KINGSTON, Jamaica – Some 350 volunteers from 65 nations will be on board Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, when it docks in Kingston on Saturday, July 19.

This was disclosed by Project Coordinator for the ship’s visit to Jamaica, Briba Sumaila, at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, held at the agency’s Television Department in Kingston, on Tuesday, July 15.

“We are more than the books… we are people from different nationalities, and we have 350 crew members from different nationalities, coming from 65 nations and all are volunteers, including the captain,” said Sumaila.

He noted that volunteers are unpaid and are all united in a shared mission to bring knowledge, help and hope to communities around the globe.

“We have families on the ship and one of the oldest person is a 70-year-old from the United States, and then we have the youngest, which is a two-year-old from South Korea… and we have a school for the kids who are coming on board the ship with their families too,” Sumaila added.

Meanwhile, another project coordinator, Ema Smithdorff, informed that the volunteers are mostly young people who have dedicated three months or one to two years of their lives to work aboard the ship.

“Some come as professionals – they have skills – but some come just to offer what they have for wherever they are needed to work,” said Smithdorff, adding that Logos Hope is about books, ship and people.

She indicated that currently there are no Jamaican volunteers on the Logos Hope; however, interested individuals may visit the GBA Ships website at https://www.gbaships.org/en/ for more information.

“We have different volunteer programmes that we invite local people to work on board and if they are willing and have the heart to sail with us, they can apply and they can join us to sail to another country. So, we are hoping at least two people will join the ship,” said  Smithdorff.

The ship will be docked in Kingston at the Cement Coal Pier for one month, until August 19, then in Montego Bay from August 22 to September 14.

Opening hours in Kingston are Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm and on Sunday from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

People wishing to visit the Logos Hope will be required to pay an entry fee of $500; however, children under 12 and seniors 65 years and older are free.

Logos Hope is owned and operated by GBA Ships, an international charity organisation. It offers more than 5,000 titles, including science, sports, languages, medicine, faith-based literature, atlases, dictionaries and cooking.

–       JIS