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Visit a Peace Corps
volunteer's
Amazon Wish List
to order books and
send them to Africa.
 Click on any of the links below for details on:
1)
Ordering books from Amazon.com
2)
Mailing books you already have
3)
Donating money
4)
Finding out whether Courtney received your books
Whatever you send, please
make sure they are children's books (not college textbooks or adult
literature). Picture books with easy English are probably
best.
Choose reference books, your favorite childhood books, picture books
for older children...any English-language books are welcome.
The kids there are the same as the kids here. They'll enjoy
anything you would have enjoyed when you were first learning to
read!
Please donate hardcover books if you can, as they will last longer.
If you are sending used books, please make sure they are only
gently-used.
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Sending New Books
Directly from Amazon
We have set up a special wish list on
Amazon.com that
lists books that will be of interest to the kids in Anker.
If you order directly from her wish list, Amazon will ship
your order directly to her school in Anker - and they will
arrive in good shape. Most books arrive in 6-8 weeks;
some orders, inexplicably, are arriving months later.
Avoiding Books Already Bought
While any library needs multiple copies of any book, Courtney's
wish list will automatically show you books that have NOT been
purchased yet.
You can see what books have already been ordered through
Amazon by selecting "Show Purchased Items" on her
wish list. It is a link that shows up just above the
book list.A
Trick to Save a Little Money
Amazon ships in the continental U.S. for free on orders
totaling more than $25.00. Have the new books sent to
you, then take the boxes to the U.S. Post Office and mail them
in an M-Bag at a rate of only about $1.00/pound. This
process takes a little longer, but it will make your dollars
stretch a lot further. (Note: On your customs
forms at the post office, make the shipment sound as
un-glamorous as possible!)
Used Titles
Amazon.com shows that some titles are available for purchase
as used books. Unfortunately, because these do not come
directly from Amazon, many of the sellers are not equipped to
ship to Africa. If you run into difficulties shipping to
Courtney, please check to make sure your books are all coming from
one seller.
Visit the
Amazon Wish List
to start shopping.
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There is a good way to cheaply send books and
printed matter to Africa. You will want to take advantage of the
U.S. Postal Service's "M-Bag" class of shipping. It's for lots of
printed matter that is going to the same address.
How It Works
1. Take your books, in a labeled box, to your
local post office. Put Courtney's address on the box so that, if the
tag falls off the bag, the bag can still make it to Anker.
2. Tell them that you want to ship everything
in an M-Bag.
3. They will give you a bag (literally) to
put the box of books into.
4. They will then ask you to fill out a PS
158 tag--that's the tag with Courtney's address in Namibia (see below),
as well as your return address.
5. They will then ask you to fill out a
customs form (PS 2976). Make sure you declare the value as "$0.00"
and identify the contents as "Used Books" or something very boring.
How Much It Costs
You can generally estimate that a pound costs
about $1.00. Although the postal clerk said the mail would arrive
in Namibia in 4-6 weeks, it generally takes 2-4 months.
Where It's Going
Courtney Bauman
c/o Edward Garoeb
Primary School
Anker, Namibia
AFRICA
Read What the US Post Office Has to Say About It
http://www.usps.com/global/mbags.htm
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Since Courtney Bauman is a Peace Corps volunteer and not
a non-profit organization, the only way to contribute money
is to write her a
check. We'll use your cash donation towards the purchase of books
that Courtney wants for the library,
and we will let you know what we
buy.
We realize that is probably not an appealing option if you don't know her.
Click here to return to her
Amazon Wish List
if this makes you uncomfortable!
If you're still with us, please note that your check should be payable to:
Courtney Bauman
You can mail it to her U.S. address:
Ms. Courtney Bauman
201 West Main Street
Tishomingo,
OK 73460
Her family will alert Courtney to your donation, and
Courtney will let you know how the money is applied. Libraries need
lots of supplies, so your dollars will go far!
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You'll receive a thank you letter! Really!! All the way
from Africa.
If you sent the gifts a long time ago and haven't heard anything,
something may have gotten lost. Email Courtney at
sunflowercourtney@yahoo.com.
Courtney is able to check her emails every few weeks, and she'll be
able to respond to you.
Courtney's assignment is over in the fall of 2005. Since some books have
taken 4 months to arrive, the sooner you send them, the better.
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