Sending Stuff and other Africa information:

Okay, here is some information on sending stuff and whatnot. The best way to send things is in uninsured padded envelopes or small boxes.

When it changes, I'll let y'all know, but for the first 3 months, my address will be:

My Name
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 222
Nouakchott, Mauritania
West Africa

____________________________________


Dear Prospective Volunteer:
Please give this letter to your family and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Mauritania.

May 16, 2006

Dear Families:

Greetings from the Peace Corps Mauritania Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to Peace Corps. We receive many requests from Volunteers and family members alike regarding travel plans, sending money, relaying messages and mail, etc. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing answers to the most frequently asked questions.

1. Communication. Most Peace Corps Volunteers in Mauritania have their own email accounts, but they are not in a position to use the accounts for regular communications. Phone line connections can be erratic, and Volunteers’ sites can be some distance away from the nearest internet café or computer that is hooked up to the internet. You will probably grow to see the occasional email as a treat, but will mostly rely on “snail mail” for regular communications.

With mail, “patience” is the watchword. The mail service in Mauritania is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Mauritania to arrive in the United States via the Mauritanian postal system. From a Volunteer's post, mail might take one month to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the United States by a traveler and then mailed through the U.S. postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.

The following suggestions may be helpful:
1. Determine in your first letters an estimate of how long it takes for transit and establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other.
2. Number your letters so that the Volunteer knows if s/he has missed one.
3. Send postcards in envelopes, as they tend to get lost or stolen.

Volunteers often enjoy telling their "war" stories when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. Please do not assume that if your family member has been ill that he or she has been unattended. There are two Peace Corps medical officers in Nouakchott. Through regular contact, they monitor the health of the Volunteers. In the event of a serious illness, the Volunteer comes to the capital, Nouakchott, and is cared for by the Peace Corps medical staff. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Mauritania, s/he will be medically evacuated to the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.

If for some reason, your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for an unusual length of time, you should contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. (Direct dial: 202-692-1470.) OSS will contact the Peace Corps office in Nouakchott and ask that staff check in with the Volunteer. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately so that the Volunteer will be informed as soon as possible.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in Mauritania is relatively good. Service to the United States is somewhat reliable; phones exist in most of the larger towns and Volunteers can often plan to be at a phone on a certain date to receive calls from home (Note: many Volunteers have personal cell phones they can use when in an area serviced by the cell phone company). This usually works, but there are also innumerable factors that can make the best-laid plans fall through.

The Mauritania Desk in Washington cannot relay personal messages over the telephone. All non-emergency communication between family members and the Volunteer is expected to be arranged between the Volunteer and their family and friends.

The Volunteer must be ready to accept a significant change in the frequency and reliability of communications with friends and relatives, and everything s/he can do to prepare for this reality--and prepare families and friends--will help the Volunteer greatly in the coming weeks and months.

3. Sending packages. Families and Volunteers like to send and receive “care packages” through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to high incidence of theft and heavy customs taxes, as well as the time period it may take for packages to arrive. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail.

The use of padded envelopes is recommended, if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more heavily. Custom fees for the Volunteer can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), both DHL and UPS (express mail services) operate offices in Mauritania. If you choose to send items through DHL or UPS, address the package to the Country Director, c/o Corps de la Paix Américain, B.P. 222, Nouakchott, Mauritania, West Africa. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. Please call a DHL or UPS office nearest you for more information. Their toll free numbers are 1-800-CALL-DHL (www.dhl.com) and 1-800-PICK-UPS (www.ups.com). FedEx also offers service to Mauritania but do not maintain an office in the country.

The diplomatic pouch is available to Volunteers for work and health-related items only. Approval for its use must be authorized in advance by the Country Director. This process must be initiated by the Volunteer in-country. Family members in the States cannot call the Mauritania Desk in Washington and request permission to have items sent through the pouch. Use of the diplomatic pouch is a privilege granted to the Peace Corps by the Department of State. Because it is expensive and time-consuming, not every request initiated by the Volunteer can be approved.

Sending airplane tickets and/or cash through regular mail is not recommended. Certain airlines will allow you to buy a pre-paid ticket in the U.S.; they will telex their Nouakchott office to have the ticket ready. Unfortunately, this system is not always reliable. European carriers, such as Air France, fly to Mauritania. Please note that many airlines including Royal Air Maroc and Air France now offer eTickets for departures from Nouakchott International Airport (airport code: NKC). Please call the airline of your choice for more information. If paper tickets are required, you could also send tickets via DHL or UPS as mentioned previously. However, Peace Corps will assume no liability in the event of a lost or stolen airline ticket.

Trying to send cash or checks is very risky and is discouraged. If your Volunteer family member requests money from you, it is his/her responsibility to arrange for its receipt. Volunteers will be aware of people visiting the U.S. and can request that they call his/her family when they arrive in the States should airline tickets or cash need to be sent back to Mauritania.

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania. We understand how frustrating communication difficulties can be when your family member is overseas and we appreciate you using this information as a guide. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact the Mauritania Desk in Washington, D.C. at the numbers and addresses below or email mauritania@peacecorps.gov.

Sincerely,


Patricia Butron Leslie Blanton
Country Desk Officer Country Desk Assistant
202-692-2317 202-692-2318
pbutron@peacecorps.gov lblanton@peacecorps.gov