British Ambassador in Lebanon Swapped Jobs with Ethiopian Maid

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Britain ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher swapped his job with an Ethiopian maid to promote the rights of foreign domestic workers in the country
Ambassador=Domestic worker. Britain ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher swapped his job with an Ethiopian maid to promote the rights of foreign domestic workers in the country

By The Daily Star,

UK Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher “swapped” jobs with an Ethiopian maid Monday in an effort to promote the rights of migrant workers.

“I’m trading places with Qalkidan, from Ethiopia, tomorrow. We want to highlight the rights of foreign domestic workers in Lebanon,” read a post on Fletcher’s Twitter page Sunday.

On Monday Fletcher posted a photo of himself scrubbing away at a silver pot under an open faucet. “Qalkidan supervises my washing up,” the caption read.

Another photo posted to Twitter shows Fletcher dressed in a white kitchen apron with a bewildered stare as he looks at a tub of Fattoush.

“Improving my Fattoush making skills,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day the ambassador brought Qalkidan along with him to the Interior Ministry for a press conference on the topic of migrant worker rights.

Qalkidan, whose last name was not given, attended a meeting between Fletcher and Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk where the trio discussed the Syrian refugee crisis, support for the Lebanese Army, and the terrorist threat facing the country.

“Sitting beside me is an Ethiopian migrant worker that was assisting me with my duties in the embassy this morning,” read a statement released by Fletcher’s media office.

The job-swap, the statement said, is meant to reveal the “need to work towards preserving the dignity and rights of foreign workers in Lebanon.”

Britain's ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher, center, accompanied by Qalkidan, right, meets with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk in Beirut, Monday, Oct. 13, 2014.
Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher, center, accompanied by Qalkidan, right, meets with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk in Beirut, Monday, Oct. 13, 2014.