2010 CALA Annual Report

Year-long activities:

CALA is a key member of Madison Fair Trade Coalition, which worked to get Madison a Fair Trade Town through the City Council. Coalition continues to meet to plan how to promote Fair Trade in Madison. This ties with CALA's mission, as US trade policy has been harmful to Latin America, and Fair Trade is an ethical alternative that improves lives in Latin America and around the world.

CALA began a partnership with DESGUA, Sustainable Economic Development in Guatemala, including administering a large grant for their work, providing ongoing technical assistance, and hosting speakers from Guatemala.

CALA continues to organize, through volunteers, the longest and oldest Fair Trade sales event in the country, the annual Fair Trade Holiday Festival, which had 55 vendors and 3500 shoppers in 2009.

Jan   Marc Becker, Board President, visits Haiti
Jan   Co-sponsor Haiti Benefit
Jan     Cap Times published Op-Ed on Haiti
Jan     Co-signed lett, Board Secretary visits Haiti
March   Board Meeting
March      Hosted delegation visit from DESGUA Guatemala, many visits around town and public presentations
March    Co-sponsor John Ross visit from Mexico
April     Co-sponsor Juan Almendares visit from Honduras
April     Madison becomes a Fair Trade Town
June   Board Meeting
June       Marc Becker attends US Social Forum in Detroit
July      Provide scholarship for young person at go on Just Coffee delegation to Nicaragua and report back to Madison
August      Co-sponsored visit of Salvadorans who were denied visas
Oct      Co-sponsored visit of Tohono O'Odham speaker on border issues
Oct        Co-sponsored visit of Bertha Oliva from Honduras
Oct     Board Meeting
Nov        Co-sponsored benefit around civil liberties and FBI raids of activists
Dec       Fair Trade Holiday Festival, 2500 shoppers, 55 vendors
Dec       Screening "South of the Border" film on Latin America