FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 15, 1999

Contact: Ellen Olafsen (617) 951-0433

SABRE AND AEAF BOOK SHIPMENT ARRIVES AT CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY IN LUANDA

Over 12,000 books are delivered to the Catholic University

LUANDA, ANGOLA – A shipment of more than 12,000 books was delivered today at the Catholic University of Angola.  The Catholic University of Angola (UCAN) and the AEAF, a US-based non-profit organization, are continuing their efforts to improve and make available higher education in Angola despite recent escalation of the civil war.

Realizing that academic textbooks are often difficult and costly to obtain in the war-torn country of Angola, the AEAF started last fall an effort to collect books for classroom and library use at the Catholic University.  Since October, 1998 numerous US universities, publishing companies, as well as private donors were contacted and have been making books available for shipment.

Students enrolled in the Catholic University’s preparatory program were eager to help out with unloading the 20ft container upon arrival at the University. "We’re very pleased to continue our collaboration with AEAF on another crucial project for the Catholic University,"  said Mons. J. Cachadina, the Library Director.

Considering the AEAF’s success with collecting books for this shipment, a second one of more than 16,000 books is planned to arrive at the University in July this year.   This time the shipment will also include computers to be donated to students and faculty at the University.

"We are looking forward to further enhance the Library with additional shipments of books and computers in the future.  This is a natural extension of our role of helping the development of the Catholic University of Angola," said AEAF President, Filippo Nardin.

The selection of the material and the shipment were the result of a collaboration between The SABRE Foundation and the Angola Educational Assistance Fund (AEAF).  The list of donors for this first shipment includes:

• Clark University
  Worcester, MA

• Prof. Jackie Lestage, Prof. Walter Silver and Mr. Tim Dipace
  Roxbury Community College
  Roxbury, MA

• Gifts and Exchange Office
  Harvard University
  Cambridge, MA

• Hyde Park Branch Library
  Hyde Park, MA

• Norwich University
  Northfield, VT
  
• SABRE Foundation, Cambridge, MA, organized the shipment and provided books donated by several major publishers, including:

McGraw-Hill Co.
W. W. Norton
John Wiley & Sons, and
World Book, Inc.

• University of Massachusetts
  Boston, MA

• Prof. Charles Wilburt
  University of Notre Dame
  Notre Dame, IN

• World Bank Book Project
  Washington, DC