A A

Brenda Leenders hopes the final Ten Thousand Villages Fair will be a celebration on what’s been accomplished over the years.

Ten Thousand Villages Canada is closing down this spring, and the April event in Truro will be the last in Nova Scotia.

“We were at the beginning of the fair trade movement, and now fair trade is part of the way people can buy,” said Leenders. “Instead of being sad, we can look at what we’ve helped create and realize it’s time to do something else.

“We’ve invited all sale leaders and volunteers from across Nova Scotia to join us. We want to end in a celebratory way.”

Leenders and her husband, Ian MacHattie, first learned about the program, then called Self Help Crafts of the World, 33 years ago when a Mennonite church in Ottawa held a sale. They were so impressed they remained involved when they moved to Nova Scotia. The first sale in Atlantic Canada was in 1993, and the first in Truro took place the following year.

“We hosted a house party and it took off from there,” said Leenders.

The first sale was at the home of Sophie Esau. In following years it moved into local churches. Annual became semi-annual, with spring and fall festivals. A few years, some of the items could also be found at New Creation, a Christian bookstore on Prince Street.

Over the past 27 years, Truro sales have brought in more than $612,000 to assist artisans in developing countries. With $3,500 to $4,000 needed to support a family of four annually, they’ve

Ten Thousand Villages offers unique Fair Trade items from around the world. FILE PHOTO

helped many families escape poverty.

Earlier this year, the Mennonite Central Committee Canada, which operates Ten Thousand Villages Canada, announced sales were not high enough to continue operating the social enterprise. They stated the corporate operations of Ten Thousand Villages Canada, which includes head office, a distribution centre in New Hamburg, Ont., the Ten Thousand Villages Canada webstore, wholesale operations and 10 company stores were expected to close by the end of May.

“This will affect some artisans, but Ten Thousand Villages has been helping them broaden their markets, and Ten Thousand Villages U.S. will continue operating,” said Leenders.

Canadians will be able to order products from the U.S. site once Ten Thousand Villages Canada stops operating.

Eight Canadian stores – in western Canada, Ontario and Quebec – that are owned and operated by separate boards, will also remain open.

Since the first Truro fair in 1994, Leenders has only missed one. That was because she was in Haiti for a Canadian Foodgrains Bank trip.

“When we hold these, we work together for three intensive days,” she said. “One reason we wanted to do one more sale was to spend more time together.

There are always eye-catching Christmas decorations available at Ten Thousand Villages sales. FILE PHOTO

“Sometimes you wonder what difference you’re making, bit it adds up over the years.”

The sale will be held at the Truro Fire Hall Friday, April 3 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All products will be discounted.

lynn.curwin@trurodaily.com

@trurodaily