Bexhill charity sends out books to South Africa

The Ufosa Foundation, which has a shop in Sackville Road, Bexhill, shipped the boxes out to Cape Town from London's Heathrow airport earlier this month.

Pilot Robert Vallier, who lives in Battle, and colleague Barry King, from Hastings made their way to the British Airways World Cargocentre at London's to deliver the next consignment of books as part of the charity's education programme.

Mr Vallier said: "We had a major delay at the customs in Cape Town as the authorities couldn't decide which paperwork was needed and for a while it seemed as though the reel of red tape was never going to end.

"But, our Cape Town colleagues finally broke through and the other day the boxes of books were released.

"They are now in storage, awaiting delivery to the schools next month."

Ufosa has been working hard in recent months to put into place its education programme of 'Books For South Africa'.

The aim is to install a 1,000-book library in each of the schools in 30 communities in South Africa.

Books were donated to Ufosa by local schools, school children, public libraries and members of the general public, as well as by publishers like Usborne and Dorling Kindersley.

They were flown out to South Africa as cargo, for free, by the charity's sponsor British Airways.

Mr Vallier said: "Many of these schools are desperate for help and are in need of books, writing paper, pens and pencils.

"We are targeting some of the most isolated communities, where very often the schools don't even have a telephone let alone internet and computers.

"One of these libraries is earmarked for a school in Mthatha, which doesn't even have running water in its toilets. And another school has 800 pupils, 300 of whom are orphans - a generation of parents wiped out by HIV/Aids."

Ufosa has shops in Battle, Bexhill, Hastings, Sidley and Eastbourne.

Mr Vallier said: "Our sixth one is going to be in Little Common, which will be opening soon.

"Our aim is to open 30 shops in the South East over the next 12 to 18 months.

"People like a bargain, and the global economic collapse meant that we had to get active to survive, hence the decision to have our retail outlets.

"Each shop makes a little money but 30 will give us some real strength. The public seem to like us and are extraordinarily generous in their donations to us. And the shops are always looking for volunteers to work the tills and sort the clothes."

To find out more about Ufosa go to www.UfosaFoundation.org or to volunteer call 01424 223700.