El PUENTE e.V.

Sobre nosotros

EL PUENTE is an organization of action based on partnership. As a bridge between North and South we want to contribute to reducing the gap between the rich industrialized nations and the so-called developing countries.

We support and help small business and cooperatives in those countries by importing and selling of their products in Germany. The direct cooperation with projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America opens trade and action perspectives for our partners which do justice to to an integral self-determining development.

For this purpose, we founded the "EL PUENTE - Import und Vertrieb von Gebrauchsgegenständen und Kunstgewerbeartikeln zur Förderung von Kleinbetrieben und Genossenschaften in Entwicklungsländern GmbH" (EL PUENTE -import and sale of basic commodities and craft products to help small business and cooperatives in developing countries) in 1977. Today, it maintains about 70 project contacts and acts as importer and wholesaler for more than 1,500 world shops and action groups in Germany.

Since 1974, we have been running our world shop in the Osterstrasse in Hildesheim. With the wide range of products, we offer the consumers the possibility to help us to support the model of a fairer trade.

Besides the merchandise business, EL PUENTE carries out educational and information work related to development policy. It is our request to demonstrate world-wide economic relationships with the help of our products and to promote cultural exchange. Dealing with other cultures, lifestyles and values shall give incentives to think about our role as citizens of ONE WORLD - a world in which our prosperity cannot be separated from the poverty in the developing countries.

A jointly responsible trade without exploitation together with public relations work related to development policy shall prepare the way for a fairer economic system and oppose the supposed powerlessness of the individual with tangible possibilities for action.

We offer overnight accommodations for other net participants. Apart from that, we can give expert advice on the subjects "Products respectively sale of products coming from the fairer trade with developing countries", give lectures and communicate up-to-date specialist information.