If you're in the Seattle area, please join us for our final get-together before we depart for Nigeria. Come meet our delegates, families and friends and share in the send-off festivities.

• Thursday, November 10th, 2005
• 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
• African music, refreshments and a short presentation about GCJ and our project in the Niger Delta

The event coincides with the 10th anniversary of the death of internationally renowned Niger Delta writer, environmental leader and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and is dedicated to his memory. He was executed in 1995 by the then-military regime in Nigeria.

Read more about Ken Saro-Wiwa:
Remember Saro-Wiwa Coalition
Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation

We welcome your donations of books and educational DVDs/videos. Feel free to bring them to the send-off party. Or drop them off at the Phinney Neighborhood Center (6532 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle, 206.783.2244) between November 2nd and 10th.

Books may be new or used. Hardbacks are preferred, but paperbacks in good condition are also welcome. Here's a list of preferred topics suggested by the Oporoza community and a librarian from the Nigerian delegation.

• Engineering: chemical, petroleum, civil, environmental
• Law: environmental, oil/gas, rights of landowners & communities
• Social sciences: international relations, diplomacy, politics, geography, sociology, conflict management, rural development, youth/women empowerment/leadership development
• Mass communication: journalism, PR, advertising
• Social medicine: HIV/AIDS, primary care, public health, sex education, parenting, nutrition
• Information/communications tech: library automation/management, computer networking, Internet basics, intro computer science
• Business: any/all topics
• Literary works: novels, prose, drama, poetry, adventure stories, kids' books

You could also make a contribution for text books to be purchased in Nigeria. Just $250 buys a complete set of books from middle school through high school. Donations of any amount are welcome and may be made through Paypal on our web site or you can mail a check to the address below. Please be sure to note that the funds are for text books.

l to r from bottom row: Dennis, Kendra, Eric, Ann, Susan, Barbara, Jack, Mary Ella, Christi, Peter, Ryan, Christine, Leslye, Harold, Tammi (not shown: Cameron, Tara, videographers Sandy & Pam)

We are so grateful for the following generous donations - we couldn't do it without your support.

• NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture: Major financial contribution
• Youth for Technology, Greenville SC: Computers and printer for the library media room, which were recently delivered by our Nigerian team
• Gbaranmatu students, Nigeria: Funds for library construction materials
• Emerald City Graphics, Kent WA: Printing of the GCJ brochure
• Gbola Laosebikan (from Oyo State, Nigeria), GAL International, Philadelphia: Container space for books on a ship bound for Nigeria
• The Film Connection, Seattle: Educational and documentary DVDs for the library
• Natasha Todorovic and Chris Cowan: Books and resources on Spiral Dynamics, including free scoring of their values test for all delegates
• Steven Pyser of Philadelphia and Jerry Szpila at the Bucks County Library, Bensalem Branch: Gathered donated books and transported to the container
• And all the many individual donors who are funding delegates and text books, donating books and giving generously of their time to make this journey possible

Trivia answer:

d. Nigeria won full independence on October 1, 1960 and became a republic in 1963.