Hema has a number of special products in its range. You may have seen them on the shelves: colorful, handmade products that are reminiscent of faraway places. In addition to the well-known Hema logo, you will also see the Return to Sender logo. What kind of foundation is this? What are the objectives, who is in the organization and where do the products come from?
Goal
Return to Sender aims to contribute to combating poverty in the world in an inspiring way. They try to achieve this goal by stimulating the local economy and making people more independent. They believe that fair trade ensures economic sustainability. For example, Return to Sender invests in education with the profit generated by the sale of the products. According to the initiators, this is an important weapon in the fight against poverty.
The more trade there is, the more work is created and the more independent people become.
Katja Schuurman
One of the initiators of the Return to sender project is Katja Schuurman. She set up the foundation in 2006 together with Tessa Vos and Maarten van Huijstee. Since then, they and four others have been part of the board, of which Katja is the chairman. A total of about twelve people work within this organization, each contributing from their own field (communication, design, marketing).
Which countries does Return to Sender serve?
The countries from which the foundation purchases the products and which it supports with the profits from the sale of the products are:
- Mexico
- Sri Lanka
- Senegal
- Madagascar
- Guatemala
- Cambodia
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Peru
- South Africa
- Bolivia
- India
- Vietnam
- Kenya
- Thailand
- Mongolia
- Nepal
Products
A selection of the products made by these countries:
- bag hangers
- jewellery
- ponchos
- scarves
- cuddly toys
- baskets
- bags
Projects
Some examples of projects that Return to Sender contributes to:
In Guatemala, children from the Mayan culture are disadvantaged. That is why a special Mayan school has been founded, which is not dependent on the government. Here, children are mainly taught physics and chemistry, with which they can lay the foundation for a medical profession. Moreover, the children are respected and can wear their traditional Mayan clothing and continue to speak their own language.
In Cambodia, trafficking in women and forced prostitution is commonplace. Here, Hagar International projects together with Return to Sender to help women build an income by learning a trade as a seamstress or cook. Traumatized women can thus work towards a sustainable income.
Many children live in Eastern Sri Lanka who have suffered trauma after the tsunami and the battle between Tamil fighters and the government. A local organization is committed to helping children in addition to education on a psychosocial level, so that they can better process their trauma.
In Senegal, illiterate women can learn to read and write and are taught to better organize their trade in self-woven baskets, which increases their chances of selling.
Collaboration with Hema
You can purchase the products that Return to Sender offers through their own online store. In addition, Hema has also included some in its range. The products have been available in Hema stores since the spring of 2007, to help expand the sales market for the poorest countries in the West. Hema designers have played a major role in developing the products that Hema sells, sharing their expertise in the field of fashion trends and design together with designers Return to Sender. The profit generated from sales through Hema is also reinvested in the country where the product is made. This way, new projects can be started to help even more poor areas in their economic development.
Collaboration with other partners
In addition to Hema, Return to Sender also works with the companies Boer and Croon, the CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries), Butterfly Works and Achmea.