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Latest News - April 2006
Since its launch 18 months ago Brighter Futures has developed both its supply and consumer base to provide a wide range of goods from Africa and Asia, all made by skilled artisans and all provided on the basis of a fair price to the producer.
All of our systems are now well tried and tested and our producers are organised and trained to provide goods that western consumers want using traditional crafts and skills.
We have highly regarded managers in each country we work in - currently the Gambia and Sri Lanka - and will be adding to this list in the near future.
In the UK we now have the services of an experienced Director in charge of sales and marketing who is developing the retail and manufacturing part of our business. We are already in discussion with several High Street Retail companies about them stocking and selling our products.
Our big challenge over the next year is to create the right environment to encourage consumers to buy Brighter Futures goods on the basis of trade not aid. The potential rewards for economically disadvantaged people, many of whom live on less than £1 a day, are huge. The current retail expenditure on goods and services which could be provided by small scale local producers is £150 billion pounds a year in the UK alone. If just 10% of this market switched to buy on the basis of trade not aid the local benefits would dwarf those of aid agencies and millions of lives would be enhanced. This is a challenge we relish!
Dick Sisman
Chairman Brighter Futures
© Brighter Futures, 2006