In 2014, three daycare centres from the Saarpfalz district were the first daycare centres in Saarland to be certified as fair daycare centres. The management and teams at the Prot. Kita Erdenkinder in Schwarzenacker, the Kath. Kita St. Franziskus in St. Ingbert and St. Maria in Alschbach have been committed to the use of fair trade products in their educational and public relations work ever since.
Marion Specht, head of the Erdenkinder daycare centre, and nursery teacher Nadja Wild took part in the Fair Trade Action Day on Homburg's market square with the children from the daycare centre. The equipment includes yoga trousers made from fairly traded organic cotton and toys whose manufacturers are committed to fair production conditions and transparency. A family breakfast with fair and regional products and background information is offered regularly. The two day care centres of the diocese of Trier, St. Franziskus and St. Maria, have also achieved a great deal over the last ten years. Campaigns such as the fair school cone and the purchase of fair and regional products, the Misereor solidarity bread and solidarity muffins campaigns have a firm place in the day-care centre's daily routine and are always discussed with the children and parents.
Ingrid von Osterhausen and Peter Weichardt from the Fairtrade Initiative Saarland honoured the daycare centres in the Homburg Forum for their many years of commitment to fair trade. At the same time, the Kirkel-Limbach Community School was also honoured as a Fairtrade school class for its student projects on computer mice and mangoes. "We are proud of this award and very pleased about it. With this in mind and true to the African proverb 'Many small people, in many small places, doing many small things, can change the face of the world', we are staying on the ball," emphasise the directors Ursula Hornig for the St. Franziskus daycare centre and Silvia Zimmer for the St. Maria daycare centre. "The number of Fair Daycare Centres in our district has risen to eight. Three of them are in my home town of Bexbach. I very much welcome further development. Global and intercultural learning at pre-school age promotes an understanding of a cosmopolitan society. It would be nice if this awareness were to develop even more," says District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo, combining his wish with thanks to all those involved.