Lochyside RC Primary School

Lochyside Primary School has been supporting Fairtrade for many years and has recently had their Fairtrade School Status renewed for the second year. The school has completed 2 × 90kg challenges this year!The Fairtrade Committee sold the rice at the local church, St. John’s in Lochyside and at a recent open day for parents in the school. The school also sold rice to parents at Parents Evenings and had a stall at their Harvest Festival Assembly which was attended by families and other members of the local community. Click on the link below to download Lochyside’s sample letter that they sent to parents.
Download pdf

Abronhill Primary School

The children of Abronhill Primary School completed a 90kg rice challenge last year. Joyce Shannon (retired Depute Heat Teacher) has written the passage below:

The pupil Fairtrade Group at Abronhill enthusiastically took up the 90kg Rice Challenge. Each class was then involved in promoting and selling the rice. Middle stage classes designed and displayed posters in the local library and shops. Pupils used a section of the school eco-board to report back on progress, using a chart from the 90kg pack. Pupils informed parents via the school and pupil newsletters, describing the benefit to the education of a Malawian child that buying the rice would bring. Parents and friends responded by buying the rice. Our Early stage classes enjoyed cooking with the rice during their structured play sessions. Recipes with rice featured in the Friday Cooking Club. We asked for feedback from our parents who had tried the rice at home. Mrs. McLellan, a parent, commented: “The children really enjoyed taking part. I have two children at school. I thought the project was good because they could both be involved in it. The children helped to cook it at home. We really enjoyed the rice.” These comments were posted beside the chart counting down the number of bags we had to sell to reach the target of 90 bags. Steadily numbers were being crossed off! To encourage sales the Fairtrade Group organised a Fairtrade Fun Day featuring a “Taster Table” of dishes made with the rice to encourage sales. More pupils bought the rice after this event and more crosses appeared on the chart! Our Senior classes took part in an Ethical Enterprise project with Abronhill High School running a Fairtrade Tearoom; setting up a Fairtrade stall; and selling the rice to local community groups. They set up the stall during our Parents nights and open evenings. By working together and with everyone’s efforts we sold the last bag of rice! Mrs. Cullen, a Parent Council member, commented on the success and impact of the project: “The children really enjoyed taking part in this challenge. They learned to appreciate that by buying the rice they were making a huge difference for a child in Malawi.”

Bishopbriggs Academy Rice Enterprise Day

During Fair Trade fortnight Bishopbriggs Academy held a Rice Challenge Enterprise
day. Pupils were given the task of creating resources to help sell 90kg of Fair Trade rice – which is what it takes one farmer in Malawi to sell to enable then to send one child to school for a year. The pupils were given an introduction by John Riches with photographs and anecdotes to enthuse them for the challenge. The pupils then worked in groups to market, advertise and develop a strategy for selling the rice to the school’s stakeholders. Working together to develop skills such as communication, leadership, creativity, numeracy and literacy the pupils created some excellent resources which really highlighted why it is important to buy Fair Trade products. Students and lecturers from Glasgow College, parents and staff from CETS and PSYBT worked with the pupils and helped them understand the ideas of social enterprise and ethical trading. When discussing the event pupils said that they had much more of an awareness of Fair Trade and that they would definitely look out for the logo and purchase Fair Trade products!

St Mary’s Parish Church & Craighead Primary School

Fiona Leishman who is part of the Fair Trade Group at St Mary’s Parish Church in Kirkintilloch and is Head Teacher of Craighead Primary School, which is a Fair Trade School, has been one of our most loyal customers for many years. She has completed several 90kg rice challenges, mainly at her church, and at the primary school. Last Fair Trade Fortnight the church managed to sell a full 90kg challenge in one morning! They managed to do this simply by putting posters up around the church on the morning of the sale and then spoke briefly to the congregation about the benefits of Fair Trade and the Malawi rice project. Fiona has also taken rice for the children at Craighead Primary to sell. There the children have sold the rice in the staff room. Fiona is very happy that we now have the rice back in stock and has just bought another 90kg to sell at her church during harvest and as part of their regular Fair Trade stall.

Fortrose Academy Campaigns for our Rice to be Served in Canteens

Fortrose Academy have a productive and rewarding link with Mulanje Mission Community Day Secondary School. The pupils have had a promising response to their persuasive writing campaign in which they are pushing for our Malawi Kilombero Rice to be served in canteens. S3 teacher, Rona Macintosh has said:

" My S3 class have had favourable responses as a result of their letter writing campaign from Highland Council as regards the possibility of serving Malawian rice in canteens.Hugh Fraser, the Director of Education, Culture & Sport is very much in favour of it and has consulted the Council’s Catering Manager and other colleagues. There are two issues:
1) supply – it would need to be guaranteed and white rice seems to be a must
2) they currently have a contract which would have to run its course.
Dave Thompson MSP also replied assuring the class that he would take the matter further".

Above:Lochyside Primarys Fairtrade committee selling rice

Click the image above for details on how to get in touch for information and to get a challenge pack.

A 90kg challenge pack consists of:
Ninety 1kg bags of rice and a promotional pack consisting of:

• Information sheets
• A PowerPoint presentation
• Leaflets, posters & a countdown poster
• John Bell’s worship booklet,‘Harvesting the World’.

The rice comes from NASFAM, the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi which provides training, low cost farm inputs and marketing resources for its members. Prices are openly negotiated between the National and Regional associations.

JTS is currently working with NASFAM and Christian Aid Malawi to develop the association in Karonga to the point where it can apply for Fairtrade Certification – quite a long road for smallholder farmers. Meanwhile the Fairtrade Foundation recognises the 90 kg rice challenge as contributing to churches’ applications for Fairtrade.

The cost of the full pack is £243 (£2.70 per bag – the current suggested retail price of a 1kg bag is £2.99). The pack price also includes the cost of sending the rice to you via a courier service. Please feel free to call the JTS team on 0141 887 2882 for more details.

Click the links below to download Bishopbriggs Academy’s background information and working documents used as part of their Fairtrade Fortnight Enterprise Day. The Enterprise Day files are also available as Powerpoint files. Call 0141 887 2882 if they would be useful to you.

Download Malawi and Rice Information pdf

Download Bishopbriggs Academy Combined Enterprise Day Files pdf!!