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Fairtrade roses to mothers at Kesko's Mother's Day celebration

20 June 2011

The sunny spring weather attracted around one thousand people to Kaivopuisto Park in Helsinki to attend the Mother's Day celebration organised by Kesko on Sunday, 8th of May. Mothers and grandmothers received 10,000 Pirkka Fairtrade roses at the event.

In his welcoming address, Kesko's President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki reminded the audience how critical home and family, people close to us, are to our wellbeing.

"A mother's love is boundless - deep and wide. Something we can always count on."

Everyday life is not all a bed of roses for families with children, and they are also often burdened with financial pressures.  Halmesmäki sent his message to the future government:
"Savings should not be targeted at families by in the form of higher taxation, nor at libraries or schools. Families with children are the future of the country."

The Mother's Day celebration was held near the 'Expectation' sculpture in Kaivopuisto Park in Helsinki.

FAIRTRADE ROSES SUPPORT KENYAN MOTHERS

Child welfare clinics, day care centres and comprehensive school are a matter of course for Finnish mothers, but this is not the case in many parts of the world.

Pirkka Fairtrade roses, carnations, mixed flower bunches and prairie gentians come from the Oserian flower farm in Kenya. Matti Halmesmäki visited the farm and its school in February 2011:

"It was great to visit the comprehensive school of the Oserian farm and to see the sincere joy and happiness of the children at the opportunity to attend school. The Fairtrade premium generated to Kenya from K-food stores' sales of flowers totalled €134,000 in 2010. The Fairtrade premium is used to finance all computers, data connections and library operations at the Oserian farm comprehensive school, for instance."

FROM SPRING TUNES TO FLOWERS

Mothers' speech of thanks was given by Pirjo Virtaintorppa, Executive Director of Fairtrade Finland:

"It's splendid that mothers are given recognition for the important work we do every day when bringing up our children."

According to Virtaintorppa, it would be important that all mothers of the world had an opportunity to raise their children. Faitrade Finland contributes to achieving this goal in cooperation with Kesko, for example. The Fairtrade premium is used for projects that benefit the community, such as for building schools and hospitals.
   
Singers of Helsinki Academic Male Choir KYL performed spring songs, followed by a sing-along with Suvivirsi, a traditional hymn for summer, which is familiar for all Finns from ending the spring semester at schools. The festive event culminated in the handing out of Pirkka Fairtrade roses to mothers and grandmothers.

Source: www.kesko.fi