European tour with Peruvian teenagers Anidela and Angeles and got its first media coverage. Told from these two teenagers’ perspective gives the issue of child labour a face and the interviews with their parents gives the viewer a deeper insight into the complex problems at the root of the issue.

The documentary also shows how Anidela and Angeles manage to make a structural change to their lives by taking pictures for FairMail. And how they can now go to university through the sale of their cards. This way not only providing themselves with a better future, but also for their parents and other people around them.

Besides the 11 minute full version there is also a short version (5 min) available and full length versions with German, Dutch and Spanish subtitles.

On demand the documentary can be sent on a DVD for public viewing. Please contact us for more information and shipping costs.

Tags: anidela, child labor, FairMail, maria, Peru, television, video
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Juan Gabriel is top of the class

Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

FairMail Peru photographer Juan Gabriel

The high school graduation wave in Peru still isn’t over. After 3 teenagers graduating in December, it was Juan Gabriel’s turn last month. He didn’t just graduate, he actually got the highest marks of all of his class mates!

Because Juan Gabriel spent a period of his youth wondering on the streets singing for money he got behind in school. The staff of the street children project he moved into thought it would be best for little Juan to get a more practical education and job experience. In order for him to get a high school degree he assisted a special weekend school which allows its students to work during the week. And with great success!

Juan Gabriel’s certificate

It turns out that Juan Gabriel has quiet some academic potential though. He even wants to pursue further studies at the university. The coming months he will prepare himself for the admission exam at a private institute, with the money he earned from the sale of his cards. This way he hopes to get in uni to study communication sciences. He will need a high score in his admission exam to get in, so brushing up his knowledge will be necessary.

Juan Gabriel’s mother in front of their home.

On top of that he is also studying English at another institute and got a scholarship to study photography outside of FairMail. All in all Juan Gabriel is doing a great job in developing his potential and be able to help his family in the future. Because, despite the problems they had when he was young, he hopes to be able to build a real house on the piece of land his family squatted on the edge of the city. And that way providing him with a bed that doesn’t get wet when it rains.

Click here to congratulate Juan Gabriel.

Tags: education, juan_gabriel, Peru, results, social impact, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Introducing 3 new teenagers in Peru

Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

The three new FairMail teenagers

The FairMail family just expanded with 3 new members! Since April Medalit, Angelica and Paul are working hard to fully understand their new camera’s and get a grasp of the basics of digital photography.

Getting this far is already quite an achievement for them. A group of 5 teenagers started a trial period in March to fill the 3 upcoming vacancies. The 5 teenagers were put forward by the local charities FairMail collaborates with as they all could do with a bit of support to stay on the right track in life.

During the month long trial period they all got a basic photography training and the chance to convince us that they were the ideal candidates to make optimal who would make optimal use of the opportunities FairMail would be providing. Simply by showing us their motivation both for FairMail as for school, by getting to the photography classes in time, being responsible with our camera’s and friendly with our other team members.

Angelica with her proud parents

After one month 3 teenagers convinced us that they would be able to take maximum advantage of the free camera and training we would provide them with. They were very happy and proud when they heard the news. But also a bit sad for the 2 teenagers who unfortunately weren’t accepted for FairMail (yet).

We wish Paul, Angelica and Medalit all the best the coming years and hope to be able to show you their first FairMail card soon. On their personal profile pages you can already read more about them, connect with them through Facebook or by email and vote on their first photos. They have got so much talent!

Tags: angelica, medalit, paul, Peru, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

6th of June: Information session about new photography trips in Peru

Sunday, May 3rd, 2015

FairMail Peru photographer Angeles in action

Spring has started and summer holidays won’t be long now. Do you have any holiday plans yet? Why not travel along with FairMail Peru’s teenage photographers to the most beautiful “off the beaten track” locations during one of FairMail’s photography trips?

During the 2 week trips you don’t only share the joy of taking pictures together and travelling with the locals, but you also treat one of the FairMail teenagers to a trip which they normally would never be able to afford. This way not only giving yourself a unique holiday experience, but also to one of our talented and motivated kids!

Travelling with the locals

For those interested in the trips we are organizing an information session about FairMail’s photography trips to Peru on Saturday the 6th of June from 3 to 5 pm in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

If you would like to join in or if you have any other questions about FairMail’s photography trips, please contact us here.

