Surface Mail Petition

The Honorable Danny K. Davis, Chairman
The Honorable Kenny Marchant, Ranking Member
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia
B-349A Rayburn House Office Building
Washington , D.C. 20515

September 22, 2007

Dear Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Marchant,


As president of the organization, The Friends of Niger, a Private Volunteer Organization of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and others who worked and served in Niger, West Africa, I am writing to you seeking a reversal or effective remedy to the May 14, 2007 U.S. Postal Service decision to eliminate all classes of international surface mail, which has harmed or halted numerous volunteer humanitarian efforts to spread U.S. goodwill overseas.

Across our nation, many non-profit organizations, schools, community service groups, houses of worship and individuals selflessly give their time, money and energy to help communities around the world by collecting and sending books, professional journals and other humanitarian materials and supplies. These collective efforts form a massive and very effective network of American foreign aid and goodwill, while advancing various Millennium Development Goals - including and especially the advancement of education. The recent changes by the Postal Service effectively tripled or quadrupled overseas shipping rates.

Without an economic method of shipping, many humanitarian programs have had to scale back considerably or shut down all together. The halting of so many programs, and the freeze on the initiation of new ones, will affect the education and health of thousands upon thousands of children and adults worldwide. The goodwill generated by the efforts of individual American citizens - critical at this time - will also be lost.

At a time when our nation seeks opportunities to effectively engage the world through friendship and cooperation, we ask you to embrace - not discourage - existing initiatives that benefit so much from affordable postal rates. We ask Congress and the Postal Service to work on finding creative and effective solutions that will allow this important work to continue.

Respectfully,


John W. Soloninka
President
Friends of Niger