Sunday, March 20, 2011

Thousands of Books Arrive at Schools in Ghana!

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers the shipment of over 35,000 educational books has arrived safely in Ghana. Overcoming many obstacles we were able to transport the hundreds of boxes of books to schools in desperate need of reading materials.
We wish to extend a special heartfelt thanks to Dianne Lynch for traveling to Ghana and assisting with the exhausting shipment container clearing process.  She is a shining star and a true literacy hero!
I.S.A.B.T. made book donations to our partner schools in three regions of Ghana. Many of these schools had no books to speak of. In all, over fifteen schools received book donations that will allow them to host their own small libraries on site.
The importance of education in the process of economic and social development cannot be over emphasized.  It is our hope that these books will become vehicles of learning that will open up windows of opportunity for our young friends. 
"Prof. Kobina Yankson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, buttresses this that more than 50 percent of the Ghanaian population are illiterate, accounting largely for Ghana’s low level of development." http://www.modernghana.com
"Impressionable minds can be nurtured and molded in ways more than one. But books and the printed word are among the best tools used for  reaching out to a child. Despite the deep penetrating reach of the visual media, books have a definite edge over other mediums of communication and entertainment. Child Psychologists and counselors have often stressed the importance of the reading habit in modern-day children." www.indiaparenting.com
The following schools received book donations;  
Kpetoe CEPS L/A school complex,  Adaklu Torda school complex, Akpokofe L/A school complex, Kpeleho L/A school complex, Saaman Birase Prim. and JHS, Edinaman SHS, Elmina Methodist A and B JHS, Dwabor Prim. and JHS, Kakumdo Prim. and JHS, and the LEKMA Southern Cluster of Schools in Teshie.
Kathy Weir from Tomorrow's Stars assisted with our Gifting Ceremony in Elmina. She has been involved with many wonderful projects in Ghana and plans to work with one of the regional schools to build a large library using our donation as a foundation.
The successful delivery of all of the books to schools in Ghana is the culmination of six months of hard work. Many people volunteered their precious time and resources to ensure the African Book Drive's success. We would like to thank each and every person who donated books and materials, their time, talents, and energy to ensure that these books found a good home.

If you are interested in learning more about shipping educational materials to Ghana please contact us or visit this link http://www.ghanashipperscouncil.org/procedures.asp