Farmer offers a lesson in trade
Children at a primary school in Bicester were treated to a visit from an Ethiopian farmer, who spoke to them about his life and growing coffee in his country. Pupils at Bure Park Primary School, in Lucerne Avenue, listened to Shif Asrat as part of their two-day harvest festival. He told them about Fair Trade and how important it was to his country,
Deputy headteacher Yvonne Hewson said: "The children have been captivated by the whole Fair Trade issue. It has brought interest and enthusiasm to the curriculum." Mr. Asrat's visit was organized by Colin Cockshaw, the chairman of Bicester Town Steering Group, who is also part of Alchemy World NGO, based in Bicester, which works in Ethiopia training the youth in business and IT skills.
Mr. Asrat's visit was part of the Ethiopian millennium celebrations - which are continuing until the end of the year. The country has only just marked the millennium, based on the old Egyptian calendar which divides the year into 12 months of 30 days each, plus one additional month of five days. Ethiopian dates, therefore, fall between seven and eight years behind western dates and have done so since early Christian times.