Tags: Peru, photography travels
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Program announcement European promotional tour with Peruvian teenagers

Friday, May 1st, 2015

FairMail Peru photographer Angeles

FairMail is organizing its 5th European promotional tour! This time guest starring FairMail Peru’s teenage photographers Anidela (16) and Angeles (17).

We are now ready to announce an action packed programme for their visit to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. During their 17 day visit they will be telling their personal story behind their unique fair trade greeting cards to as many people as possible, plus investigating “their” greeting card market. And not to forget, making their trip of a lifetime as they have never been outside of Peru or in an airplane before!

FairMail Peru photographer Anidela

Below you can find their scheduled photography exposition, school visits, photography workshops, meetings with their clients, festival attendances and trade fair presentations. Please feel free to join along and meet Anidela and Angeles in person. Also if you have any tips and suggestions on how to get their story across in local or national media, please contact us here.

Below you can watch the video we made for the 2013 promotional tour. The video for this year will come out soon!

Program FairMail Promotional tour 2015

Date	Activity	Comments
Tuesday 16^th of June	20.15 Departure from Lima, Peru
Wednesday 17^th of June	15.40 Arrival in Amsterdam
Thursday 18^th of June	10.00 sightseeing Amsterdam and interviews 15.00: Visit customer www.Greetz.nl in Amsterdam	Opportunity for interviews with press
Friday 19^th of June	17.00 – 19.30 Official kick-off event at Naarden photography festival	Opportunity for interviews with press
Saturday 20^th of June	7.00 Driving to Bad Hersfeld, Germany 14.00 Presentation at fair trade fair in Bad Hersfeld
Sunday 21^st of June	10.00 Driving to Hamburg, Germany 15.00 meeting with FairMail Distrubution partner in Hamburg
Monday 22^nd of June	10.00 Marketing workshop with FairMail distribution partner Sightseeing Hamburg	Opportunity for interviews with press
Tuesday 23^rd of June	10.00 Drive to Ludwigsburg 18.00 – 19.30 Opening FairMail photo exhibition Ludwigsburg 20.00 Photo excursion Ludwigsburg	Opportunity for interviews with press
Wednesday 24^th of June	10.00 Visit Mörike-Gymnasium 13.30 Visit Weltladen 15.00 Driving to Rosmalen, the Netherlands	Opportunity for interviews with press
Thursday 25^th of June	11.00 Presentation to buyers of fair trade shops in FairPlaza, Culemborg, The Netherlands 13.00 Visit Dutch logistic center and visit selling points with Dutch sales representative in Culemborg, The Netherlands	Opportunity for interviews with press
Friday 26^th of June	Free day	Opportunity for interviews with press
Saturday 27^th of June	Festival photography and card sales at Festival Mundial in Breda the Netherlands	Opportunity for interviews with press
Sunday 28^th of June	Festival photography and card sales at Festival Mundial in Breda the Netherlands	Opportunity for interviews with press
Monday 29^th of June	Drive to Gent, Belgium Photo exhibition Gent	Opportunity for interviews with press
Tuesday 30^th of June	Drive to Fair trade Municipality in Tervuren, Belguim 10.00 Visit Oxfam fair trade store in Tervuren, Belgium 12.00 Sightseeing in Tervuren and Brussels, Belgium 19.00 Opening of FairMail photo exhibition in Tervuren	Opportunity for interviews with press
Wednesday 1^st of July	11.00 Presentation at FairCraftCentre in Bierbeek, Belgium and sightseeing in Leuven	Opportunity for interviews with press
Thursday 2^nd of July	Write marketing report and make presentation
Friday 3^rd of July	12.30 Departure from Amsterdam
Saturday 4^th of July	Arrival back in Lima

Tags: angeles, anidela, Belgium, Germany, Maria de los Angeles, Netherlands, promotion, teenagers
Posted in FairMail, France, Germany, Peru | No Comments »

FairMail: Fair Trade Guaranteed

Thursday, April 30th, 2015

The Fair Trade label, soon to be found on the FairMail cards

Fair trade are words more and more widely used. With the growth of fair trade we think it is very important to be clear on what we mean when we say that FairMail is the world’s only fair trade photographic greeting card concept.

