Testimonials

Hi Robert,

Thanks for your response and the great job that you doing in helping to educate the youth, especially the poor.

I am hoping that your organization can assist students who were displaced by the unfortunate political clashes witnessed in Kenya on January 2008. There are over 1000 students enrolled in different primary and secondary schools in Kiambaa, Kenya. Our organization, The P.N. Karoga Foundation is assisting this students by providing blankets, clothes, soccer balls, and food. Luckily, primary education is free in Kenya and we have found some secondary schools that have been kind enough to enroll some of the students, especially the girls. We would like to distribute books to these institutions, primary and secondary schools, as well as IDP camps (Internally Displaced People camps). We would greatly appreciate if you could assist us with textbooks (primary and secondary), novels, and books for little children.

I have attached some scanned photos of the little children aged between 4 to 13 years attending a church service, girls at a local school (Waguthu High School), and some of the youths attending a tertiary college. I will send you better photos soon, I need to download them from my camera.

I look forward to hear from you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Patrick

Hey Robert,
Thank you so much.   Its incredible how much you are helping without having met the kids yourself.  You are a hero.
I don't even know where to begin to tell you about the kids.  They are amazing.  They all have known violence in a very real way but keep smiling with a bravery I can only aspire to.  There are 7000+ students (about 50% of the camp) and thousands of babies that will soon flood the school system even further beyond its overstretched capacity. Many of the students are the first in their families to become literate.
They approach their studies very differently than we are used to in the States.  It is an honor and privledge to learn that they take very seriously even very young.  Unfortunately, the teachers have very little training and some class sizes grow to 100+.
The living conditions are survival oriented.  They recieve enough calories from UNHCR to stay alive and not one more.  Thats two meals of white rice a day. Sometimes families sell part of their rations to buy flip-flops or some other "luxury".  There are a ton of kids without parents who stay in "hostels" run by local heros.  Some are
orphans but most have parents who saved up to send them through an underground network out of the conflict area.  Their parents don't have enough to come also so the kids show up without a clue and
eventually make their way to these "hostels".  With all kids and only one or two adults, they don't have any income stream so some kids drop out of school to earn literally 15bhat a day ($0.40) running errands but most stay with school and just do without things like soap and toothpaste.
As far as what age students needs books.  They all do.  I have had a specific request from the post-10th grade program(the highest level of learning available) which prepares the future community leaders, to find them a set (28 if possible) of  management/leadership textbooks. ESL books are the most desperate need though because all the other subjects are taught in broken English.  Both the teachers and students are constantly working to improve their English so they can learn about everything else.
As far as notebooks: There is a Dutch NGO that supplies the schools in camp with student notebooks, pens, and chalk.  They are however limited to the refugee camps.  The schools actually in Burma (almost all which only teach
until the 4th grade) are completely without funding.  Burma's military rulers won't let big international NGO's provide even the most basic school supplies to minorities so literacy hovers at 30%.  Which of course makes it difficult for older students when they arrive at camp. I am ALWAYS asked to find supplies for them. I have built a distribution network where schools supplies can be transported by riverboat into a rebel controlled area where volunteers from 50+ villages transport them by backpack for days to their jungle schools. Thailand has some of the cheapest printing costs in the world.  So I am trying to fundraise for a big shipment of notebooks to be printed in Chiang Mai and delivered before rainy season (june) makes it impossible for 4 months. I realize this is not exactly what your
organization does but it is a very desperate need so I thought I would throw it out there.
I am attaching a few photographs of their living conditions.  One of a middleschool with no walls.  One of some orphans who were, no joke, having flour and water for dinner(you'll notice they are still smiling).  One of a hut that is shared by 17 little parentless girls. One of an all too common parenting situation and one of our end of the
school year feast.
Thank you again for all your help.  You are great man.  Its a pleasure to know you.
- Devin Welch

God bless you and your work!  I am writing you on behalf of the 7000 Burmese students in the Mae La Oon refugee camp in Northwestern Thailand.  We are just finishing construction of our library and I have been sent to find books for it.  Your help would be unbelievably appreciated here.  The refugees here do not have the standard international rights because Thailand never signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  As a result, they cannot leave camp to find education and have no means (phone, tv, internet) of bringing any information into the camp except books.  Unfortunately Mae La Oon is very isolated geographically and very little educational aid has made it here.  Many teachers have never read a textbook on the subject they teach.  There are books that have already made it here by way of a Norwegian charity but they are all geared towards primary education.  A The Karen refugee education department is also building a curriculum but they are starting with primary schools as well.  We have built our library to support the high school students and equally important, the teachers throughout the camp-  to allow them the right so many take for granted:  the right to enrich their lives through self-education.   We hope that their knowledge will trickle through the high school students and teachers back into lower and lower education.  Many students and teachers can already read English at an intermediate level so our main goal is one high school or introduction college course textbook on every subject.   Some easier English story books and/or ESL books would also be greatly appreciated. An encyclopedia set is our distant dream. Can you help us?
- Devin Welch

Thank you, Mr. Robert.
Actually, I am not running any school or classes am just an individual student who need those books. I am about getting admission into the university and need your help.
-France Odarkwei

Thank you for your charity textbooks that we received by 16 july, 2004 teacher's and students are going to be gratefull for this donation. Once again: Thank you.

