Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo has welcomed 400 persons from 60 different nationalities as he officially opened the Logos Hope Bookfair yesterday, at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) Wharf in La Penitence, Georgetown.
Logos Hope is a ship operated by the German Christian charitable organization which features a mobile bookstore, as a part of the international Christian outreach movement.
During a briefing, Director of the Logos Hope, Pil-Hun Park, explained that most of the volunteers are between the ages of 23 to 25 years old and spend up to two years onboard the ship. He also related that their vision is to enhance the wellbeing of the citizens where ever they dock.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo, while delivering remarks, shared how thrilled he was researching the history of the Logos Hope.
“This is such a magnificent gesture; the bonding through the sharing of knowledge,” he said.
The Prime Minister, while commenting on volunteerism, commended the staff of the ship for their work. “So many young people coming together living on a vessel for two years to spread this goodwill, to share knowledge and help depressed communities… Thank you for coming to Guyana, and on behalf of His Excellency, President David Granger and the people of Guyana, we bid you welcome,” he stated.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo also encouraged the crew to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the city and view the architecture.
Logos Hope ship has over 6,000 books in its collection including books for recreational reading, professional references, personality and individual development and books talking about different global cultures. Along with being a book library and store, the volunteers also contribute by helping to build houses and donating essential provisions to the many underprivileged communities in the countries where the ship makes a port call.
The vessel generally visits ports for two weeks and is continually sailing from port to port year-round. Since the launch into active service in February 2009, the Logos Hope has been in several regions: Northern Europe, the Caribbean, West Africa, the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia, and most recently Latin America. In its seven years of existence, the ship has visited 158 countries and assisted over 40 million people.
