Sri Lanka Bazaar in France

France: The Sri Lankan Embassy in France together with the permanent delegation to UNESCO organised a Sri Lanka Bazaar on May 11, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The two-fold aim of this endeavour was to project Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan products as well as to raise funds for charity, specially to aid the displaced children in the Eastern Province.

The bazaar sold Sri Lankan food items such as short-eats, and rice and curry and string hoppers provided free of charge by two Sri Lankan catering services in Paris. Ceylon tea was served at the tea stall.

Tea packs donated by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and handicrafts and artifacts brought down from Laksala were also sold.

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board Office in Paris was present at the bazaar as well. Other participants included Ayubowan, a women’s charitable organisation in Mirissa set up to create jobs and restarting businesses for women who have lost everything to the tsunami.

Cloth handbags produced by the women of Mirissa were sold at the bazaar. BayardŠre, the Barefoot outlet in Paris and Guyapi, a France-based company engaged in the sale of natural products mainly from Sri Lanka also sold their products at the event.

It is the first time that such an event was organised by the Sri Lanka Embassy and the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and the high turn out of the diplomatic corps, UNESCO staff and the Sri Lankan community was testament to the success of the Bazaar.

These proceeds will be channelled through the Government Agent of Batticaloa to fund educational needs of children displaced in the East.