Engineering students have traditionally been known for their outlandish pranks, but on March 6, hundreds of Engineers Without Borders student volunteers were in the public eye for a different reason: in one day they distributed Fair Trade chocolate to 100,000 commuters across Canada in a bid to promote fairly trade products as a way to reduce poverty.

Teams of volunteers, with flyers and samples of Cocoa Camino’s certified Fair Trade chocolate, were stationed in public transit hubs in Canadian cities for the day-long event to talk to commuters about how they, by simply buying Fair Trade products, can change the life of an African farmer.

Members of EWB's student chapters are strong advocates for certified Fair Trade products on campuses across Canada. You can be a champion of Fair Trade in your workplace or home.

For the past two years, EWB volunteers have been actively promoting Fair Trade and encouraging Canadians to think about where their chocolate (or coffee, tea and sugar) came from. Paul Slomp, who worked with small-scale farmers in Ghana and Zambia for three years as an EWB volunteer, explains that for “farmers in developing countries, Fair Trade represents an opportunity for a stable income” – for many, this is an opportunity to work their way out of poverty.

The March 6 blitz by EWB chapters, along with Cocoa Camino and TransFair Canada, helped to raise awareness among consumers as to how they can play a role in reducing poverty.

And it seems the word is getting out. In Toronto, one passerby who received a sample said “Thanks for the chocolate. I’m going to eat it with the Fair Trade coffee I’m drinking.”

This event follows the results of Canada’s World Environic’s poll which revealed that almost all Canadians believe that our country can set a positive example for how we contribute globally and 47% are very concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the poor.

According to George Roter, co-CEO of EWB, “buying Fair Trade is a concrete action that allows individual Canadians to express their desire to make a positive difference in the world.”