Books For Africa Delegation Arrives
PEN Trust has been very fortunate to receive another 20 foot container of quality classroom books and supplies from Books For Africa with additional supplies coming from other friends in Minnesota and NW Ohio.
Catherine Martignacco, representing the donor community, arrived in Dodoma the same day the shipment was being unloaded. 
After inspecting the consignment in the Dodoma warehouse, the delegation spent a week in the villages of Singida visiting schools that have benefited from the previous shipment as well as schools that will receive books from the new consignment.
After returning back from the villages the delegation headed to Dar Es Salaam to join up with another group led by the founder of BFA, Thomas Warth, and present Executive Director, Patrick Polonski. We visited two schools including Zanaki Secondary School that over the past five years has received 200 BFA books from Former Tanzanian First Lady Mama Anna Mkapa’s NGO, Equal Opportunities For All. It is here that Mr. Warth presented Mama Mkapa with the one millionth book brought to Tanzania.
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*Funds are needed for distributing books to rural villages
*A 5 Ton Truck for such use
Additional Photos:
After clearing the container from the Dar Es Salaam port, it was removed and then was ready for transferring to the truck headed for Dodoma. In less than an hour all boxes were transferred and the truck was ready for transport.
This consignment of books was Rashidi’s introduction to his work with PEN Trust. He supervised the transfer of the 417 boxes and their safe arrival and unloading in the Dodoma warehouse.
Rashidi gave the Books For Africa delegates a tour of the warehouse where the books will be stored, sorted, stamped and organized for later distribution to schools.
Kijota Secondary School received four boxes of books from the previous consignment that were not able to fit in the truck when we delivered last year. T shirts donated from the Northwest YMCA were also given to the Head Teachers.
Our meetings in Dar started with a breakfast at the home of the US Ambassador to Tanzania, Michael Retzer.
Mama Mkapa overseeing the welcome dance by students of Zanaki Secondary School in Dar Es Salaam. Her NGO, Equal Opprtunities For All, has distributed books here over the past five years.
On the left is the Headmaster of Kerezange Primary School in Dar Es Salaam, one of the schools the Books For Africa delegation visited. The average class size in this school is around 200 students. The need was overwhelming. PEN Trust has allocated 1,000 books for this school.
The evening ended with a reception at the home of Mama Mkapa. Bibi Changa and Babu Lisu enjoyed a dance to a Tanzanian oldie “Georgina” played in their honor.