TWO containers packed with £1-million worth of medical and educational aid for Africa are currently stranded in Tavistock ? because of insufficient funds to send them. Pastor Colin Bond of Kings Community Church in Pixon Lane said the items ? donated from across the South West ? would ?serve millions of people?. However, each container costs between £5,000 and £6,000 to ship out. The containers are 40ft long by 8ft wide and are 9ft high. Once they reach Africa the items they contain will be dispersed through hospitals in Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo. ?The stuff is mostly dated and if it goes past its sell-by date it will not be wanted,? said Mr Bond. He said the containers were second hand and would ultimately run out of their seaworthy certificate. The last load went out in July 2004. It included an X-ray machine which took six men to lift. Colin said the enormous item was the best machine they have in West Uganda: ?It was donated by Dartmoor Prison when they refurbished their hospital. ?Unfortunately, it isn?t operating because it is waiting for £5,000 to get the darkroom functioning properly to process the x-rays. ?We have a room but we haven?t got the darkroom equipment supplies.? Mr Bond said a dental x-ray machine was one of the items waiting to be transported to Africa. ?There is a charity in Canada that funds containers to go to the Third World and have offered to help us in the future. But their suppliers of funds have had a 50% cut and now have a four months backlog. A hospital was set up at Bukaru in the Congo on the border with Rwanda in 2003 in the war zone with help from support from Tavistock. ?It was bombed in 2004 and then looted ? they even took the doors away,? said Mr Bond. ?We went out in April 2005 with money from Tavistock and had it repaired and it is now ready for stocking. We have a doctor and staff there and we can take a lorry of supplies in from Uganda through Rwanda to the Congo once we get our containers over there.? If anyone would like to offer help in funding the two containers they can call Colin Bond on (01822) 833844. Donations can be gift aided as operation is run as a charity.
