Many persons, groups and well-wishers have been moved to send gifts to the school. Sometimes these go through smoothly, but when they don't accusations of ineptitude and inefficiency fly fast and furious.
Monetary gifts should be made payable to the school and the beneficiary department stated clearly. Details of the cheque or instrument should be sent to the head of department or the officer at the school who will be responsible for the management of the funds. The responsible officer then can contact the bursar concerning the funds armed with the identifying information to locate the funds.
Gifts in kind to the school, e.g. books, equipment, supplies etc., present other difficulties, which can give rise to frustrations and confusion. These can be avoided and at least minimized if certain guidelines are followed. These are listed in the Ministry of Education guidelines for donors at the following URL:
Adherence to the guidelines make sense and will avoid a lot of frustration and make for smooth receipt of the donations. Note the advice that information from the school as to the suitability of the items and their usefulness, is of critical importance. The values and details of declaration for customs clearance is essential as clearing of the items through customs can be a nightmare or near impossible without the appropriate documents.
Finally assistance can be obtained from the appropriate officers of the Ministry of Education at the email addresses provided on the site. It is also important to establish a contact person at the school prior to making the shipment, who can monitor the progress as this can prove to be very useful.
Please follow the guidelines and avoid the cas-cas. If you or anyone you know are thinking of donating please do so, but following these guidelines will greatly facilitate the process.
