Advice For Non-refugee Student Pen Pals
I received the following letter at the end of April 2008 with a package of letters from refugee students in N'Zerekore, Guinea. It was written by Pastor Seth Kumi the contact person for the Pentecostal International School. Pastor Kumi has important advice about including the full name of refugee pen pals in letters.
The letter is dated December 7, 2007, and is an example of the length of time it can take for mail, to and from refugees, to reach its destination.
Dear Contact Person,
I am Pastor Seth Kumi the contact person for [Pentecostal International School] in N'Zerekore, Guinea.
I hope and pray that your children will receive these letters and make my students their friends. Our children are all waiting to hear from their potential new friends.
Please, one thing: Make sure to guide the children so that they will write their pen friends' FULL NAMES when replying. This will make it easier for us to find the rightful owner of letter(s). There are, for example, over 20 [students named] Musa or Kamara.
If the first and the last names are written it will make our work easier.
The pen pal club of the above school, with other staff and myself, extend our seasonal greetings to all of you. May the New Year bring joy to all of us.
Until I hear from you, take care.
Yours faithfully,
Pastor Seth Kumi