By Evelyn ARTHUR
“Our desire goes beyond just people coming to the ship, but we are also happy and willing to go to the communities, especially those who do not have easy access to the ship, to bring hope and books to them.”
These were the words of the director of the world’s largest book fair, Logos Hope, Roberto Facanha, during his interaction with Eye on Port’s Solomon Anderson last Sunday.
Indeed, on what marks their tenth visit to the Ports of Ghana, ships under the “Good Books for All” franchise have recorded a milestone of a combined 1.2 million Ghanaian visitors and distributed more than 1.3 million books to Ghanaians over the years. What is more? This number will see an upward adjustment before the ship leaves the shores of Ghana at the end of September 2024.
Logos Hope, during this year’s visit to Ghana, is witnessing unprecedented visits and has collaborated with non-governmental organizations, schools, churches, and evangelical missions, including the Ghana Evangelical Missions Association, Fountainhead Christian University, and the Jesus Rescue Team for donations.
The Director of Logos Hope during the Eye on Port interactive session underscored his outfit’s resolve in keeping with its mandate of making significant impact in the lives of the communities they visit through the sharing of knowledge, help, and hope.
According to Mr. Facanha, who has served on the ship for the past four years with his family, Logos Hope offers more than just books but also holistic self-development for the crew on board and a memorable experience for visitors and host communities.
The Ecuadorian said the over 300 volunteer crew members pulled from 65 different nationalities share the same humanitarian vision, making the various outreach programs easy to administer.
Top among the most fulfilling experiences he recounted was in 2021, when the Logos Hope crew had to help with volcano relief in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a Caribbean nation.
“We arrived in St. Vincent at the right time because when we arrived, all the water available was contaminated as a result of the volcano. But because we produce our own water, we produced water for 24 hours for that port community, and it was beautiful. Everyone joined efforts, from small bottles to big tanks. We were able to share hope and help with our water in this case.”
“We landed in the Bahamas at the moment when the country had suffered a hurricane, and we were able to partner with the locals to build houses,” he added.
An Advanced Preparations Officer, Russell Munjera, said while life on the ship can be challenging every now and then, being a part of Logos Hope teaches the crew the values of tolerance, teamwork, and open dialogue.
His role on the ship involves embarking to a host country 2-3 months ahead of time to ensure fertile grounds for the ship’s safe arrival.
“I was in charge of connecting with local organizations that we can partner with when the ship is here, so it’s a lot of logistics and planning because you set up different meetings with different people, and then you try to make sure that you continue the relationships that have been built before and you also make new ones. We engage the government also because wherever we go we also need the government’s blessing in everything that has to do with immigration and transport systems,” Mr. Munjera detailed.
He said in addition to being distributed into various departments that suit their individual competencies, the volunteers undergo basic survival training that enhances their lives at sea.
The Zimbabwean who has spent close to 2 years on board Logos Hope is enjoying his stay in Ghana, having participated in the various outreach and extracurricular activities. He also stated his pleasure at encountering the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo, who visited the ship during her opening ceremony in Tema in early August.
The Media Relations Officer of Logos Hope, Navya Lankadasu, hinted at living a childhood dream of serving the world as a volunteer on board Logos Hope.
She revealed that the ship has more than 800,000 books on board across over 5,000 book titles at discounted prices, making it possible for people from different economic profiles to benefit from their work. These include children, lifestyle, academic, religious, and business management books.
The Indian added that life on board Logos Hope is like “a small city on a ship,” touching on the various team-building activities they engage in daily, as well as amenities, such as libraries, pantries, dining rooms, gymnasiums, and schools, among others, provided to make life comfortable for herself and colleagues.
She was particularly pleased to share the warm experience and reception she has received from Ghanaians, adding that “this past week we’ve had the opportunity of some volunteers coming and offering us a local cuisine, so we got to try some; it was for our dinner we had some jollof rice and some other things. I could take the spice; I loved it!”
She urged all those who haven’t visited the ship yet to endeavour to make the trip to the Port of Tema, where Logos Hope has berthed for an amazing experience that includes the book fair and live events.
Logos Hope will be in the Port of Tema until the 8th of September, when it embarks for the Port of Takoradi.
