Mercado Global

Description

In our pilot country of Guatemala, Mercado Global promotes the financial success of community cooperatives by serving as their link to the U.S. market. Together with partner NGOs in the region, we help cooperatives use the enhanced revenue from global marketing to create community development funds that support primary school scholarships, community health projects, and microcredit programs. In this way, Mercado Global ensures that access to global markets is used to invest in long-term sustainable economic and social development. In the U.S., our network of college chapters markets cooperativesâ  products in their communities and educates students in the areas of fair trade, marketing, and business management. Chapter members sell cooperativesâ  products to local businesses, organize on-campus sales, and have the opportunity to volunteer with our cooperatives during their spring and summer breaks. The Mercado strategy for fair trade thus promotes the economic and social development of communities abroad and the creation of socially-conscious young leaders and consumers in the U.S.