You've got mail.

Greetings all! I've received quite a few questions on how one

can/should send packages to me in Togo. In all honestly, I've dragged

my feet a bit because I don't feel like I really "need" anything from

the states, and I would also people rather donate to the numerous

Peace Corps projects happening all over the world that could use

funding (including my own projects, eventually…) See link:

That being said, here is a list** of some things I feel would be

"nice" to have (in no particular order):

• Magazines (Newsweek, Time, Vanity Fair, People, Popular Science,
• Vogue France, GQ, Alcalde, etc.)
• Cotton t-shirts (size medium, V or crew neck) I like Gap brand!
• Pants (Jeans, khakis, linen, etc.) 32/32, standard or slim fit
• Trail Mix/Ajil/Plain Almonds
• Chicken/Tuna/Beef/Bacon Packets (in water, not oil)
• Cat toys, medicine, flea collars
• Crystal Light Packets (any flavor)
• New Media (Movies [DVDs/Flashdrives], Music, Books)
• Printed Pictures
• Greeting Cards/Letters
• Condiments (small packets or bottles. i.g, soy sauce, salsa, BBQ sauce, honey, relish, etc.)
• Cologne samples (YSL "L'Homme" preferred.)
• News Paper Clippings
• Dried Meats
• Tea Mixes (Sadaf, Green, Pomegranate, etc.)
• Dried Fruits
• Parmesan Cheese Powder
• Anything "quickdry" (underwear, towels, shirts, socks, etc.)
• Peanut M&Ms
• Hair Products (shampoo/conditioner, serum, wax, etc.)
• Cetaphil Soap Bars (Antibacterial version)
• Artisan Italian Soup Mixes
• Granola Bars
• Electric hair trimmer (battery powered would be best!)
• Cake Mixes ("Anything that just requires Milk, Eggs, or Oil added.")

** This list of items are merely suggestions, you can send anything

you want; The weirder the better! I recently received a self-therapy

checklist and it's actually pretty neat!

 

Now, let's discuss ways to send things to Togo! There are few ways to

do it, from what I've seen other volunteers receive. International

flat rate shipping via USPS is the most common way people receive

mail. UPS and DHL are costly and inefficient. USPS offers different

flat rate envelopes and boxes, the latter being much more expensive.

Also, any "box" that comes to our P.O. boxes at the post office cost

us about $2 to retrieve. It's not much, but it's easily avoidable by

sending the smaller "medium size" flat rate envelopes. These envelopes

can be filled with most things, and they only cost in-between $13 -

$18 USD to mail to Togo. The medium flat rate envelopes can hold

2-4lbs. The boxes come in various sizes as well, but can cost almost

three times as much. For example, my mother has sent me a few medium

sized flat rate boxes, each at around $45 USD each, and they each

weighed around 16-20lbs. In all honesty, I think after the standard

shipping boxes you can mail almost any size package to this country,

it just costs A LOT!

 

Letters and other documents can be sent quite cheaply as well at

around $2-8 USD. If all you are sending is magazines/letters, you can

ask the postal worker to mail it as "media mail," which often times

reduces the rate of postage. This only works for packages containing

ONLY media.

 

Again, my address is:
 
Ryan Omide Aghabozorg PCV

Corps de la Paix

B.P. 224, Sokodé

TOGO (West Africa)

 

The most important thing is that you write "Corps de la Paix" under my

name and also clearly write TOGO on the package. On more than one

occasion packages have gone to TONGA in Australia only to make it back

to Togo months after the person originally sent it. Also, I should

mention that I don't really know much about buying insurance for the

package. I've heard that it costs extra money when the package passes

through customs in Lomé, but I'm not entirely sure. When in doubt, do

not insure the package. I know that is disheartening and slightly

counterintuitive, but I've only heard of a few cases of packages being

lost or stolen in transit. It is common, however, for packages to be

opened upon arrival for inspection. More times than not, packages it

make it – eventually.

 

Here are some more general tips for mailing things to Togo:

•All liquids need to be made COMPLETELY spill proof. If something in

the packages leaks, the chances that I will never get it rise

astronomically.

•Writing phrases like "God Bless", "Allah Akbar", "Dieu Vous Blessez,"

etc. increases the chances of a packages safe delivery. I've also

heard that using red ink makes things look more "official" and less

likely to be intercepted/opened. Religious symbols are also a nice

touch.

•Sending flash drives or anything super valuable is often difficult

because packages do get opened and people definitely take things that

look valuable. Your best bet is to hide it in something inconspicuous.

For example, one of my friend's mother used to send her $100 bills in

tampon boxes. She would carefully open the tampon, remove the filler,

replace it with the cash, glue the package closed and place it back in

the original box. I'm not saying that is the best way to do things,

but being creative helps. When in doubt, think like a secret agent. Ha

ha! :P