Logos Hope- Bringing hope to many

3 November 2015 06:30 pm - 0 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Francis Bacon said that “Reading maketh a full man”. Sri Lankans do love to read and the crowds which gather at the Colombo International book fair is the best evidence. Shopping for books is full of fun, when one gets to do shopping on a ship. Yes, that opportunity is available once again to Sri Lankans as the “Logos Hope”- which is the largest book ship in the world called at the Port of Colombo on the 22nd of October and will be berthed till 12th November. The bookship will be open from 1.00 p.m.-7.00 p.m. Sunday to Tuesday and 10.00 a.m. 07.00 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday. Entrance will be Rs. 100.
Senior citizens above 65 and children below 12 will not be charged.

Once you enter the Port premises a shuttle service is arranged to go to the ship. At the entrance of the ship two of the staff members greeted us saying Ayubowan.

Once you enter the ship there is a brief introduction by one of the staff members.

The Logos Hope was originally constructed in 1973 as a car ferry. The current owners of the ship –GBA Ships purchased it in 2004. The vessel sailed in to active service in February 2009. The word ‘’ is a Greek word meaning ‘word, thought, principle or speech’.

Ms. Ivy Chiu, Media Relations Officer said the ship had about 800,000 books on 5000 different titles.

“We have different ranges of books. There are about 800,000 books. Deck three is reserved as the store. We get most of the books from the UK and the USA. Publishers also donate books, which have been removed from circulation after new editions are released,” she said.

Ms. Chiu said there were 400 volunteers currently working on board including three Sri Lankans. She said it was an amazing experience to work with many youth from different nationalities.

“Volunteering on this ship is an incredible experience. There are people from sixty different countries. Everyone works for a period of two years and during that period the ship crew becomes your family. We have our own celebrations. For example if there is a birthday all of us get together and sing happy birthday. Most of the days we sing birthday songs as there are 400 people on board and there are birthdays almost every day,” she said.

The Public Relations Officer said if a person wished to work in the ship he or she had to contact their head office in Germany.

“This is completely a voluntary organisation. If someone wishes to work for the ship they have to contact our office in Germany. Before joining there are many requirements to be met. The volunteer must be eighteen years of age and must be in good health. Then there are few other requirements,” she said.

The area where there were books was flooded with people. There were many books under many titles such as religion, medicine, fiction and many children’s title.

Even the surrounding was attractive and many backdrops were provided to take pictures. We saw many clicking pictures and selfies probably to make the best out of the visit and to keep a memory as the ship would not return to Sri Lanka for the next eight years.

There is an international café where children could enjoy ice cream and pop corn. While enjoying your meal one could listen to music played by a group of volunteers on board.

During the last visit to Sri Lanka in 2013 the crew-members were involved with many social services projects which included well digging, installation of clean water systems and free eye tests and donation of glasses. This time too they have planned such projects.

On the ship you do not get only entertainment but education as well. There is a separate area to educate people on HIV/AIDS. They have focused on this as the ship will be heading to Africa where many people are affected with the disease.

The staff members are very friendly and they seem to be enjoying with meeting people and working on the ship. When we headed to the counter few of them were singing the lines by Wiz Khalifa. “See you again…It’s been a long day without you my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again”.

Indeed maybe the next time you visit to the ship in another eight years you will have stories to share with your youngsters or friends.
Pics by Samantha Perera

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Logos Hope- Bringing hope to many

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