Colette Boateng, a South-North volunteer from Ghana at the Bremen Mission offices, has found an additional field of work.

Since the beginning of February, I have been working every Tuesday and Thursday at the Ökumenisches Zentrum Oldenburg e.V. (ÖZO) in Oldenburg. My main duties consist of office work and serving as a cashier in the world shop.

A world shop is a shop that sells fair trade products. There one typically finds: coffee, tea, and chocolate; spices and foodstuffs from the Global South; artisan products (jewellery, decorative items); clothing and bags; as well as gifts and handmade products.

World shops aim to: guarantee a fair price for producers; improve working conditions; support environmentally friendly production; and inform consumers about global trade and social justice.
I am impressed by the organisation of the shop. One finds products from various countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, with partners such as GEPA – The Fair Trade Company, El Puente, and Globo Fair Trade Partner.

I am also learning more about how a shop is run: stock management, shelving products, and I have deepened my knowledge at the cash register, in customer reception, and in stock rotation.