This is why FairMail is a monitored member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) since 2010. Since last year the WFTO implemented a new and even stricter “fair trade guarantee system” that verifies organizations on their compliance with the principles of Fair Trade, and ensures that improvements are consistently carried out over the years through a scheduled monitoring scheme. FairMail has become the first Dutch member of the WFTO to pass this exam allowing us to print the WFTO’s fair trade label on our cards from now on. Assuring our customers that their purchase has a positive impact on marginalised producers in Peru, India and Morocco.

All books on the table during Fair Trade audit in Peru

“The exam” consisted of first giving a detailed explanation of FairMail’s operation and how they do or don’t comply with the WFTO’s fair trade criteria and providing proof to substantiate this. This was cross checked by an external audit conducted by FLO-Cert, a German fair trade certification organisation, going through the books, finances and contracts. This was followed by another third party audit of FairMail in Peru consisting of interviews with the teenagers, going through the teenager’s earnings and savings plus checking on the safety of their working conditions. In the end everything was proven to comply with the WFTO’s fair trade standards, with just a few minor suggestions for improvement.

With the logo appearing on more than half a million cards sold worldwide each year, we hope to also help increase the visibility and acceptance of this new label. This way not only helping FairMail but the whole Fair Trade community!

Read more about FairMail’s fair trade guaranteed membership here.

Tags: Fairtrade, Peru, wfto
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Photography exposition FairMail Peru “Cultura Viva de Huanchaco”

Friday, March 13th, 2015

In March the Peruvian FairMail team organized two photography expositions. The chosen theme was “Cultura viva de Huanchaco – por los ojos de jóvenes locales” (Living culture of Huanchaco – through the eyes of local teenagers).

Huanchaco is famous for the live & kicking ancient culture of local fishermen fishing on their reed fishing boats (the origin of surfing according to some) and the delicious dishes prepared with the fish they catch. We thought it would be interesting to revitalize Huanchaco’s image and show the influence of new sub-cultures on life and culture in Huanchaco.

Angeles covering the elderly in Huanchaco

Therefore each teenager chose to document a different sub-culture varying from skaters to graffiti artists, from surfers to artisans and from street food vendors to oriental yoga practitioners. Each teenager followed and interviewed their models during 6 weeks. The end result was each teenager selecting 8 photographs with accompanying texts explaining about the new sub-culture.

These went on display in two different venues in Huanchaco (Jugeria Yolit) and Trujillo (Alianza Francesa) where the teenagers presented their work. In total nearly 200 people visited the exposition. Also the national media noted the unique exposition with mentions in 3 national newspapers and magazines.

For pictures of the actual event, click here.

Kzanier documenting the influence of yoga on Huanchaco’s culture

We would like to thank our sponsor Grafica Real from Trujillo for providing the free photography prints for the exposition plus the tour of their printing facilities for our teenagers, Jugeria Yolit and the Alianza Francesa for providing the venues.

Dante covering the surfing sub culture in Huanchaco

Gabriel Juan documenting the “raspadilla” seller

Diana covering the local fishermen in their reed fishing boats

Jorge documenting the food stall sellers along the beach

Anidela documenting the artisans who make the souveniers for the many tourists visiting Huanchaco

Tags: exposition, huanchaco, Peru, promotion
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

Four Peruvian teenagers graduate from high school

Friday, January 30th, 2015

Diana, Jorge and Angeles with their high school certificates

As you can read in FairMail’s second yearly social impact report, 2014 was a great year for most of our Peruvian FairMail (ex-) participants: half of the team graduated from high school! A big congratulations to Anidela (16), Angeles (17), Diana (16) and Jorge (18) for persevering in their high school years.

Angeles already graduated in the beginning of the year. Since then she is studying extremely hard at the private Kepler academy, preparing for the exam to enter the national university of Trujillo on the 15th of March. This is the hardest university to get into and her public high school level isn’t high enough so that is why she invests in this expensive academy. Her grades during the trial exams are very promising but as she says herself she shouldn’t become overconfident and relaxed. To be continued…

Jorge with his certificate

Jorge finished high school in June as he attended a weekend school aimed at people who need to combine their high school with work. Since then, besides attending FairMail, he has been working and orienting on his further education. This month he is enrolling to study as chef and as driver/mechanic of heavy vehicles. He hopes to combine working as a cook on the short term with finishing the heavy vehicles course on the long term. This would allow him to get a well-paid job in a construction company in one of the many new mines in Peru.

