Mangetti...HELP WANTED

THE MANGETTI SKY
I get lost in it every day...

I wrote in my last entry that I would keep you posted on ways in which you can help the learners of Mangetti Combined School. Well, the time has come for the first request for help. :)

I am pleased to announce that today, I began construction and the setting up of the very first school library at Mangetti CS. My amazing principal and I dug out some OLD wooden cupboards and fairly shoddy wood from one of the old restrooms in the school today. Let me just say that it's a good thing we had to get a tetanus shot. I wish I would have taken a picture of this old bathroom (even though it wouldn't have quite captured the amazing aroma). There were broken window panes, old rusty tin roof portions and buried in the were the gems that were going to serve as the starting block to our library. Once we dug out all the random pieces of wood and falling apart shelves, I had my Grade 10 learners help me clean them and move them into one of the new classrooms which I requested to be used as the school library. Today was just day 1, so there is a lot of work to be done yet, but we made some good progress today. This is going to be the greatest recycled, earthy library in the world! We were measuring, sawing, and nailing with a rock (yeah, we didn't have a hammer). Over the next couple days, we are going to do some work with some tree trunks and thick branches that are gathered by our school to make more shelving. It's going to be awesome!

Elias and Uyepa building a bookshelf. I told you we used a rock as a hammer.

We have some books. SOME. Let's just say that we don't have enough for each of our 363 learners. That is where YOU come into play. :)

There are two ways you can help:

1) You can send books and/or magazines, or find an organization that would be willing to send them. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL (keepaustinweird@yahoo.com) WHEN YOU SEND BOOKS SO I CAN HAVE MY PRINCIPAL CHECK HIS PO BOX FOR THE PACKAGE. My newly updated address is:

James Butler
c/o Kalihonda Markus Sipapo
PO Box 2413
Rundu NAMIBIA

**FYI**If you do decide to send some books, it is wise to write "Jesus References" on the box. I'm serious. The post office sees that a package is from the USA and they get curious and have a look and if they like what they see, they sometimes help themselves. We were told that when there are Bible verses, Holy Crosses, Praise Jesus references, etc. they don't mess with it. I'm being completely serious here, but don't let it discourage you from sending books. I'm just passing along a helpful hint.

2) You can make a monetary donation on my website, which I will then order books and other supplies for the school. Here is the list of supplies that I am raising money for:

Books and/or Magazines, Exercise Books (what they write their notes in...not all of the learners have these and this is basically how they learn), Pens, Pencils, Calculators, Textbooks, Dictionaries, Files, Rulers, Erasers and Posters

I have set a goal of raising $2,000 for Mangetti Combined School. If you send a box of books, I will count that towards the goal. The learners are amazing and definitely deserve the library and supplies to get them through this year and beyond. Please pass this website along to anyone who might want to help.

You are all in my thoughts and in my spirit here in Mangetti. Just like the motto of Mangetti Combined School says, "Together We Can Make a Change."

I was only able to upload a few new pictures. Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75619&l=48322&id=511256995