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We got a – “bibliocontainer”!
Saturday, 17 July 2010 Written by fra Ivica Perić

Bibliocontainer

Little by little our small Kivumu is really turning into a first-class Rwandan attraction. After the clinic, the elementary and the trade school, and the imminent beginning of work of the high school, this overpopulated village dispersed on the slopes of several hills can boast about having also obtained – a bibliocontainer! You see, a few days ago, after a long journey on the roads of Tanzania and Rwanda, two trucks arrived in the centre of Kivumu. One of them was carrying a huge crane, while the other truck was actually a flatbed trailer for transport of heavy loads and on it was a huge container full of various things gathered for us by our dear friends from Calgary and other parts of the province of Alberta in Canada.

BibliocontainerBibliocontainer

Over a thousand packages clustered in the belly of the sea container, generously donated to us by a Canadian-Croat from Edmonton, Mr. Ivan Vukovic. Inside there were all kinds of things – school chairs and desks, computers, books, tools for the school, bookshelves, bolts and boxes of fabric, also wheelchairs, crutches, gauzes, sheets, and various aids for the examination of the sick.

We will forever appreciate the effort that our great friend Valerie Kae Ken and her fellow volunteers put into the preparation, organisation and equipping the container. How can we possibly forget that the loading of the container began at - for us incredible – minus twenty degrees Celsius!? How can we not appreciate and let everyone know, that this charity action lasted for a full three months at a time of the greatest Canadian cold!?

The containers were so filled with necessary things that there was no chance of squeezing in even one single tiny ball of snow. So we can hardly explain to our children what snow is... However, a lot of space in that 12.5 metre long container was occupied by books... a huge “pile” of books where, I hope, somewhere there may be something about snow as well.

BibliocontainerBibliocontainer

The arrival of the container attracted the attention of so many people; some even offered us money to sell it; but we have plans to use it in the best possible manner. For the time being we most like the idea of continuing our mission to enrich the knowledge of the local children through various media. So the container shall become – a bibliocontainer! We will arrange a library inside, and equip computers for an internet cafe. Truth be told, electricity has still not reached our village, and the coaxial cables are nowhere near Kivumu, but – what do we care? We are prepared for new challenges. Who knows? Perhaps even one of our local boys educated in our school from these books which have arrived in the container from Canada will start an initiative to build windmills on top of local hills and begin exporting electricity into other parts of Rwanda.

Translated by: bitno hr.
Edited by: Valerie K. Ken

List of Donors, Contributors and Volunteers

Name Organization, etc What help they gave
Robin Knudson Director of Medic - Canada helped in many ways: fund-raiser, helped with the container, organized
Mr. Ivan Vukovic Owner of NAMCO company in Edmonton Donated the container to the project
Father Franjo Priest for the Croatian-Canadian church in Edmonton Donations from the congregation
Cindy Boffey Owner Granny Jacks; in secular Franciscan group Responsible for much of the fund-raising; sent food over to us while packing the container
Cindy Boffey’s Husband Owner of transport trucking company Delivered all the donated good collected in Calgary to Olds
Tim Kirby Pastor of Nazarene church - owns a printing shop business Gave advice about how to send container; arranged for us to have the medical equipment, and boxes of clothes and backpacks, etc
Jim Griffiths JIMAK company Arranged for the transportation of the container from Canada to Rwanda
Lindsay Brucks Director IMED (Internationl Medical Equipment Distribution Program) & CFFH (Canadian Food for the Hungry) Helped get the container “certified” and helped with the packing lists
Jodi Vinding Administrative assistant CFFH Edited the packing list
Cory Kirzinger Big Steel Box Company (where the container was purchased from) Got me in touch with Lindsay Brooks
Louise Breadner Grandmothers for Africa Arranged for me to get the fabrics, patterns, etc. for the container
Carol A. Robertson Grandmothers for Africa Sorted through the patterns for sending them to Africa
John White From Olds Arranged for donated books for CFJ school
Eileen Fahlman Volunteer from Calgary
Tammy Odersky Volunteer from Olds; member of the secular Franciscan Order Helped with sorting things for boxes for container
Ernie Odersky Husband of Tammy; volunteer Helped in many ways to get the things loaded into the container
Jessica Odersky Daughter of Tammy and Ernie Helped to pack boxes for container
Judy Volunteer from Olds Helped to pack boxes for container
Jo Anne Pearson Volunteer from Old; sister to Cindy Boffey: member of the secular Franciscan Order Helped to pack boxes for container; provided food for the volunteers
Jo Anne’s daughter Volunteer Helped to pack boxes for container
Ray Gesshe Volunteer from Olds; member of the secular Franciscan Order Helped to pack boxes for container and loaded items onto container
Brenda Williamson Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Jan, Brenda’s daughter Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Pat Neumann and houseguest Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container; provided donuts and coffee for volunteers
Kathy Chury Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Donna, Kathy’s friend Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Tracy Rogers Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Monique Baril Volunteer from Olds Helped to pack boxes for container; she and her husband donated $4500 to the school and $500 to the transport of container; she was responsible for getting all the sheets, towels and bedding and washing it and packing it for container; provided food for the volunteers
Herb Betschart From Olds Donated money for the container transport
Paul Gustavson From Olds Gave us use of warehouse at first to store things for container; donated boxes of paper for the school
Joe Gustavson From Olds Gave us use of the quanset for the storing of things and packing the boxes
Steve Algra Owner of Pacific West trucking company in Olds Transported the container from Edmonton to Olds and then again from Olds to the CN rail-yard in Edmonton
Rick Bain INSTABOX from Calgary Donated larger packing boxes for the container
Lyle Aleman Red Hat Cooperative - company in Medicine Hat Donated all the packing boxes for the container
Dean Volunteer from Olds Helped to pack boxes for container and to load container
Principal of Olds High School Olds, Alberta Donated computers for CFJ school
Colin White From Calgary Donated a computer for Africa
James Volunteer from Olds Helped to pack boxes for container and to load container
Brian Mitchell Volunteer from Olds Helped to pack boxes for container
Gustavo Carillo Hernandes Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container
Behrooz Kiany Volunteer from Calgary Helped to pack boxes for container and to load container
Michelle Volunteer from CFA (Canadian Farmers Association) in Olds Operated the fork-lift to get the boxes and goods into the container
Doug Shaw Volunteer from Olds Purchased goods for carpentry division of school
Jayne Carlielle Volunteer from Olds Donated goods for the container
Heather Bilodeau and Husband From Panorama, British Columbia Donated vacation time at their resort in Panorama for the silent auction to raise money for the container
Mirjana & Ned Sucic From Edmonton Donations of goods and funds for the container
 
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