Sheraton Addis to Host 30th Edition Diplomatic Bazaar

ADDIS ABEBA – The 2019 edition of Diplomatic Bazaar is set to be held at the end of Next week at Sheraton Addis, its organizers said on Tuesday.

Organized by the Diplomatic Spouses Group Ethiopia, the Bazaar has been running for the past 30 years to raise money for vulnerable women and children in Ethiopia.

This year, the group says major attractions of the bazaar will be country-specific goods and foods. These products range from Ghanaian fabrics to French wine and Norwegian salmon.

The items are not easily available to buy in Ethiopia, said Odette Bosmans, chair of Project matrix, a sub-group of the Diplomatic Spouses Group.

She said the fund raised from the one-day event will go on to finance selected local but licensed Non-Government Organizations.

Bosmans said the event will also give some local NGOs such as Sidarta Development Ethiopia and Addis Guzo Ethiopia – to either promote themselves or raise funds.

“We have gained special support from the project matrix. They are not only helping us but, also they are supporting us create a good network,” said Tamirat Belay country director of Addis Guzo Ethiopia.

Last year, the diplomatic bazaar raised around 4.5 million birr and went on to fund 22 projects across Ethiopia.

The 2019 edition of the Diplomatic Bazaar, the organizers say, will attract close to 10,000 participants.

More than 60 Addis Ababa-based embassies and diplomatic organizations will partake in the event and will put their art and food on display and sale.

Project Matrix, a sub-group of the Diplomatic Spouses Group, is responsible for distributing the funds to charitable organizations throughout Ethiopia.
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By Mhret G.kristos