Video update by FairMail Peru photographer Anidela
The great thing about the FairMail cards is that you can see on the back of each card who you are supporting directly with your purchase. Each FairMail teenager has his or her own story about dreams, hardships, passions and getting ahead in life.
We have now updated the personal profile pages of our current photographers in Peru with 9 new recorded video updates. You can view all of them below or on each teenager’s personal profile page.
FairMail Peru photographer Paul telling about his highs and lows
For the Peruvian teenagers 2015 was a year full of broken bones, broken friendships, getting first place, getting promoted, valuable lessons in life and many other things.
Especially for you, we asked the teenagers to update their personal profile pages with last year’s highs and lows. Plus their plans for the coming year, explaining how they plan to use their part of the earnings from the sale of their fair trade FairMail cards to enter university, study English and start a new business among other things.
Click here to read their own stories.
We also uploaded short new videos of the 4 newest FairMail teenagers presenting themselves which you can view below:
Kaushal’s house with a new top floor
Despite the very sad news about FairMail India closing its doors in October 2014, we are happy that the sale of the Indian FairMail cards is still having a positive impact on the teenagers and their families. In the last few months of 2014 five of the teenagers invested more than 100.000 rupees (>1.500 euro) in the construction of their family homes.
For example 17 year old Aradhana started the construction of her families own house in the outskirts of Varanasi which means they will no longer have to pay rent from her father’s small wage as cart puller. Kaushal managed to provide his family with an improved second story of their home. Meanwhile Sandhya invested in fully replacing the tiny room she lived in with her entire family for a new 2 story house. Anil Kumar and Anil Rao also managed to make significant improvements to their homes and to provide due maintenance. In the case of Anil Rao allowing his family to earn more money renting out part of their home to other people.
Sandhya’s new home under construction
We are very happy with this tiny bit of good news after the difficult decision to close down FairMail India. Unfortunately our decision still seems like the least bad decision to take as tension between some of the former teenager’s families still persists. Also our former team member is still being held in jail since July 2014 on accusations which still haven’t been investigated properly. A very sad situation which seems increasingly difficult to influence despite our intents.
Otra de las novedades en la web de FairMail son los perfiles de vídeo personales de nuestros fotógrafos adolescentes en el que se presentan y hablan de sus aspiraciones.
Los vídeos se pueden encontrar en cada página de perfil personal de los adolescentes. Aquí, además de ver los vídeos, también puede leer acerca de sus ingresos, lo que han gastado su dinero en lo que va, enviar un correo electrónico, conectarse a su Facebook, ver sus fotos y por supuesto comprar sus tarjetas!
Nunca ha sido más fácil de estar en contacto con su productor de comercio justo , de esta manera dar el impacto social del FairMail 50 caras!
FairMail photographer Aradhana
Hi!
I am Aradhana one of the FairMail teenagers in India. I am very happy to be a part of FairMail as I did not know any things about photography. Few of my classmates were working in FairMail and I was thinking if I also get chance to work in FairMail will be precious things in my life because I heard many good things about FairMail.
Aradhana's family in front of her house
I was hopeless about my future because I want to become a doctor but my parent are very poor as my father is a rickshaw puller and my mother is a house wife so I was thinking a lot about my future that how can I achieve my goal but as I see my friends that how much positively they are thinking about their goal that they can fulfill as FairMail helps them to make them to think positive and helps them through selecting a good photos to make them cards so they can earn money for their educations.
So now I think I can also reach my goal by doing hard work in FairMail and my study. I also get as a medical fund for me and for my family through which I can help my parents and now my parents are proud on me so many thanks to FairMail.
Many Greetings
Aradhana Singh.
(Als je meer wilt lezen over Aradhana of haar een mailtje wil sturen klik hier. Ze heeft helaas nog geen kaarten die je kunt kopen)
Betty from FairMail Peru
Last week we received a message from one of our Peruvian photographers: Betty. Because of domestic problems she had to leave her house with her mother, sister and two brothers. Despite that though she is determined to bring the new beginning to a good end. This is the translation of her message:
Hello friends, my name is Betty.
I live in El Milagro (name of the outscirts of Tujillo where the cities garbage belt is situated) with my mother, sister and two brothers. Due to domestic problems my mother had to get seperated from my father. Now we only live with my mother. I am 17 years old and member of the asociación de jóvenes cristianos del Perú (ACJ red. Peruvian version of the YMCA).
Well, my family and I have always worked on the garbage belt to find materials which we could recycle and which I would have to sell. I was totally fed up with this work. When I participated in a ACJ workshop I heard people talk about an interesting company called FairMail. Unfortunately I did not know how you could get a job there, but I knew that one day I would succeed.
