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NDOP HANDICRAFT ASSOCIATION

We Care For People and Planet  



TOGETHER LETS BUILD OTHER BETTER WORLDS.


NDOP HANDICRAFT ASSOCIATION ( NDOPCRAFT )

NDOPCRAFT is a Non-Government , Apolitical and Not- For- Profit- Making Fair Trade Organisation based in Cameroon. NDOPCRAFT was created in 2003 by a group of Artisans and Farmers led by its chairman NUNGOW GABE DAVID a fair trade campaigner and advocate , to enhance their wellbeing and safeguard their livelihood through collective production and sales of Handcrafts and Farm Produce based on Fair Trade Principles.

By providing professional and non-exploitative marketing services between producer partners from rural communities throughout Cameroon and formal market outlets.

The development of individuals , small and medium size enterprises is essential for the social and economic development of rural and urban communities in Cameroon .NDOPCRAFT operates on the philosophy of sharing culture through fair trade. Whereby producers within the informal sector receive just rewards for their efforts and products .At NDOPCRAFT we pride our selves in the integrity of our work and we demonstrate it, we believe that together we can alleviate poverty and build other better worlds through fair trade not aid.

NDOPCRAFT undertakes to operate transparently , all its practices are open to scrutiny and the Organisation will deal with producer partners and buyers who conform to the fair trade criteria. We are convinced that the support of fair trade is the most efficient method of sustainable livelihood developmental assistance.

We are instrumental to self-help, enabling producers , to uphold their position in the international market with quality handcrafts and organic farm produce. If marginalised producers in Cameroon are able to earn a fairly large income for their goods and services their standard of living will improve , this means admittance to education and health care. This is our contribution to help for do it your self in Cameroon.

To undertake these lofty goals NDOPCRAFT in 2003 gained recognition by Presidential Decree (as per-section 32 of law n° 90-53 19/12/1990) creating associations in Cameroon as serving public interest..

GENERAL BACK GROUND

Conventional trade mechanism degrades producers in Africa to cheap suppliers of raw materials for the industrial world . Expensive high- tech products of the western world are exchanged with low priced raw materials while the western countries are dictating the prices.

Africa’s poverty is not a destiny. Former colonial authorities today , industrial nations established , the presuppositions for the present economic structure .One crop system and plantation economy as basis for mass supply of western industrial nations. National self-sufficiency or do it yourself is diminished and hindered the independent economic development of former African colonies until today.

Rich countries grant huge subsidies to farmers to over- produce and dump the surplus in developing countries thus pushing local farmers out of business into poverty.

MISSION;
The mission of NDOPCRAFT is to safeguard the livelihood and improve the wellbeing of Marginalised Artisans and Farmers in rural communities of Cameroon based on the: IFAT CODE OF PRACTICE and PRINCIPLES ;
Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers Transparency and Accountability Capacity building Payment of a fair price Gender equality Better working conditions Protect the environment Education and advocacy

VISION
Our vision is to build a community of informed , inspired ,committed people engaged in confronting the challenges plaguing or facing them, that will impact on all their lives, in making poverty history ..We pride ourselves in the integrity of our work and we demonstrate it and with your assistance, will make a small change big difference. By supporting and promoting fair trade , you bring us closer to achieving the UN MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

