Our library project won't be successful unless we can fill the shelves with books! If you would like to donate books, I have the following suggestions:
(1) Both hardcover and paperback books are great, but please make sure they are in good condition. (no torn pages, ink or scribble marks, and a cover that is still in good shape)
(2) Age range of readers is 5-16 years old and 1st-11th grade. Make sure that the books are appropriate for this range of readers.
(3) Books can be Fiction or Non-Fiction, however the nonfiction books that provide education in the areas of Science, Social Studies, Geography, Health, History, Art and Music are of particular value. Please make sure that information in these books is not outdated.
(4) Reference Books are also valuable donations. Things such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, thesaruses, and teacher resource books would be wonderful. Published dates no older that 2004 are appreciated.
(5) When choosing fiction books, the children of Ogongo would probably enjoy the same books that children in the US enjoy, particularly those that involve African-American characters.
(6) Shipping Information: Unfortunately there is no economical way to ship boxes of books to Namibia. After much research, I have found that shipping through the US Postal Service using "large flat rate" boxes, is our best option. www.usps.com You can obtain the boxes for free from the post office or by ordering them directly from the US Postal Service website. Click on the blog link and go to products. "Large flat rate" boxes are limited to 20lbs and will cost about $52 to ship regardless of exact weight. Make sure you get the correct box for International shipping and Non-military. You will also need to complete a Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note. It is important that you indicate on the customs form that the books are DONATIONS and do not set a value of the donations of more than $100. Rachel has had a bit of difficulty with have some of the boxes being held by customs and charging her fees for items sent. Apparently they questioned whether or not the books were new or used based on the value amount indicated. We welcome any new ideas to reduce shipping expenses. Use of M-bags thru the postal service has been suggested, but it has not been determined if they are actually less expensive.
(7) Delivery Time: My experience so far has been that packages take between 3-6 weeks to reach Ogongo. No Guarantees. ( Boxes marked with religious words and stickers are less likely to be tampered with or stolen)
(8) Address:
Rachel Manley, C/O Ogongo Combine School P.O. Box 3056, Oshakati,Namibia
This is for book shipments only. Monetary donations should be sent to:
Heidi Tumerman , 13077 Katydid Ave., Sparta, WI 54656
Any questions regarding book donations, shipment, etc. should be directed to htumerman@gmail.com.
