Spes Nova – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu The official news site for Fordham University. Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:52:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://now.fordham.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/favicon.png Spes Nova – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu 32 32 232360065 Art from Haiti, Kenya, and Guatemala to Show at Fair Trade Fair https://now.fordham.edu/uncategorized/art-from-haiti-kenya-and-guatemala-to-show-at-fair-trade-fair/ Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:03:04 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=66908 A soapstone ram carved in Kenya sells for $15.In the spirit of Earth Day, Spes Nova, the Fordham-based, fair-trade nonprofit, will be collaborating with fair trade groups from St. John’s University and the Vassar Haiti Project to sell goods that respect people and the planet.

The “fair trade fair” will take place at the Lincoln Center campus on April 22, 23, and 24, and will feature crafts made in Haitian, Kenyan, and Guatemalan communities.

“We’re trying to connect artists in these developing communities with consumers,” said Pinar Zubaroglu, a doctoral candidate at the Graduate School of Social Service.

The Vassar Haiti Project will bring more than 300 painting from Haiti to the fair.

Erick Rengifo Minaya, Ph.D., an associate professor of economics and founder of Spes Nova, enlisted Zubaroglu, who traveled frequently to Haiti as part of her dissertation research, to help make contacts with artists there.

“Working in Haiti I began to realize that there are so many challenges, but the people are so resilient,” she said.

Andrew Meade, Ph.D., co-founder of the Vassar Haiti Project, said the peoples’ resiliency is reflected in their artistic creations.

“It’s accessible art. It reaches out and grabs you with rich colors and a subject matter rich with joy,” he said.

The Vassar group will be bringing 200 paintings and hundreds of handmade crafts to the event, he said.  The event will feature a panel discussion titled “Communities at Risk:  Social Justice in the Developing World” at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. Panelists include, Vinay Swami, Ph.D., professor and chair of French and Francophone Studies at Vassar, Patrick Struebi, founder of Fairtrasa, and Sean Murray, associate professor of Core Studies at St. John’s.

Painting courtesy Vassar Haiti Project
Painting courtesy Vassar Haiti Project

“A lot of organizations try to do this kind of work alone, but all the groups participating really believe in fair trade—not just the concept but in the application of it,” said Meade.  “Through their arts and efforts, we are empowering all three communities.”

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Gabelli Business School will also participate in the three-day event.  Proceeds will go to support Spes Nova, the Vassar Haiti Project, and student-driven fair trade groups at St. John’s.

See a schedule of events.

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Fordham-Based Nonprofit Promotes Fair Trade at Home and Abroad https://now.fordham.edu/business-and-economics/fordham-based-nonprofit-promotes-fair-trade-at-home-and-abroad/ Thu, 05 May 2016 19:00:00 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=45309 A soapstone ram carved in Kenya sells for $15.A five-year-old nonprofit based out of Fordham is bringing fair trade into the classroom and to developing nations. Dubbed Spes Nova, the nonprofit is the work of students studying international relations, economics, and marketing, to name but a few.

A sweater made by domestic abuse survivors in Bolivia is modeled by economics PhD candidate Walter Bazan.
A sweater made by domestic abuse survivors in Bolivia is modeled by economics doctoral candidate Walter Bazan.
(Photos by Tom Stoelker)

“The name means New Hope in Latin,” said Erick Rengifo Minaya, PhD, associate professor of economics. “We’re a 501c3 based out of Fordham but independent of Fordham.”

Rose Hill students may be familiar with the company as it sells its products—such as jewelry, knick-knacks, and sweaters—from a cart outside of the McGinley Center on Wednesdays and Thursdays. But this month the company, which initially grew out of the Fair Trade Club, will take its products online at SpesNova.org.

The products are purchased from around the world by issuing microcredit loans to artisans who might not otherwise qualify for normal bank loans. But while some microfinance organizations charge as much as 30 to 40 percent interest on loans, Spes Nova charges just 2 to 3 percent.

“In Nicaragua we have seen some companies charge up to 100 percent interest,” said Rengifo. “Microfinance has grown incredibly around the world, and some of these institutions are really profitable. But we basically charge the cost of sending the money.”

earring
Earring made in Nairobi is modeled by IPED student and Fair Trade Club President Dana Nelson.

Rengifo said that a scandal involving Mexican drug cartels funneling money through microloan institutions led to a crash of the industry in 2013. New laws dictated that banks identify the people who were receiving the money—not just those sending the money.

“It’s not worth it for big banks that are sending the money, especially if people are only sending $100,” said Rengifo. “So we are prefinancing the production by giving the artisans the money up front, and then they produce and send the products. When we sell the merchandise, we recover the money.”

Spes Nova connects artisans they know with lenders they trust. Often, they also know the circumstances that many of the borrowers are in—such as women in Bolivia who have escaped abusive relationships and are now making sweaters bearing the Fordham name.

The growing business has also been incorporated into a marketing research class at the Gabelli School.

“Every single business school in the United States has a marketing research class, but this one uses real-world experience,” said Rengifo, who foresees the creation of a fair trade entrepreneur class as well as a product evaluation class.

He said that the marketing class wraps up by examining Spes Nova’s impact on the communities. The examination will determine if the business is helping produce more labor, improve nutrition, and improve the schools in the communities.

“And if it looks like it’s not working, that’s fine because we need to learn,” he said. “We’re not biased here. This is not a for-profit business; we can immediately correct things to find a way that works.”

Jewelry made in Nairobi.
Jewelry made in Nairobi and sold on the Fordham campus.

 

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