Betty preparing the mirror for a friendship post card
By now I am working for FairMail for almost 2 years. Itis cool because we work together like brothers and sisters. I am using the money I earned with my card sale to pay for things to finish my secondary school and for the admission acadamy I am studying in now. I want to take the exam to get admitted to the National University of Trujillo where I want to study communication sciences. I am happy with FairMail and that this way I was able to pay for my own study. And not have to be a burden for my parents now that they don’t have the money to support me in this.
Betty working on her new `New Home` card
Right now I am living with my mother, brothers and sister in the house of my grandma. There we built a little room for ourselfves out of reed mats so we have a place to sleep. I know that with the sale of my cards I will make progress in life and acheive the goals I have in mind for me and my family. So we can all live in happines.
Thanks to everyone. I invite you to buy the cards of FairMail India and FairMail Peru. I hope there are some cards that you wil like.
Thanks, Betty Chanta
(red. For more information about Betty, her cards and photos, click here)
A fines de Diciembre fundador de FairMail, Peter den Hond, visito a FairMail Peru para 3 semanas. Lee mas sobre sus experiencias, las buenas y las malas y sus problemas:
“Para me las tres semanas eran llenas con respeto por la perseverancia de los adolescentes, problemas por diferencias culturales y placer durante el viaje de fotografia que hicimos juntos. Experiencias que recargaron mis «baterias de FairMail» para retomar el trabajo para FairMail en Holanda.
Respecto
Un de las metas del viaje era explicar a los adolescentes cuales de sus postales venden bien a los consumidores en el norte. Solo cuando sepan que postales venden bien y que tipo de imagenes piden pueden adaptar su producto al mercado. Y de esta manera ganar mas dinero!
Ademas es importante fortalecer las relaciones personales con el equipo en Peru. Durante el resto del ano nos extranamos muchisimo y esto se nota cuando puedes estar junto nuevamente. Escuche muchas historias personales. Como la de la chica que sufre de la violencia familiar y tenia que pedir ayuda de la policia. O de otra chica a quien su padre irresponsable dejo de enviar dinero a la casa y ahora estan enduedandose solo para poder comer. Y la historia de un de los chicos que antes vive en las calles pero ahora vive en un hogar. Pero que esta muy preocupado por su mama porque miembros de su familia pellean en la casa, hasta con cuchillos!
Felizmente tambien hay buenas noticias. En diciembre Patricia, Mariluz y Yuli terminaron su secundaria y han empezado ya en academias y institutos. Cinthia graduo de su instituto para ser guia oficial de turismo (haga click aca para ver mas fotos en su facebook!). Ella es la primera fotografa de FairMail que logro terminar una carera tecnica de varios anos! Y Juan Carlos esta haciendo practicas en una pizzeria. Cuando empezamos con FairMail la vision era romper la cadena de pobreza. Para que los adolescentes podrian luego establecer familias en lo cual podrian brindar mas oportunidades a sus hijos que sus padres podrian brindar a ellos mismos. La venta de sus postales es importante para esto, pero su propia esfuerzo y perseverancia siempre es el fuente de todo. Por esto mi respeto para ellos es tan grande. Hasta me da inspiracion!
Problemas
En todo 2010 las ganancias para los fotografos en Peru crecio con 30% a comparacion con el 2009 a un total de 12.500 euro. Esto es super, pero siempre puede ser mejor. Esta pensamiento era la rais de mi problema. Con mi punto de vista europea, orientada a reglas estrictas y eficiencia, vi que FairMail Perú estaba bien, pero podría ser mucho mejor. No sabia si debería aceptar que no todos los procesos estaban muy eficiente como antes cuando nosotros vivimos en el Perú. O si debimos regresar a la base de un FairMail muy estricto y eficaz que Janneke estableció cuando empiezo a FairMail en 2006? Si lo hacemos seria posible sacar mas beneficio del concepto de FairMail? O sera que solo malogramos todo lo bueno que el equipo nacional ha establecido?
Un buen ejemplo es un de los adolescentes quien toma bastante buenas fotos y por esto tiene ingresos regulares y también muy importante disfruta de ser un miembro de la «Familia FairMail». Pero el llega muchas veces tarde para las clases y aveces acta de manera irresponsable con la camera que le han prestado. Nuestro gerente nacional no siempre lo corrige de manera estricto y disciplinario y por esto FairMail no esta dando la experiencia laboral que podría dar. También con respeto al asesoramiento personal hay mucho para mejorar para que el gasta sus ganancias de manera eficaz y eficiente enfocado a su plan para el futuro que todavía no tiene.
