UNICEF has awarded the Abyssinian Fund a $5,000 grant to help expand its training of coffee farmers in the Ethiopian community of Chaffee Jenette.

 This marks the first time the one-year-old Abyssinian Fund has received a grant from the global organization mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights around the world.

 “We’re very grateful to have been chosen for this grant,” said Rev. Nicholas S. Richards, president of the Fund. “This kind of grant is extremely helpful to us during this very critical time. These funds will allow us to begin training another 100 farmers next month.”

 The Fund provides new technologies and distribution networks to ensure Ethiopian coffee is competitive in the global marketplace. Rev. Richards said the fund recently completed its first round of training with the farmers, and is actively working to identify new partners.

 Unlike traditional organizations that are working with Ethiopia, the Abyssinian Fund does charity, differently.   Through its community partnerships, the Fund will build the first high school in the community, construct a modern clinic with a full time staff and provide 100% access to clean water..

 For more information about the Abyssinian Fund (http://www.abyfund.org), contact Neil Foote, Foote Communications, 214.448.3765

Lecture on ‘Connecting Communities through Development Projects’

Rev. Nicholas Richards, president of the Harlem-based Abyssinian Fund, will lead a Thursday evening discussion on how communities in the U.S. can partner with Ethiopian coffee farmers.

The panel, entitled ‘From Harlem to Addis: Connecting Communities through Development Projects’, will take place 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. February 24 at the temporary home of the Museum for African Art, 80 Hanson Place, in Downtown Brooklyn.

The lecture is part of a series entitled, Views of Africa: Conversations with a Continent and its People, produced by The Museum for African Art and Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA).

The goal of the Abyssinian Fund is to provide new technologies and distribution networks to ensure Ethiopian coffee is competitive in the global marketplace.

A gifted speaker, Rev. Richards has always been passionate about international affairs. His leadership of Abyssinian’s international ministry has spawned a series of projects, including development efforts in Ethiopia, humanitarian relief in Haiti and on-going educational services in Kenya. Born in Mandeville, Jamaica, Rev. Richards grew up in Bronx, NY. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy at Morehouse College and received his Master of Divinity degree at The Union Theological Seminary in New York.

For more information about the seminar, go to the museum’s website, http://www.africanart.org/index.php. For more information about The Abyssinian Fund, go to http://abyfund.org. To interview Rev. Richards, contact Neil Foote, neil@nelfoote.com, 214.448.3765.