Trade
plus Aid
Charlotte has been pioneering her unique approach to global trade since 1992 when she initiated the Trade plus Aid concept.
After falling ill while travelling in Ghana, she realised how badly the local villagers were affected by drought. Shocked and moved by their plight, Charlotte commissioned local craftsmen to carve 800 wooden pendants which she sold on her return to the UK. The profits were returned to the Ghanaian communities. The initiative was an incredible success and within two years Charlotte had helped revitalise over 6,000 farms in Ghana, providing food security for over 25,000 people.
The Trade plus Aid charitable trust donates funds to projects designed to alleviate poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities. These create employment and training opportunities in less developed countries. In addition, these trading initiatives have allowed Charlotte to donate surplus profits to fund development in Africa and Asia. By 2004, Charlotte’s trading ventures had enabled US $5,000,000 to be returned to producer communities as payment for their handicrafts.
In October 1998, Charlotte di Vita was invested as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She was awarded this honour for her work with Trade plus Aid.
Charlotte di Vita discusses the latest designs with the manager of the group of crafts people supported by Trade plus Aid.
Teaching refugees to make musical instruments in Ghana was one of the many projects funded by Trade plus Aid.
A local weaver purchased the cotton from the ladies working with Trade plus Aid and weaved beautiful natural materials which he sold to local markets in Bawku, Ghana.
The seed store and nursery in Bawku, Ghana helped the farmers grow crops.
One incredibly successful ethical trading initiative was the Charlotte di Vita Collections™ of miniature enamel collectibles.
The Charlotte di Vita Collections™ assisted the revival of traditional 17th-century enamelling skills in China to provide some 400 workers with employment. And by reviving these traditional skills, creating secure employment and ensuring decent working conditions, Charlotte and her trading partners not only assisted these individuals to generate income and support their families but also raised funds to donate to the Trade plus Aid® charitable trust to provide long term funding for new development projects.