Aggie MacKenzie, star of How Clean is Your House and Dancing on Ice, is championing Fairtrade Fortnight in the borough.
Aggie with a peanut farmer in Malawi. Photo: Liberation Foods.
The 55-year-old former dirt detective from Stoke Newington spoke about her trip to visit peanut and sugar farmers in Malawi at Hackney Town Hall last Saturday as part of a Show Off Your Label, a nationwide campaign led by the Fairtrade Foundation.
Speaking exclusively to the Hackney Post, Aggie MacKenzie said: “I was asked to go to Malawi a couple of years ago to do a story for GMTV.
“It was clear that if Fairtrade didn’t exist, then this little village in Malawi, a collection of mud huts and a dusty road, couldn’t have afforded a bore hole for water and there wouldn’t be as many children alive.
“When you actually go there and witness the poverty, but also the optimism people have because of this organisation, it’s phenomenal, absolutely amazing.”
Aggie also spoke about the impact of a new shelling machine for peanut farmers.
“Previously, peanut growers had to shell by hand – can you imagine? To speed up the process a lot of farmers would soak them in water and if they didn’t dry enough they went mouldy so you couldn’t sell them anymore. To the west, these peanut shelling machines don’t cost much but they have changed lives.”
School children, teachers and councillors also talked about the people and issues behind Fairtrade, which aims to give workers in developing countries fair pay and opportunities to develop their businesses.
To tie in with Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs until March 13, Skinners’ Academy in Manor House sent its sixth formers on a 10-day trip to Turkey to see first-hand how Fairtrade helps workers at a cotton farm.
Sixth former Satone Johsan said: “We saw women making things like cotton scarves and bed sheets. If they weren’t paid enough, they wouldn’t be able to buy more fabric and earn more.
“It was a very good opportunity and it made me realise how privileged we are living in London.”
Kwame Bansom, Fairtrade’s regional coordinator in West Africa, who also spoke at the event, said: “I am very happy about the involvement of children – it’s what gives hope to the future of the whole movement of fair trade.”
“That’s what impresses me the most, the enthusiasm and passion of the youth in getting the fair-trade movement accepted in Hackney.”
Aggie added: “They’ve got their mums to buy Fairtrade products in the supermarket. They’re great ambassadors and really understand the message.”
(L-R) Ian Rathbone, Kwame Bansom, Aggie MacKenzie, student Satone Johsan and other pupils from Skinners’ Academy with Fairtrade products. Photo: Fairtrade.
Ian Rathbone, councillor for Leabridge, said: “I am very pleased that for the fist time students from Hackney have visited a Fairtrade producer in Turkey and even more please that they will visit us in Hackney in the next few months.
“It’s great that Aggie could come and share her experiences of Malawi. We need people in her position to say how good Fairtrade is so people will be encouraged to buy Fairtrade goods and take part in a our Fairtrade initiatives.”
Across the borough schools, businesses, libraries and churches are doing their part to convince people to switch from their usual products to the 4,500 strong range of Fairtrade products, such as clothing, tea, chocolate and fruit.
By SHYAMALIE SATKKUNANANDAN
Aggie MacKenzie, star of How Clean is Your House and Dancing on Ice, is championing Fairtrade Fortnight in the borough.
The 55-year-old former Dirt Detective, from Stoke Newington, spoke about her trip to visit peanut and sugar farmers in Malawi at Hackney Town Hall last Saturday as part of a “show off your label” discussion.
Speaking exclusively to the Hackney Post Aggie MacKenzie said: “I was asked to go to Malawi a couple of years ago to do a story for GMTV.
“It was clear that if Fairtrade didn’t exist, then this little village in Malawi, a collection of mud huts and a dusty road, couldn’t have afforded a bore hole for water and there wouldn’t be as many children alive.
“When you actually go there and witness the poverty but also the optimism people have because of this organisation its phenomenal, absolutely amazing.”
Aggie also spoke about the impact of a new shelling machine for peanut farmers.
“Previously, peanut growers had to shell by hand – can you imagine?! To speed up the process a lot of farmers would soak them in water and if they didn’t dry enough they went mouldy so you couldn’t sell them anymore. To the west, these peanut shelling machines don’t cost much but they have changed lives.”
School children, teachers and councillors also talked about the people and issues behind Fairtrade, which aims to give workers in developing countries fair pay and opportunities to develop their businesses.
To tie in with Fairtrade Fortnight, Skinners’ Academy sent its sixth formers on a 10 day trip to Turkey to see firsthand how Fairtrade helps workers at a cotton farm.
Sixth former Satone Johsan said: “We saw women making things like cotton scarves and bed sheets. If they weren’t paid enough, they wouldn’t be able to buy more fabric and earn more.
“It was a very good opportunity and it made me realise how privileged we are living in London.”
Kwame Bansom, Fairtrade’s regional coordinator in West Africa, who also spoke at the event, said: “I am very happy about the involvement of children –it’s what gives hope to the future of the whole movement of fair-trade.”
“That’s what impresses me the most, the enthusiasm and passion of the youth in getting the fair-trade movement accepted in Hackney.”
Aggie added: “They’ve got their mums to buy Fairtrade products in the supermarket. They’re great ambassadors and really understand the message.”
Across the borough schools, businesses, libraries and churches are doing their part to convince people to switch from their usual products to the 4,500 strong range of Fairtrade products, such as clothing, tea, chocolate and fruit.
Councillor Ian Rathbone, Hackney’s Fairtrade organiser said: “
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