'1 Eurocent for the Future'
All Nature & More products are marketed as healthy, organic and fair. Where healthy speaks for itself and organic farming is subject to clear rules, the fair aspect is perhaps a bit vague. High time to see what our Nature & More partners are doing and why.
With the Nature & More ‘1 Eurocent for the future’ campaign, Agro Roca and Eosta promote long-term educational and welfare projects. One Eurocent for each kilogram of the ‘campaign fruit’ sold goes to the selected projects. The Agro Roca project is a children’s orchestra.
With around 100,000 inhabitants, General Roca is the largest city in the Rio Negro valley. Seeing the agricultural nature of the valley, it comes as no surprise that a large percentage of the local population is dependant on the fruit plantations in the area. However, since fruit farming is a very seasonal business many of the locals do not have a year round income and as a consequence have a very low standard of living. As is often the case, it is the children that suffer the most in these situations.
In 2006 a project was established to help these children in the form of establishing a youth orchestra for kids between the ages of 8 – 18. The orchestra is being conducted by Marcelo Alvares who is assisted by 5 academic music teachers. The children, many of whom had never played an instrument in their lives, are now regularly giving recitals at local schools. Furthermore, this coming year a tour has been planned at different institutions and a theatre.
Due to the tremendous success of the orchestra, there are now concrete plans to establish an additional one. For this second children’s orchestra new instruments need to be purchased and that is why Nature & More and Agro Roca are supporting this valuable project through the one cent for the future campaign.
