I had no idea that American chocolate comes, in large quantity, from Africa. I thought Hershey bars came from Pennsylvania. I was clueless, until last night, that buying chocolate products such as cheap candy bars, puddings, cake mixes, and so on, actually means I am oppressing the poor children in Africa. I was set to stock up on Halloween candy for our not-a-Halloween-party at church.
Read this post by Heather at Sit a Spell, and see for yourself that children in Africa are forced into working the cocoa fields. Why is this news not reported more? Why has the church at large not heard this news? I feel terrible now. knowing that we are trying both to help the oppressed with our giving, yet oppressing them by purchasing cheap chocolate from Africa. The writer says the alternative is to buy from the fair trade chocolate companies whose employees are adults working by choice. I will certainly be looking into that.
I do appreciate that the blogger reminds us that God doesn't love us more if we buy chococolate from Africa. Not that I'd do it knowingly, but at least I don't have to beat myself up about it. Satan is at the heart of darkness, keeping information in the dark about the oppressed across the globe. If our churches knew, that would be a call to prayer and action. Satan doesn't want that! Anyway, Heather's blog tells the message more clearly than I do.
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