Saturday, January 5, 2008

Used clothing dilemma!

Some disturbing correspondence with Val Bailey this week; two pallets of used clothing sent to the Baby Pack from Europe have not been released to her. Apparently there has been much trouble with used clothing, sent to South Africa as charitable contributions, being sold by unscrupulous individuals . As a result, the South African government has restricted the importation of second-hand clothing, unless the President declares a National Emergency or a regional disaster. I've been in contact with the South African embassy in Washington, DC., and this version has been confirmed. Hard to understand though it is, that is the situation at present. I have been given contact numbers and names for the consulate in Chicago, as well as contacts in the government to ensure that our shipment will be safe from the embargo. There will be a fair amount of red tape involved, but we'll work our way through it.

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