[Guest post by Anuja Siwakoti]
Hello, my name is Anuja Siwakoti. I am a second year Dal student doing my double major in Microbiology and Immunology and Social Anthropology. I am writing this blog post to notify you about Books With Wings, a collaboration between Canadian students and university students in Afghanistan.
Since 2002, students from ten universities across Canada have been collecting donated textbooks to send via Canadian Forces to universities in Kabul, Kandahar and Herat, working together under the Books with Wings project. As of September 2009, we will have sent over 8500 up-to-date medical books worth nearly $1.4 million to the medical schools of Afghanistan to restructure their libraries destroyed due to war at various times in history and even at present.
Zakia Zahra Biswas, Anuja Siwakoti, Sunisha Neupane, Jason MacGregor (Bruce Bottomley photo)
English
Biochemistry
Business
Computer Science
Dentistry
Education
Engineering
Mathematics
Midwifery
Public Health
Science
Since we want students in developing countries to be updated with recent medical innovations in the Western world, we are collecting health sciences related textbooks such as dentistry, medicine, radiology, nursing, etc. that are published after 2000. However, any year of publication is acceptable for textbooks related to other disciplines. If you’d like to make a donation, please look for the drop-off boxes in the Killam, Sexton and Kellogg libraries.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Gordon, the initiator of this project at the University of Manitoba, who incorporated students across Canada to contribute for this noble cause. On behalf of the Books With Wings team, I would also like to thank the Dalhousie Libraries for supporting this project. I thank the Chemistry, English, and Sociology and Cultural Anthropology departments for their help in the initiative phase of this project. Last but not least, I am grateful to Sunisha Neupane, Co-Director of this project; Rosie Ashton, medical school representative; and Qura-tul-ain Haider, Zakia Zahra Biswas, Jason MacGregor, Sophie Thapa and Jamie Aaron for contributing their valuable time and efforts towards this project.
If you would like to learn more about us, then please visit the Books With Wings website.
I thank you very much for your support and generosity.
Anuja Siwakoti
Co-director of Books With Wings at Dalhousie University
E-mail : an752929@dal.ca
Congratulation Anuja, for your effort to expand Books With Wings at Dalhousie. Best wishes.
BWW, Shipping Coordinator
UofT
So proud of you =)…and the blog looks great! =D yay!!!!
and thanks for all your help Tina you are truly a blessing! =D
You guys setting this up at Dal are the blessing, Sophie and Anuja. I wish you the very best of luck with this great project!
hey anuja I’ve heard a lot about what your doing! congrats!!!
I will donate a boxload of children’s books, when you let me know.
Thank you everyone. It would never have been possible without the support of all of you. I look forward to working with you all in the upcoming days 🙂
Hooray! Well done Anuja, the med school is very excited about this!
-Rosie
This is an excellent effort to assist the children to widen their knowledge and wisdom in a country where high voltage conflict is going on and children and women are the hardest-hit of all forms violence and violations. In a wr-torn country, just peace can not be achieved without justice, please find books that are related to child rights, democratic values, harmony, tolerance and reconciliation. The other issue to be amplified in Afghanistan is “children as zone of peace”. They derserve it unconditionally!! More follows.
Good work Anuja. You are doing great job. You were bright from school days and i knew someday you will do something great like this. You make us proud, Keep it up……..:) 🙂 🙂
I am so proud of you Anuja!!! Great job you’re doing there at Dal. We miss you here at UofT all the time. Best wishes hun!
Good job Anuja!!! Anything i can help let me know..
All the best
Dear daughter,
I am so proud of you. Who inspired you to do like this great job? Keep it up.
Baba
Hey anuja…wish you all the best with your project and congrats your doing a wonderful job!!!
A good inititative for a noble cause…Cheers and salute!!!
Hey everyone, thank you so much for the wonderful comments. All of you guys are truly an inspiration for me. This project will never be possible without the help of you all. We shall all collaborate to make a wonderful team.
Do they need Chinese books? Or do they need microbiol notes? I can donate them if they need.
Hi Weida, we are not collecting any social science or humanities textbooks.I will contact you if we incorporate those disciplines into our project. Sorry, we are not collecting any notes. Our project is restricted to books only.
Hey Anuja!
Great job on this project! If your team needs help with anything, I’ll be glad to volunteer. Just let me know 🙂
Samantha Reyes