Ing. Daniel Uriz
Sub Director
CNCI Plantel Merida

Hi my name is Esperanza I'm from Guatemala I'm an foreign student at Scott Community College Iowa. I got here in 2002 getting a scholarship to become an x-ray tech and also to learn english as a second language. I am in a program called CASS that give scholarships to central America and the Caribbean. As a cass student I should do a project that would help my community, I'm working in a not so small project but not impossible either. My project is about to build a small library in one of the rural schools in my town. Before I came here I was working as a teacher there and I know the needs of these kids. This year they just opened a middle school in the same building because they don't have the resources to build a new school so they teach elementary school in the morning and middle school in the afternoon. Because of the needs of the school and this community I decided to write to this program if there is a chance that you can help me with this project, it could be any kind of books I know that any book will help these kids to improve their knowledge

I want to thank you ahead and i hope you could give a positive answer. Sorry if my english doesn't make a lot of sense. I will be waiting for your response. Thanks again.

  FB-48 Esperanza

Dear Mr. Ballington,

We wish to acknowledge with thanks for the 4 titles donated by your organization, namely-

• Psychology: Themes and Variations - 5th edition
• Western Civilization - Volume 2
• Microsoft Office XP: course three
• Essentials of Geology - 3rd Edition

The books you have donated will be added to our collection and will be useful reference material

Thank you for your kind interest.

Yours sincerely
Patricia Roberts(Mrs)
Director General

Dear Mr. Ballington

We hear by acknowledge the receipt of the following books.

• Physics: hits. on the web part 1 world wide web overview.
• Differential equations with graphical and numerical methods.
• Calculus matrix version 6ed.
• Interactive physics textbook CD-ROm
• Core concepts in College physics 3 CD-ROM's.

We are serving more than 3000 students studying various subjects. Your assistance in the field of science and technology, health, medicine and materials for skill based courses like wood work, Auto-mechanics, electricity etc. is appreciated.

We prefer online resources and CD-ROMs which can be shared to many users at the same time.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Dagnachew Desta
Customer service manager
British Council, Adewa Avenue,
PO Box 1043, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
T+251 1550022
F+251 1552544
www.britishcouncil.org/ethiopia

Hello

I am the book director and my son attends a small special needs school called Lullwater School in Decatur, Georgia. The school specializes in children with ADD/ADHD who also have other related neurological issues like hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, or autism. The Lullwater School has 35 children between kindergarten and ninth grade. Most of classes have a maximum of six children but the textbooks being used for Science, Reading and English are very old and worn. Since we are a non-profit school, the state doesn't supply our textbooks.

Do you have books that would be appropriate for K thru 9th that could be donated to our school? If so, then please email me so that I can work with your team and our teachers to determine the specific types and numbers of books. If not, perhaps you provide me with a contact who might be able to help us get the needed books for our children.

Thank you from the Book Director

Some of our students suffer from ADD and we are grateful for you book donations. We encourage other small schools in need of textbooks to contact Charity Textbooks for free donations, they were very helpful to our needs.

Dear Brad

I am a University of the South Pacific Librarian extension in Kirbati and I wish to ask for a donation on reference books from your organization. I happen to know your address and your service through a Peace Corp teacher Mr. Jeremiah Duncan. This is a golden chance for my Library as we lack up to date references and at the same time books are very expensive. I have little understanding that shipping charges are very expensive and I am willing to work together with Mr. Duncan so that we can workout the total amount of shipping charges on our needed books.

Sir, I include my list of reference need and if you have more that you see, which may be helpful then I would be grateful. My clients are University students who are doing Certificates, diploma, and Degrees plus post graduate students.

USP Library reference needs 2004

Good Morning

For nearly three years I have had the honor to serve President Bush on his staff at the USA Freedom Corps, but it is now time for me to move on to new challenges. It has been a pleasure working with you to help strengthen and expand volunteer service opportunities in the United States and around the world. I wish you continued success in your work.

Monday is my last day at the White House. All correspondence you would normally send to me should now be directed to usafreedomcorps@who.eop.gov

With best reguards, Therese