Southeastern Wisconsin Initiative for Fair Trade
doing business as Four Corners of the World Fair Trade Store
5401 West Vliet Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Phone: 414-443-9606
The mission of the Southeastern Wisconsin Initiative for Fair Trade (SWIFT), a non stock Wisconsin corporation, is Working for Peace by Achieving Justice through Fair Trade. A volunteer Board, representing the Faith and Union communities, is seeking to do this by operating a Fair Trade Store, Four Corners of the World.
The store is a marketplace for fairly produced and traded products including artisan handcrafts, coffee, tea and chocolate and sweatshop free clothing produced at worker owned co-ops in dozens of developing countries. The primary beneficiaries of the store are workers who are treated with respect and dignity and receive a family sustaining wage. Many of the products are made from recycled and natural materials which contribute to the sustainability of the planet. The store is a concrete and positive step toward transforming an otherwise unjust and unsustainable economic order.
The SWIFT Education Committee has a broader mission than that of the Four Corners of the World Fair Trade Store. The goal of the Education Committee is to educate consumers on all significant aspects of sustainability. This includes educating the public on the current state of affairs regarding air and soil contamination, food and water safety and availability, and human rights (including slavery, sweatshops, immigration, Fair Trade) as they are being impacted by current producer and consumer practices. To accomplish this broader mission, the Fair Trade Education Committee:
- produces at no cost to the public printed matter (such as brochures explaining what are and what aren’t sustainable practices);
- purchases and makes available at no cost award-winning documentaries;
- arranges for knowledgeable speakers to talk to small and large groups;
- offers on-site Fair Trade sales.
Through Four Corners of the World and SWIFT’s educational programs, there is a growing partnership between workers throughout the world and the people of Southeastern Wisconsin. These mostly virtual relationships are an essential step toward the solidarity that will transform the world.
