It's good to share

Last year, Shared Interest invested £62 million to 397 Fairtrade organisations in 59 countries. Here, our managing director, Patricia Alexander, reveals more about the values and how it is using investors’ money to transform the lives of some of the World’s most disadvantaged communities by helping them to trade their way out of poverty.

How do you find the cooperatives?

Everyone who we lend to has to be certified fair trade, either by being members of World Fair Trade Organisation [WFTO], or being associated with other labels that are compliant with the principles of fair trade, for example Fair for Life. This way, we can ensure that our investors’ money is going to groups that are behaving in an ethical manner and that are treating their workers correctly.

Why do the cooperatives need supporting in this way?

There is a great deal of pride among the people who we help –despite them often being desperately poor. They want to be able to provide an income for their family. Commercial banks will not lend to small handcraft groups or agricultural commodities so we’re often their only source of finance.

"Thanks to Shared Interest the women can pay for education for their daughters and some have gone back to school to learn to read and write themselves."

Read the full article here.