Charity Seeks Help Shipping Uniforms Donated By Kingston Students

KINGSTON (CBS) - The bags of clothes are piled to the ceiling, thousands of school uniforms sitting in the Ebone family's basement. Skirts, shirts and pants, all good clothes, all donated by a Kingston school to the local charity Canterio International whose mission it is to help orphans in Africa go to school.

Isa Ebone says, "It's very significant because in Africa the number one requirement is to have a uniform. If you don't have a uniform, you are not allowed to go to school. If we can send this product to the children it will be Christmas gifts and prepare them to go to school next year."

And that has the students at Sacred Heart in Kingston beaming with pride. Kory Turner says, "A lot of people are participating and it's a great thing that we are doing this, sending these clothes."

But right now, the clothes are in limbo. To ship all of the clothes it would cost $10,000, money the charity simply doesn't have.

Ebone says, "In the past I spend my personal money but it's not enough."

From shipping containers to the taxes in Africa, its a huge hurdle. Ebone and his family are hoping for some help, they are trying to raise the donations, but for now, all this stuff is just sitting instead of changing young lives.

Emily Johnson, a student at Sacred Heart says, "That really stinks, it shouldn't be that expensive trying to help other people who don't have the stuff. Kind of stinks we can't get it to them after we raised it for them."

You can help the organization by going to their website www.CanterioInternational.org.

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