Addressing the root cause of low school attendance

Project Description: Workers voted to invest their Fair Trade Community Development Funds to provide school supplies, including notebooks, pencils, and shoes for workers, their children, and family members, to increase school attendance at all levels of education, from preschool through university.
Reason for the Project: A survey at High Tech Group's greenhouse operation in the central Mexican state of Querétaro showed that while workers and their families would like to attend and stay in school, dropout rates are high because many cannot afford the clothing and supplies that families need to provide in order for their kids to attend.
Project Outcome: More than 650 children and family members of High Tech Group workers received school supplies and school shoes, addressing a top barrier to school attendance for low-income Mexican families.