Hi

We have several used science books and dictionaries at work, which are going to be thrown away. Are they of any use to any of the projects?

Books are always useful in the schools in Kenya. Our schools have virtually no books at all !!

The big problem, however, is getting them over there, as shipping them is expensive, and the only alternative would be to carry them over with us, which presents its own problems with weight too, as the short hop flight from Nairobi to Kisumu limits us to just the weight of one suitcase.

Rod

Right, well before I go any further with this, what age range are the children? The science books are geared up for 11-14 year-olds (but not especially high ability). Obviously, the dictionaries will do for any age - they are school dictionaries.

I work in the office of a Pupil Referral Unit (for kids with behaviour problems who are either excluded or on the point of exclusion from mainstream school). A lot of money is poured into the Unit and the pupils really don't appreciate what they have, so it would be nice if some of these books could be passed on to where they would be valued.

How expensive is expensive?

We support two primary schools in Kenya. Think of them in UK terms as being "middle schools"..... aged 7 to 15. Most kids leave school at 14/15 years old and very few go to the secondary school for four further years.

The weight factor for posting books is down to the Post Office. You could probably see the rates for a given weight of parcel on the Post Office web site. Unfortunately, it soon becomes obvious that the cost of posting books to Kenya is more than they are worth.

Cheers
Rod

I'm still willing to look into this, if you think the books would be appreciated in Kenya and if they actually arrive at their destination. They are now also discarding a whole heap of maths books, all in pretty good condition.