That's what most people here are saying these days. Not only did the librarians at Booth-Fickett help to stock the library at Refeng-Thabo through a book drive, but several members of the staff took on the collections of donations for Refeng-Thabo. The donations were deposited into the school's account yesterday and we have planned to use the money to install an alarm system at the school, which the province of Free State has required before they will install the 25 computers that have been donated by the state. It's hard to explain how huge an opportunity it is for Refeng-Thabo's students to be able to learn computer skills, and that in a community which has 90% unemployment the advantage that learning computer skills provides for these students when they are looking for a job. It is such a touching show of the American culture of charity that it has provided the students, teachers, and community members of Tweeling with a very positive experience of American culture.
The boxes of donated books, pens, pencils, and maps arrived 2 weeks ago and every learner has received a Booth-Fickett pen, which they love. You can see them using the Booth-Fickett pens in the photos, as well as reading donated National Geographics. An earlier post showed students using Jonathan Senn's donated atlases, which students come to my office to borrow as references every day.
It is our hope that the computers will be installed by the end of March, and I will post photos of our students and teachers learning how to use them (most of them from scratch!). The school is planning a more formal thank you, but I am very thankful for the generosity, the compassion, and the initiative that you have shown in gathering books, money, and other donations for this school, where they are definitely needed and appreciated!
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