Celebrating Fairtrade Month
in Washington, DC
We are thrilled to announce our first mural in Fairtrade America’s home base of Washington, DC! We are partnering with Two Rivers Public Charter School, Noma Bid and DC-local artist Salvador Rubio to celebrate three Fairtrade farmers: Dora Atiiga, Ana Polo Aguilar, and Jeminem.
This mural is being installed at 1227 4th St NE, Washington, DC
THE FARMERS
Dora Atiiga
Dora Atiiga is a cocoa farmer, a member of Kukuom District Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union in western Ghana. She is a graduate of the Fairtrade Women’s School of Leadership, as well as a Fairtrade Youth Ambassador.
Dora got her start as a cocoa farmer through Fairtrade’s Women’s School of Leadership program. Before her participation in the program, she was unemployed and totally dependent on her husband for their household income. The trainings and education she received inspired her to join Kukuom Co-op as a cocoa farmer, and bolstered her self-confidence, leadership skills, and knowledge of gender equity issues. Now, she pays this experience forward, trying to encourage other women in her community to earn their own livelihoods.
Recognizing that there were no childcare or schooling options for young children in her village, Dora started one, first with a few children in her own home, that has now grown to provide services to hundreds of kids. She also organized a women’s group within her community, encouraging her peers to start a soap-making project that can give them an opportunity for more financial independence.
Dora appreciates Fairtrade’s support in building climate resilience, improving quality, and strengthening organizational systems within her co-op, as well as the professional growth her participation in Fairtrade programs has aided. In her own words, reflecting on her experience before and after her participation in Fairtrade programs, Dora says:
“I had no idea what I was capable of achieving. Women’s School of Leadership taught me that both men and women have equal capabilities as human beings, and as a woman, I can do something to contribute positively to my community and my country. By building my capacity and not giving up when I fail, I can also get involved and be an active part of decision-making in my cooperative. The project has taught me that women must be encouraged to take up chances and opportunities like these to build up their self-confidence and self-esteem".
THE FARMERS
Ana Polo Aguilar
Ana Polo Aguilar is a resident of Pasaje, El Oro, Ecuador, and a member of the Association of Small Producers El Guabo, also known as Asoguabo, a Fairtrade Banana farming co-op. Ana’s professional journey is intertwined with that of her parents, who also grew bananas in Ecuador. Looking for a way to support them that could also maintain the family tradition, Ana decided to bring the skills and experience she gained through her formal education in economics to Asoguabo.
There, she works on the administrative side of the co-op's operations to implement farming best practices and create more opportunities for them to earn fair compensation for the bananas they grow. Her work has helped support Asoguabo farmers to gain access to dignified export markets and deliver the highest possible quality bananas they can through collaboration among the small and medium-sized producers that make up the co-ops membership.
Ana’s role as a Fairtrade Youth Ambassador has provided opportunities for her to advocate on behalf of young farmers in her community, and beyond. Acknowledging that the knowledge and experience of farmers her parents age is an indispensable strength, Ana is a proponent of intergenerational collaboration, saying “We, the youth, bring new ideas, new energies, other perspectives that can transform the way crops are grown and products are marketed”.
Emerging as a leader in the Fairtrade farming world, Ana still prioritizes opportunities for personal and professional growth, explaining “I am constantly participating in capacity-building opportunities to learn how I can improve and support my household economy and my community, and I know that Fairtrade can provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to be able to collaborate and be better.
THE FARMERS
Jeminem
Jeminem is a member of Koperasi Manis Sejaterah, the oldest Fairtrade coconut sugar cooperative in Indonesia. She has been tapping and processing coconut sugar with her husband for several decades and is still actively involved in production. In addition, to the trees that her husband taps for sap, she often also processes coconut sap that other farmers in the area harvest as well. She is very involved with her local farming community, and serves on the leadership committee of her cooperative.
Jeminem sees the benefits of being Fairtrade for her and her fellow farmers in several different areas. She mentions healthcare services and other types of social funds, which benefit the community, along with production focused initiatives that can increase the yield and/or quality of coconut sugar they produce. The cooperative has used premium funds to construct more advanced processing facilities with specialized equipment that leads to a higher quality final product, which then earns more compensation for farmers, as well as implementing important worker safety practices.
Koperasi Manis Sejaterah is unique among cooperatives in its strong emphasis on women’s leadership, and gender equity. Most of the cooperative members who are in leadership positions (including Jeminem!) are women. Speaking on the difference in experience between Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade farmers, Jeminem says: “1st, we feel protected from traders who might play with the price. 2nd, we get a reasonable price... there are many programs we have run in the past years, and all members have benefited from them”.
THE ARTIST
Salvador Rubio Rivera
Salvador Rubio Rivera is a Mexican-born artist based in Washington, DC, working primarily in airbrush, acrylic, painting, murals, and public art. His work is characterized by saturated color, bold compositions, and expressive figures rendered in vivid orange and crimson tones.
Drawing from his Mexican heritage, fashion and editorial photography, and the history of airbrush within Latino visual culture, Rivera creates work that celebrates personality, presence, and the people and communities around him. His practice moves between studio painting and public art, with an emphasis on making artwork that feels accessible, playful, and connected to the spaces it inhabits.
Rivera has exhibited and created public-facing projects throughout Washington, DC, including work with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, NoMa BID, The Anthem, Union Market District, and Chela Mitchell Gallery, where he presented his 2026 solo exhibition Sin Vergüenza. His practice also includes murals, live painting, installations, and interactive art experiences.
Rivera earned his BA in Studio Art from Western Washington University and continues to develop projects that bring contemporary painting into public spaces and create opportunities for people to encounter art in everyday life.
THE LOCATION
Two Rivers Public Charter School
Nestled in the fast-growing area near the Union Market District, NoMa, and Gallaudet University, Two Rivers Public Charter School embraces the idea that the community is the classroom. Educators and administrators at Two Rivers Public Charter School strive to nurture a diverse group of students to become lifelong, active participants in their own education, develop a sense of self and community, and become responsible and compassionate members of society. Their strong sense of crew sets them apart, as they live out “We are crew, not passengers,” strengthened by meaningful service to others.
