Remember this container? It left Willmar, Minnesota on November 15, 2011 and arrived in Tema, Ghana on January 23, 2012. IT IS STILL IN THE TEMA HARBOR! The deliberations are still going on between National Catholic Secretariat, (NCS) the organization who is in charge of clearing it, and shipping officials.

E-quip Africa receives no communications from anyone about it. When we inquire we are told that NCS will handle it and to stay out of the proceedings. I am told the demurage and rent on the container has reached over $8,000.00 USD, more than it cost to ship it from here to Tema in the first place!

What would you do?

Container Packing is going well!

Report for Tuesday, August 19, 2008:

Thanks to a lot of great volunteers we have the container half full tonight! YES!

The weather has been similar to Ghana's so we’ve altered our work times a bit, starting early in the morning (7:00 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 20) and quitting by Noon or so. We'll start in again at 5:00 or 5:30 pm. Check us out tomorrow if you can get away.

Thanks to Mike and Pat, Dick, Dave, Matt and Anna, Andrew, Brandt, Bob, Stan, Doug and Mary for a lot of sweat and hard work today!

Doug

E-quip Africa

P.O. Box 3178

Willmar, MN 56201-8178

Container Load and Pack Schedule

E-quip Africa Volunteers will meet at the storage facility during the week of August 18-22, 2008 to pack and load a 40 foot container headed for northern Ghana. Here is the schedule:

Monday, August 18, 9:00 am-Noon: The container will be dropped to 5643 - 37th Street NE, Willmar, arranged by DHL Global

Monday, August 18, 1:00 pm--8:00 pm: EQA Volunteers move computers from shelves to container; build computer pallets inside container; apply shipping labels

Tuesday, August 19, 9:00 am-1:00 pm: Polamer Moving Services will direct loading of container; EQA Vols to assist Polamer, check and record items for packing list, lift boxes into container

Tuesday, August 19, 3:00 pm-8:00 pm: EQA Vols build monitor pallets; lift boxes into container; record items on packing list; move Cape Coast items to staging area; apply shipping labels

Wednesday, August 20, 9:00 am-1:00 pm: Polamer Moving Services will direct loading of container; EQA Vols to assist Polamer, check and record items for packing list, lift boxes into container, build pallets if space allows

Wednesday, August 20, 3:00 pm-8:00 pm: EQA Vols build Cape Coast pallets; check and label Cape Coast boxes

Thursday, August 21, 9:00 am-1:00 pm: Polamer Moving Services will finish packing, loading and seal the container; EQA Vols to assist Polamer, finalize packing list, clean up and reorganize garage

Thursday, August 21, 3:00 pm-??: Finish project work as needed

Friday, August 22, 8:00 am: Container will be picked up and trucked to a MSP rail yard for shipment to a port city and eventually Europe and Ghana, Africa