Placer
Pudo observar estos “problemas” muy bien durante el viaje de fotografía de 9 dias hacia la Cordillera Blanca. Durante el viaje hemos trabajado muy duro en realizar nuevas fotos para navidad para 2011. (ver los primeros resultados aca). Pero tambien hemos conocido mejor a los compañeros del equipo. Por ejemplo durante una caminata de 6 horas a una laguna a una altura de 4.620 metros sobre el nivel mar. Para llegar hemos tenido que apoyar a los campaneros para llegar (ver mas fotos en Facebook) También los adolescentes conocieron un poco mas de su pais y costumbres cuando nos alojamos con una familia campesina en un pueblo andino para 5 noches. Mas que todo cuando tus padres nunca te llevan de vacaciones es una oportunidad muy grande para los chicos ampliar su vision al mundo y lo que hay fuera de Trujillo.
Luego de tres semanas juntas y entensas la despedida era duro como siempre. Por lo menos podriamos decir «Hasta Julio». Y al Elmer «Hasta Mayo» cuando el viaja a Europa para un tour promocional de FairMail de 3 semanas!
Patricia working on UK's corporate Christmas card picture
More and more FairMail’s teenage photographers receive concrete photo assignments from organizations looking for a certain image. The past few months they have been working on assignments for three corporate customers. A day care organization and institute providing mental care who where looking for a picture for their corporate Christmas card. And a publisher of a children’s yoga calendar.
Both for the teenagers and for the photography teachers it is very nice to work demand driven on a concrete assignment. With the idea in mind that the teenager with the best pictures gets paid for his or her photo everybody is really motivated to work hard.
Volunteer Elaine with her gang of young photographers and yoga models
According to Elaine, currently one of the two volunteer photography trainers in India, “All of the teenagers worked really hard on our yoga project. We went out into the community and worked from the teenagers rooftops with lots of younger children from the area. All the kids were very happy and excited to help out and we all had alot of fun! The deadline for the competition gave them something to focus on and it was great to see them so motivated and eager to take great shots, it also forced them to develop great ideas quickly and be really creative.”
Photographer Kaushal in action on his roof top
A selection of the best pictures has been sent to the three different clients who are evaluating the pictures. You can imagine just how excited the teenagers are to find out if their picture will be selected or not. And how happy he or she will be when they hear that a professional organization picked their picture.
It is still possible to have the teenagers take pictures for you on a no cure no pay basis. For instance for your employers corporate Christmas card. You can learn more about this option by clicking here or by contacting us directly.
Click here to watch the restults of the childrens yoga photoshoot and to vote for your favourite.
Mientras que todo el mundo esta preocupado sobre la recuperación de la economía los fotógrafos de FairMail han obtenido ingresos récord en 2010!
En total los 27 fotógrafos en Perú y la India ganaron 15.985 euro en 2010. Desde el principio de FairMail ahora el total de ingresos obtenido ha llegado a los 46.035 euro.
El fotógrafo mas exitoso este ano ha sido Elmer Machuca Chacon del Perú con ganancias total de 1.756 euro. El es el fotógrafo mas exitoso de FairMail por el momento! En la India Kaushal y Anshu ambos ganaron bien con ganancias un poco mayor que 500 euro cada uno. No olvidas que los chicos ganan su dinero mientras que toman 5 horas de clases de fotografiá por semana gratis! Nada mal para ganar dinero mientras que estudias.
Si quieres saber cuanto cada chico gano se puede ver sus perfiles personales haciendo click aca.
Over the last few months Juan Carlos from FairMail Peru sold a lot of his cards. He is saving up his earning to build an own hotel with restaurant where he wants to become the main cook. But on the short run he is not forgetting about his family. Even though he lived on the streets for a couple of years due to problems at home.
With his earnings he was able to help improve his parents house. With an epileptic mother and a father who often already spent his days earnings in the pub before getting home the house was not in a good shape. As you can see below it was built as cheap as possible with sun dried «adobe» bricks without any concrete structures. That works fine untill it starts raining or you get an earthquake.
The house is now built up again with proper baked bricks and a concrete reinforced frame to hold the weight of the house.
With the earnings of his Christmas cards Juan Carlos hopes to be able to put in proper glass windows too and a sturdy front door. As he says himself: «Never give up on your dreams and you will achieve them in the end!»
Click here to send Juan Carlos a congratulations email. And you also get to see all his cards and best pictures, which of course can be ordered in FairMail’s webshop.
