Although the containers which are packed and sent by volunteers in the UK eventually reach their intended destination at Sachibondu, their journey is long and involves many stops and checks.
Here is a small insight into what the journey involves.
The boxes of supplies that are packed go by lorry to the Medical Missionary News (MMN) warehouse in Wickford in the UK.
MMN is a registered Christian charity that receives and transports supplies to various countries in the world. (see www.mmncontainers.com)
Once the boxes arrive at the MMN warehouse, they are weighed, put into larger boxes and then stored. The storage container is then taken to Felixstowe Port where it begins its journey on the high seas.
The long journey takes the containers to Dar Es Salaam (from the Arabic meaning ‘haven of peace’) in Tanzania , sometimes via Rotterdam or the Suez Canal.
The containers then continue their trip from Tanzania to Musenga Mission in Chingola by Lorry.
Taking around 4 months to arrive, the containers seem to take forever to reach their destination, spending most of their time at immigration and customs.
Nevertheless, the cause is undoubtedly a worthy one, and the smiles on the recipients’ faces speak for themselves.
So far, the people of Furness in Cumbria have managed to send 170 boxes after the first collection and 234 boxes in the second: that’s enough to fill two huge 20ft containers and reaches a total of 404 boxes!
The parcels contain many items for all ages, including clothing, medicines, baby supplies, stationery, educational materials, dried foods and toys.
Churches, community groups, private companies and individuals work together to supply, through MMN, the required goods and materials. Lives may depend on obtaining the right equipment and getting it to the right place at the right time.
