Ara l-artiklu

L-esperjenza tiegħi bħala volontiera fil-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust

Klikka.net met Nathalie Grima (right), President of the Fair Trade Co-operative (Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust) and member of the Third World Group, at her house in Pembroke. Besides her active role in public life, Nathalie and her husband Adrian have two sons, six-year old Samwel and Rafel, who is three.

The first experience which Nathalie thought of in answer to my question was the first time she went abroad with the Sisters of Mother Theresa. "We spent a month in Reggio, working with the gypsies. It was a very social and spiritual experience. You meet people who live in difficult conditions and you try to touch their lives, but they also touch yours," she explained.

Nathalie recalled an incident which struck her particularly; "In Reggio, the gates of the place we were staying at would be locked when the children left, for security reasons. Once, just as we had closed a ten year old girl brought me a flower, and I went to collect it from behind the gate. Seeing her with the flower in her had through the barrier really touched my heart, it was symbolic of the girl's effort in that environment."

Nathalie found this first experience to be so enriching that she chose to repeat it in London, Tunes, Uganda and Peru. "It was working with people who live in a different kind of poverty from that which we see here - a material poverty," she added. Nathalie also mentioned that she was very drawn to the group of people who went abroad to help others. "They believed in something substantial, not just something superficial. You make friends and you support each other. There is a sense of community, you discover a different culture, and come into contact with people, who welcome you with the little they have," she concluded.

Nathalie also recalled the beginning of her relationship with Adrian, who is now her husband. "Adrian and I met in 1986, but we started dating in 1988. We got married in October 1993 and we now have two sons," she retold, with an endearing smile.

The President of the Fair Trade Co-operative couldn't help mentioning the birth of her children. "Samwel, my oldest son, was born in 1997, when I was 28," Nathalie said with a beaming smile. "It was a very emotional moment. After giving birth, I was taken to the post-natal ward in hospital and there were my parents and Adrian's too and I remember crying out of relief and joy. Then there was the full realisation that something very big had happened and that we were now responsible for a child's life," Nathalie recounted. She also recalled the birth of her second son, Rafel in 2000: "It was also a very charged moment, but on an emotional level it wasn't as dramatic as that of my first son, because I had already experienced giving birth. However that doesn't detract from the experience," she concluded.

Nathalie is currently busy working on the fair which will mark the conclusion of Mediterran 2000, on the 14th and 15th June. The programme, which dealt with self-sustainability in the Mediterranean, was carried out in partnership with other Mediterranean countries. A karovana will visit Malta from Italy, brining an exhibition of large prints dealing with issues of social justice. Other organisations which are working in the development of Malta will also be present at the fair.

Personal Stats
Age: 34
Sex: Female
Personal Status: Married, to Adrian
Web-site: www.maltaforum.org

Which is your favourite movie character?
Nathalie laughed playfully at the question. With a naughty giggle she said that he (she instinctively only seemed to consider male characters) would have to be good looking and romantic and at the same time assertive. Very demanding, I commented, thoroughly approving her choice of adjectives. "I am not interested in the James Bond type," she stated. Nathalie found it difficult to pin her answer down to a particular character so she stated that Liam Neeson, being her favourite actor would have to suffice as an answer.

What was your first car?
Another smile made its way to Nathalie's face; "A blue mini minor – a second hand car." The mention of the small British car seemed to bring memories flooding in Nathalie's mind. "I didn't look after it and finally I had to get rid of it, because it was also becoming uncomfortable," she admitted. Nathalie considers cars to be no more than vehicles – commodities, which she cannot do without. "I am not the type of person to clean my car and make sure it's waxed and polished. I'm not obsessed with cars, but I do appreciate them. However, I do need a radio in the car. While I'm driving it's the only chance for me to hear the radio. When I'm stuck in traffic, it gives me the feeling that there is someone with me, keeping me company, and it cuts through the boredom," she explained.

What do you always take with you when you go out?
Nathalie immediately formulated her list; "I need my hand bag, tissues, my purse, mobile phone, keys and other things like my address book. The basics - but it also depends on where I am going."

How do you feel about technology?
Nathalie pondered the issue for some time. "If you think of work, well e-mail is an absolute necessity. I even check my mail at home, I feel that I have to check it on a daily basis. But I don't own a state-of-the-art hi-fi system, or anything. Just what I need," she explained. "I won't go out and replace appliances just because new models are out. If I need something I try to find a happy balance between my budget limit and good quality standards," she rationalised. "I can't say that I am obsessed with technology, but I do I appreciate it, especially when it comes to communication," she concluded.

What's your typical day like?
Nathalie wakes up at 06.30 hrs and gets ready by 07.00 hrs, when she wakes up her husband, and prepares breakfast for the family. "We leave home at 07.40 hrs and I take the kids to their school bus and then I start making my way through traffic, to get to work," she sighed. After four hours at the office, Nathalie makes her way back home, stopping to run some errands or shop, on the way. "If I don't prepare anything earlier, I cook lunch, then I pick up the kids from the school van and we eat, do the homework or take them to Doctrine, and I make calls related to the Co-operative," she continued. Nathalie starts to wind down at 20.30 hrs, when the children are in bed and she gets to watch a film on TV, then she checks her e-mail before going to bed.

Who is your favourite writer?
Without any hesitation, Nathalie replied; "Margaret Atwood - I like her style because it's factual and I can relate to the characters." Nathalie explained that the Canadian writer usually centres her novels round female protagonists. "Although they may be considered to be somewhat depressing as dramas, through her books she manages to enter the minds of women and she understands how they think, with all the ups and downs, on a very psychological level. I really like her collection of short stories entitled Dancing Girls," Nathalie added enthusiastically.

What was the last CD you bought?
The President of the Fair Trade Co-operative explained that she doesn't usually buy CDs for herself, because her husband is the one who does the music purchases. "I don't really listen to music at home, because with the children, you want less volume not more. Before I used to listen to music all the time, but after I had Samwel I couldn't listen to the radio and hear him cry. If we aren't having a conversation I like the radio on in the car," she added. The most recent CD to be added to the family's collection was Walter Micallef's album M'jien Xejn.

What is your favourite quote?
Having taken a while to consider the question, Nathalie smiled, admitting that she couldn't think of a quote. "I never quote books, but I do have a recurring phrase, I don't really say it all the time, bur I say it to myself; 'think ahead', so I won't be late. I also think along the lines of 'be careful or you could get hurt'," she concluded.

What characteristic do you hate in people?
Nathalie thought this question over very seriously, searching the room with her eyes, as though she were looking for an answer. "When people act unjustly, and they are double faced, pretending to be saintly at mass but aren't quite so at all in practice. The kind of people who shake when put under the slightest pressure, morally," she stated matter-of-factly.