Diana with her certificate

Diana just finished high school in December, in the same school as Angeles. Instead of taking well deserved summer holiday’s she went straight on taking summer courses. In March she will start a 5 year communication sciences study at the Cesar Vallejo private university in Trujillo.

Anidela also finished in December, in second place of her high school class. She is also skipping summer holidays to attend the preparatory academy for the Leonardo de Vinci private university in Trujillo. In March she will start to fulfill her long cherished dream of studying business administration at the university with the scholarship she earned.

Tags: angeles, anidela, Diana, education, Jorge, Peru, results, social impact
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

New video FairMail photography trip

Friday, January 30th, 2015

FairMail Peru team on the photography trip into the Peruvian Andes

In January the Peruvian FairMail teenagers set out on an unforgettable photography trip into the Peruvian Andes.

Accompanied by 4 foreign photography travelers and 2 volunteer photography trainers the group of 12 climbed up to 4.000 meters above sea level before descending again in the inter-Andean valley around Huamachuco, Peru. This proved to be the perfect base camp for excursions to nearby high altitude lakes, thermal hot springs, hikes to authentic Andean villages and pre-Inca ruins. The trip was the perfect mix between discovering off-the-beaten-track destinations, working hard on pictures for new FairMail cards and a lot of fun and laughter together. Check out the video we made of the trip to see for yourself:

Or click here for pictures of this great trip!

There are three more FairMail photography trips planned for the coming months. Including a breath taking trip into the Cordillera Blanca in the end of July where we climb up to a beautiful 4.600 meter high glacial lake together. To learn more about FairMail’s photography trips, click here.

FairMail photography trip to the Cordillera Blanca

Tags: Huamachuco, Peru, photography travels, video
Posted in FairMail, Peru | No Comments »

FairMail teenagers teach us about “Simple Happiness”

Friday, December 5th, 2014

Simple happiness on a bicycle

Simple happiness with water

From feedback on our cards we learned that the FairMail teenagers have an important life lesson to teach us all, through their perspective on the world:

“More material wealth does not necessarily mean being more happy.”

Many of our teenager’s images show children having a lot of fun playing with an old tire or a bucket of water, of people simply relaxing and enjoying a rest in the sun or taking time to chat with each other on the street.

Simple happiness relaxing in the sun

These images show our customers in the west that having more material gadgets is less important for being happy than your perception on life, your ingenuity, having meaningful social relationships and a positive mind set.

In marketing terms you could say that this “Simple Happiness” is a unique selling point of our teenagers’ photography. So as FairMail is a social enterprise, totally dependent on the sales of our cards, we have decided to spend more attention making use of this natural strength of our teenagers and their surroundings to shoot images of “Simple Happiness”.

Anidela and Ruth making kites from trash

Time to see if the kites will fly

One such example was the kite workshop we organized in Peru a few months back. With leftover plastic garbage from the earlier “garbage art workshops” the teenagers made their own kites during class.

By being creative with the available resources and experimenting with designs and colour combinations some great kites were made.

During the next class they brought along their little sisters, brothers and neighbourhood friends to a kite flying photo shoot on the beach of Huanchaco, close to the FairMail office.

As the photos show it was a very fun day. Everybody enjoyed playing with the kites, dancing on the rhythm of the afternoon breeze until the sun went down. Sand, sun, beach, kites and friends were all the ingredients they needed. When it started getting cold we all headed back to the office for a nice cup of hot chocolate and looked back at a very productive (and low cost!) photo session.

Sun going down

Future FairMail card of simple happiness?

We hope the first kite cards will become available on FairMail cards soon. Please stay tuned to our webshop for the newest cards.

Tags: card collection, education, photography, simple happiness, stock photography
Posted in FairMail, India, Peru | No Comments »

FairMail

Archive for the category "Peru"

New documentary: “Photography against child labour”

Introducing 3 new teenagers in Peru

6th of June: Information session about new photography trips in Peru

Program announcement European promotional tour with Peruvian teenagers

Program FairMail Promotional tour 2015

FairMail: Fair Trade Guaranteed

Photography exposition FairMail Peru “Cultura Viva de Huanchaco”

New video FairMail photography trip

FairMail teenagers teach us about “Simple Happiness”

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