Forwarding: Please help. 
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Special Appeal:  Textbooks for The University of The Gambia  

 

A partnership of organizations in The Gambia and the United States is
raising $25,000 to cover the costs of procuring and shipping new
textbooks to the University of The Gambia.  

 

The Partnership includes:  The University of The Gambia, the Gambian
Women's Finance Association (GAWFA), Sabre Foundation and The Foundation
for West Africa (FWA).  Sabre and FWA are based in Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, respectively.  

 

The new textbooks, specifically requested by department heads, are being
shipped in a forty foot container from the U.S. to Banjul.  The shipment
will include approximately 12,000 - 15,000 books. The estimated retail
value of the textbooks is at least $700,000. The shipment has already
left Boston Harbor and is expected to arrive in Banjul on January 24th
2007, but we have not yet paid for the overhead, including warehousing,
the labor for sorting, packaging, palletizing and shipping of the
container. 

 

We are asking individuals, organizations and companies for financial
contributions.  We especially encourage contributions by Gambians living
in the United States.  

$25,000 must be raised by February 18th, 2007.

 

The Foundation for West Africa (FWA) is raising funds for this effort.
Contributions should therefore be made  payable to The Foundation for
West Africa and mailed to 27 Walnut Road, Barrington, RI  02806.
Contact information is:  [log in to unmask] or 401.289.0273

 

                                                How The Program Works
.

 

Sabre Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts:   

*	requests textbook donations from major publishing firms in the
U.S. and U.K.
*	organizes and stores textbook inventory in its warehouse in
Lawrence, Mass. 
*	sends list of available titles to the University of The Gambia
department heads

 

University of the Gambia department heads: 

*	review the list of available titles and request specific titles
/quantities of textbooks

 

Sabre Foundation: 

*	receives the lists of requests from department heads 
*	prepares specific orders for shipment
*	packs a 40' container full of textbooks and ensures transports
to port and to Banjul

 

Gambian Women's Finance Association (GAWFA) 

*	manages the transfer of textbooks from the Port to GAWFA's
offices 
*	partners with University of The Gambia officials to arrange for
proper distribution of textbooks to departments and students

 

The Foundation for West Africa

*         Raises and contributes $25,000 to the Sabre Foundation to
cover all costs associated with procurement, title search, warehousing
and shipping  

 

27 Walnut Road   Barrington, RI 02806   401.289.0273 (tel. & fax)  
[log in to unmask]

 

Project Background:  The Sabre Foundation in 2005 contacted The
Foundation for West Africa about an opportunity to ship medical
textbooks to the University of The Gambia.  FWA, which has raised funds
for two shipments of textbooks to Sierra Leone, expressed strong
interest in this project.  Nurtured by FWA's Vice President Lamin Sarr
as his special project, it expanded in scope to include other academic
departments at the University of The Gambia. 

 

In May, 2006, FWA president Topher Hamblett traveled to Banjul to
develop first-hand knowledge of the University and its needs for
textbooks.  He met with University officials, toured facilities, and was
briefed on plans to consolidate operations into a new, central campus
outside of Banjul.   He also met with representatives of the Gambian
Women's Finance Association (GAWFA), which is assisting in this project.


 

Partner Organizations: 

 

The University of the Gambia was founded in 1999 and aims to double its
enrollment from its current level of 1,500.  With plans underway to
consolidate it programs in one central campus, the University is seeking
to grow and modernize its library and textbook inventory.  The
University is in dire need of modern textbooks for its students.  

Sabre Foundation:  based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sabre "makes
millions of dollars' worth of donated books available to needy
individuals in developing and transitional societies worldwide through
non-governmental partner organizations, libraries, universities,
schools, research organizations and other similar institutions."
Sabre's web site is:  http://www.sabre.org <http://www.sabre.org/>     

The Sabre Foundation requires that a host country, non-governmental
organization to receive, store and distribute text-books.  The
University of The Gambia is a governmental agency.  The FWA arranged
with the  non-profit Gambian Women's Finance Association (GAWFA) who has
agreed to serve in that role.   

The Gambia Women's Finance Association (GAWFA) is a non-profit
organization whose mission is "to enhance entrepreneurship development
of women as a means of alleviating poverty and serve as a vehicle for
mainstreaming women into the national development process."  Established
in 1987 with a World Bank grant, GAWFA provides savings programs and
micro-finance loans to its 45,000-plus members in urban and rural areas.


The Foundation for West Africa (FWA) is a tax-exempt, non-profit
organization whose mission is to "support the people of West Africa in
their endeavor to achieve lasting peace and prosperity."  FWA was
incorporated in Rhode Island in 2005.  FWA works with partner
organizations in West Africa on three main program areas: community
radio;  education and literacy; health care.  The organization works
primarily in Sierra Leone and Liberia, but its work encompasses the West
Africa region.  FWA's Vice-President and Secretary is Lamin Sarr, who
hails from The Gambia and heads the Sarr Consulting Group in Providence,
RI.   FWA's web site is under construction: www.tfwa.org
<http://www.tfwa.org/> .  

 

                       

 

Above, left to right:  At Sabre Foundation's Lawrence, MA warehouse,
Lamin Sarr, Professor James Freeman (Wheaton College), John Hantzis of
Sabre and Elizabeth MaCauley( MaCauley Foundation)..  

Above, right:  Professor James Freeman and Lamin Sarr discuss shipment
of textbooks being readied for the University of The Gambia. 


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