FAIR TRADE
Fair trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue , transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade .It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to and securing the rights of marginalised producers and worker especially in developing countries. We are engage actively in supporting producers , awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practices of conventional international trade .As a fair trade organisation we have a clear commitment to fair trade as the principal core of our mission with aims as follows: - Support of projects from cooperatives producers groups, church , state and family enterprises - Direct purchase and sale of handcrafts and farm produce mainly from associated producers - Long-term confirmation of business relations on behalf of producers - We undertake durable promotion and consolidation of independent structures of producers. - Preservation of traditional handcrafts for future generation - Support rural producers in their local areas - Creation and support of income for producers - Fixing of the selling price by the producers - Long-term guarantee for purchase of products that means secured income and jobs for the producers - Purchases are pre-financed by 50% - Elimination of middlemen and speculative dealers - Capacity building for suppliers free of charge - Payment of additional export charge used by NDOPCRAFT for strengthening social structures of partner organisations - Management advice to our partners - Taking jobs to rural communities to combat rural exodus - Assistance to partners for self- reliant development PRODUCERS CHOICE Characteristics for the choice of our producer partners is based on sound ethical respect, values and commercial practice that abide by the principles of fair trade: - Organisation and sales structure of the suppliers Cooperatives, Associations , WomenGroups , Church and Families. - Fair payment of workmanship exceeding local conditions - Maintainable working conditions(no child labour) - Self-help criteria for partners self decision and efforts to improve living conditions - Support of the economic situation of women - Production method acceptable as to ecology - Handcraft and farming production (no industrial production ) - Use of domestic raw material PARTNERS IN CAMEROON Ours produces are derived from marginalised artisans and farmers all over Cameroon PRESCRAFT(Presbyterian Handicraft Center) 200 producers . - Traditional handicraft in Bamenda - Women cooperatives and groups producing for the local MKT - Producing families in all provinces not being organised in a cooperative or associated structure - Pygmy families in the south of Cameroon in the primeral forest of Cameroon harvest ethnic-botanic , fruits offered by NDOPCRAFT as a campaign to saving the rain forest. - Artist working on paintings , sculptures , furniture etc… - Middlemen and speculative dealers are eliminated PARTNERS ADVICE We offer help in management for our partner organisation .This advice is free and an important contribution to the stability of our partnership: - To solve business problems - To improve the manufacturing process(donation of equipments) - To change to an ecological producing process with ecologically and environmentally justifiable products - To improve quality of products - To diversify the range of products - To develop and introduce new products and designs - To improve marketing on the home and export market - To undertake training. PRODUCT CHOICE It’s an essential tasK for NDOPCRAFT to create new designs and products. Especially with regards to products of daily use , we have to examen , whetter local products from Cameroon could replace conventional products abroad. Products choice depends on the following: - Market opportunity in Europe, America and Asia - Quality of the products have to meet the client’s requirement - Products should be organic and non-polluting - Manufacturing using domestic waste material - Traditional products have to convey the culture of the respective tribes in Cameroon RANGE OF PRODUCTS Today NDOPCRAFT offers a wide range of move than 450 various products divided into the following categories: Handicraft, Farm produce, wild collect , ecotourism and fair trade tours. Visit our producers Catalogue SALES AT HOME AND ABROAD As a fair trade org we pay attention that the stabilising of the export market does not cause dependence on export of our suppliers. Therefore are partners are producing for the local and international market , as no important resources can be earned in the domestic market of Cameroon. We are anxious to develop and offer continuously new products and designs this means , an increase in sales in the local market. For the purpose of introducing and testing new products in the local market and letting Cameroonians participate at the associations activities. We are operating a fair trade shop at the Artisanal centre in Douala (Shop n°31) . Producers have the unique opportunity to place samples of their products and to get better known to the local public .In additions visitors have the possibility to study the set-up of the association by receiving information and documents on the organisation and visiting the associations board SUPERVISION OF RULES COMPLIANCE Compliance of rules and conditions imposed upon ourselves is supervised at different levels: - Supervision of producers by our organisation during visits - Intensive collaboration with one-world organisation who supervise operation of our org by details - Cooperation with development organisations of bilateral collaboration supervising the compliance of fair trade conditions - Cooperation with ecology minded companies and ecological products. EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY Apart from the sale of products we are equally actively engage in training, educating , awareness raising , campaigning ,advocating for a just and better world through the following ; Lectures in schools , Press Reports , Public lectures ,fair-trade day festivities ,campaigns , fair-trade fairs , IFAT GLOBAL JOURNEY , online petitions ,fair-trade tour trips by partners and the UN MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Campaign CONTACT Address : NDOPCRAFT AVENUE DE GAULLE PO BOX : 2186 Douala TEL ; 237 714 61 03 FAX ; 237 334 07 57 Email; ndopcraft@yahoo.co.uk CAMEROON