Where there is a will there is a way!

 What seemed like an impossible task a month ago is really going to happen. After weeks of phone calls, emails, google searches and conversations had hit one dead end after another; one chance meeting at Home Depot with a woman from Ghana and I am IN!!  Linda connected me with Daniel who was sending a shipment of shoes to his store in Kumasi and Daniel agreed to take everything!  Ken and I dropped off the last of the boxes this weekend and will even join him this week to help load the 40ft shipping container. 

Billa, founder of  Future Leaders UCC in Ghana, will be there to pick it up everything when it arrives in the port of Tema.  If you give something to me or someone collecting for me, you can be sure it won't end up in a warehouse somewhere but will end up in the hands of those who really need it.

I understand now why more people aren't sending donations to Africa. It isn't easy or cheap. But, since when has doing something important been easy or cheap!

Step One -  Donations Collected

Oakton's Waples Mill Elemenaty 

Children, parents and teachers collected and boxed clothes, shoes and book bags.

Mananas City Public Schools

The school system needed to make room for new text books and I was happy to help by collecting all the old ones, which were in perfect condition. 

Oakton Boy Scouts 

 Paul Burke organized a collection drive for his Eagle Scout project. He collected boxes and boxes of fabulous school supplies; pencils, makers, paper, scissors, rulers and so much more. I don't know if they have ever had such beautiful brand new supplies. I told Billa that he will never have to buy a pencil again

Step Two - Donations boxed, inventoried, labeled and loaded.

Bins full of school books in Reading and Math grades K-4 donated. There are teacher guides for each grade and reading books for every level.

Thanks to my neighbor's nanny Lorraine who helped me load the car after I threw my back out.

Three car loads to the storage unit in Woodbridge. I thought we wouldn't need the big car after the kids left for college but boy I was wrong.

Step Three - Donations Delivered.

I saved the last and heaviest load for Ken. Poor guy was jet lagged after a 15 hour flight home from India but he happily helped anyway.

Dainiel Yeboah, the angel who is taking the boxes to Ghana.

NEXT 

4) Load them on in 40ft shipping container (with Daniel's shoes for his store, 2 cars, bikes and appliances) 

5) Put the container on a cargo ship going to Africa (as soon as the shipping strike in Baltimore ends)

6) A month at sea (Keep fingers crossed for no pirate attacks like in recently viewed Captain Phillips movie)

7) Ship docks in Tema, Ghana and Billa picks up the boxes in his trotroe (hope they fit).

Follow along and as the donations travel to Africa.