Daniel Simkin's Blog

Pencils 2 Africa

During my management class with Dr. Rosh we have to create and develop a project for the semester. The professor divided us in groups, our team is composed by Yohan Banon from Spain, Jonathan Kranzler from NY, Moshe Rosenfeld from Las Vegas, Gabriel Cooper from New Jersey, and myself from Venezuela. We have to take a problem and solve it only in the period that this semester lasts. The project has to be humanitarian. We will be evaluated on how we worked as a team, execute the plan, and reach the goal.

After three projects disapproved by the professor, we end up helping the educational system in Africa, especially in Nigeria. Why Nigeria? How we will help? Well, it will be in Nigeria because it is the place I personally know more people in Africa, and for terms of efficiency and plans achievement we target Nigeria. Considering that there is a lack of pencils in public schools in Nigeria, and here in the US pencils are relatively cheap. We want to send pencils. We want to help kids to learn. How we will send the pencils? We are currently investigating how to send them or how to get funds to send them. In a private company such as FedEx or UPS will charge us around USD $700 for 20 Kg of pencils which is a lot amount of pencils. The Consulate of Nigeria in New York is helping us in our investigation.

Goal:

There is 3.000 students and faculty at Wilf campus of Yeshiva University. Our goal is to collect 3.000 pencils and send them to Nigeria at the end of December 2012.

How you can help?

During a period of one month you will find binds located in the main five buildings of Wilf campus of Yeshiva University. You can stop there and drop some pencils or pens. If you happen to not have extra pencils you could buy them in our website www.Pencils2Africa.com we at the end of the month will go to Staples and buy with all the money collected pencils.