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Frequently Asked Questions
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Here are the answers to some of the questions we are asked most frequently. If you have additional questions, please Contact Us. Thank you for your interest and support of Bookfriends International, NFP.
Q - Can the people in Africa use books written in ENGLISH?
A - Yes, American English textbooks and library material are valued and sought by the African schools for, beginning in the upper primary levels and through secondary school, students are expected to learn and use English.
Q - What kind of books do the African schools request most?
A - Science books of all types are the most sought, but also mathematics issues of all levels, English grammar, speech and composition; world history and geography, ecology and environment, economics, business, health, music and fine arts, and career-training are also valuable. Library resources are also requested, so we ship dictionaries, encyclopedia sets [published after 2000], plus appropriate novels, and reference books on a wide variety of subjects. (We do NOT ship books with themes of violence, romance, sexual content, witchcraft, ghosts, technical medical guides, U.S. history, politics.)
Q - How do you acquire the donated books?
A – Many Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin schools have discovered the satisfaction of partnership with Bookfriends International, NFP to provide us with a good supply of textbooks. Community libraries also donate books to Bookfriends International, as do some used-book distributors and several publishing houses; and many individuals who wish to be helpful give their books.
Appropriate books that are in good condition are always needed.
Volunteers collect the books and shelve them in our warehouse in northwest suburban Chicago. We are grateful to anyone who will bring their donation to our Wauconda warehouse, at 1000 Rand Road, Unit # 206. A time for delivery can easily be arranged by contacting our office via phone or email. Contact Us
Q - How do the books get to Africa?
A - The books requested by each school are prepared & packaged on pallets, then loaded and braced in a container which is transferred by rail to a U.S. port for shipping via ocean freight to an African port. Once they arrive in Africa, they are met by an official of the recipient school/s, or by a Bookfriends International associate; this can be a truck-transport company which will transfer the container of books to an inland city or area. The recipient schools are kept informed regarding each shipment.
Q - Aren't the shipping costs high?
A - YES! The shipping of many books is very expensive due to their weight and the distance they travel. All shipping costs are paid by Bookfriends International, NFP. Monetary donations are gratefully accepted to help with this, the single-most costly aspect of moving books from America to Africa.
Q - How Can I be helpful to this project?
A – There are a variety of ways you can help.
- Donate books (used textbooks, reference books and fiction books). Ask your local library and school district to donate used appropriate to books to Bookfriends International. NFP. Please ask them to
Contact Us.
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Donate money to help defray the costs of shipping and warehousing. We depend upon monetary donations to help with the costs for shipping and warehousing. This is a public foundation which is able to function effectively because of monetary gifts and volunteers' time and effort.
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Volunteer your time to help with book pickup, processing, and packing as well as office duties, fundraising and volunteer coordination.
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Pass the word along about the mission of Bookfriends International. Invite your family and friends to visit this website and then challenge them to act on what they have learned.
Q - Can we get books for our school in Africa?
A - If you are hearing about Bookfriends International, NFP by reading this website information, Contact Us
by e-mail
or posting a letter. Bookfriends will then respond to you with a few questions about your school, the location, number of students, teachers and other pertinent issues about your book needs.
Following the initial contact from your school, we will enter a planning-period to partner with you to choose the best assortment of books for the needs of your school. We will then ship them at our expense to the closest shipping-point to your school's location. The timing of your book shipment will be determined in conjunction with the current shipping schedule at our Bookfriends warehouse.
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