Pens & Pencils Project - Children in Africa in dire need of school supplies

Credits-Sarah Bultema, Reporter-Herald Staff Writer for portions of this blog

Loveland Daily Reporter Herald August 28, 2010

Girls at the Girls' Hoima Hostel in Uganda July 2010.

A pen or pencil may not seem like much in America, but for students in Uganda, it's a vital and often hard-to-come by tool that they need to purse an education and enrich their lives.

In an effort to address this basic need, coordinators with Loveland's Think Humanity, a nonprofit that helps refugees in Africa, are asking for donations for writing utensils to be given to students abroad who desperately need them.

"A pen is so small to us here, but we don't really grasp how much something like that is important there. There's a huge need," - Beth Heckel

Students at the girls' and boys' hostels can run run a pen dry in just two weeks and the students aren't always able to afford a new one.

In a country where education can lift citizens from poverty, students need to have all the help they can get to continue learning.

Something as small as a pen or pencil (or lack of one) should not hold them back.

Think Humanity is asking for donations for pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons and markers.

In January, volunteers will return to Africa to hand out the writing utensils.

Other options are to donate money and we can purchase pens, pencils, drawing tables and coloring books there.

For $10 we can purchase 100 pencils in Uganda. We can purchase a dozen drawing pads or a dozen coloring books for $5.

You can visit the website at http://www.thinkhumanity.org/ to donate.

Writing utensils can be delivered or mailed to:

Think Humanity

2880 Spring Mountain Dr.

Loveland, CO  80537

Pictured below are children at the  Coburwas Learning Centre in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in Uganda.