OUR GRANT PROUDLY SUPPORTS
ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL FOR 2021
BETWEEN THE PARTNERS WE CAREFULLY SELECTED TO CRAFT OUR LIQUID, AND OUR CHARITY PARTNER IN ANY GIVEN YEAR, WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ISSUES OF HUMAN RIGHTS, DIVERSITY, REPRESENTATION, WORKING CONDITIONS AND SUSTAINABILITY. WE BELIEVE IN MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, WE ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR PARTNERS ARE COMMITTED TO THE SAME.
Our 2021 grant
Founded in 1839, Anti-Slavery International is the oldest human rights organisation in the world. Today, they continue ti work towards eliminating all forms of slavery throughout the world, by investigating and exposing current cases of slavery, campaigning for its eradication, supporting the initiatives of local organisations to secure the freedom of those in slavery or vulnerable to it, and pressing for more eective implementation of national and international laws against slavery.
Anti-Slavery International’s fight for freedom and equality for all is a cause we feel passionately about, as Olaudah Equiano did before us. Ourgrant will go towards supporting the organisations’ work all over the world, with special attention to the following four projects:
MAURITIANA
Providing initial financial support, shelter and basic education training for both children and adults since they cannot access state education, even after escape from slavery, due to absence of a birth certificate. The project also helps survivors into longer term vocational training and provides micro-loans so they can become financially independent.
NIGER
This project builds schools and a whole new community of people of slave descent around each school (a literal village). Adults received education and training in skills-based careers, business and equality, and small grants to help them start ‘income generating activities’. Children attend the school, where they also receive meals and health and hygiene products. To date, pupils obtain some of the highest pass rates in the country, with the highest proportion of girls at school.
TANZANIA
Protecting child domestic workers from exploitation, ASI works with local organisations to protect children in domestic work and secure their long term future. Identifying children working and living in their employers’s homes, the project provides shelter and support for individual victims, reunites younger children with their families, and identifies the best options for the older children in the short and longer term.
SENEGAL
Working to end forced child begging which, in Senegal, is one of the most prevalent forms of slavery. ASI work alongside two local partner organisations Tostan and RADDHO, with a three-pronged approach which aims to tackle child begging through the modernisation of daaras (Koranic schools), child protection and access to a regular school curriculum.
Our distillers
GRAY’S, MAURITIUS
Gray’s is a member of the Terra Group and a pioneer of distillation in Mauritius. Since 1935, they have forged a reputation of being a reliable and ethical producer of the best wine and spirits in Mauritius. At its heart, Gray’s recognises the importance of good governance and corporate social responsibility in developing the success of its business.
Furthering this objective, the Terra Foundation was incorporated in order to channel, monitor and distribute the group’s CSR contributions. The Foundation focuses on Education & Training, Poverty Alleviation, Environment, Heritage & Culture and Health.
In addition to this Gray’s grow and harvest all of their own sugarcane. When milling the ‘Green Gold’, bagasse is obtained as a waste product and the company use this biofuel to power around 1/5 of the island’s electricity.
You can see their annual corporate social responsibility report here
You can see their sustainability report here
FOURSQUARE, BARBADOS
Multi-award winning Foursquare Rum Distillery is wholly owned by the Seale family and is one of the few remaining independent family owned producers in the Caribbean. The Foursquare site itself has a long history in sugar, rum and molasses for over 250 years. At Foursquare, whilst tradition is respected, it is innovation that it pursues at every step in the process.
With Barbados now ranked in the top 10 of the human development index, Foursquare has released that its fair pay and equal opportunities scheme is crucial to the success of the distillery. Whilst the rum is distilled and produced at Foursquare, it sources its raw materials (molasses and sugarcane) from ED&F Man. One of the main reasons Foursquare chose to work with ED&F Man was because of i’s long-standing commitment to sustainable and ethical business practices. Their CSR programme is incredibly considered and aims to support responsible growth throughout the chain. It helps them to act decisively to limit the impact of their operations on the environment, to provide customers with safe products and to embed ethical principles within their operations worldwide.
The programme has four areas that it focuses on, Environment, Marketplace, Workplace & Society.
You can see ED&F Man detailed CSR Policy here
You can see their Modern Slavery report here