w/np > programs > humanitarian assistance > shipping

For those unfamiliar with the process, the following is a detailed description of how donated goods reach our friends in Nicaragua.

1. An application from a project coordinator, a partner city, or another organization is submitted to the W/NP office.
   
   
2. The Shipping Committee reviews the application and determines whether it will be approved.
   
   
3. The W/NP office prepares an application to a Denton Program officer. This includes an inventory of donated supplies, their volume, weight, and value, and their recipient in Nicaragua.
   
   
4. The N/WC office completes the paperwork necessary for a duty-free entry into the country.
   
   
5. The application is then submitted to a Denton Program officer, USAID, and Partners of the Americas, Inc. or to the Funded Transportation Program.
   
   
6. Following approval by government personnel, which generally takes four to six weeks, an inspection is ordered.
   
   
7. A Denton Program officer requests the inspection of all goods by Inchcape Testing Services or the Wisconsin National Guard.
   
   
8. An inspector contacts W/NP to verify that all supplies are ready.
   
   
9. The W/NP office sets up an inspection date and receives further instructions.
   
   
10. The inspection is conducted following the shipping guidelines. If any goods are found to be damaged, unserviceable, or likely to be useless, W/NP will advise their shippers in writing within two working days.
    
    
11. The full inspection report is then forwarded to the Denton Program officer or the U.S. Department of State.
    
    
12. During this time period, it is the obligation of the project coordinator, the partner city, or the other organization to notify their counterparts in Nicaragua of the contents of the impending shipment.
    
    
13. The Denton Program officer notifies the Department of Defense, requesting an appropriate military transport plane to ship. This process generally takes two to four months. If shipping is to be done through the Funded Transportation program, the program officer authorizes a solicitation for bids to private contractors, eventually selecting a shipper and notifying the W/NP office of the pick-up date.
    
    
14. Upon notification of available container trucks, the warehouse content is finalized for shipment. Upon notification of an available plane and its arrival date, the supplies are transported to a staging area, generally Volk Field at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, for the final preparation of the shipment.
    
    
15. Through the Denton Program, the Wisconsin National Guard and a load master prepare the supplies for air shipment.
    
    
16. The N/WC office prepares documents for a duty-free receipt.
    
    
17. Counterparts in Wisconsin notify Nicaraguan recipients of the impending shipment's scheduled arrival. Arrangements are made to receive the supplies at the Managua airport or the N/WC warehouse.
    
    
18. A Denton Program flight crew picks up the supplies and transports them.
    
    
19. N/WC receives the materials and supervises their distribution. Any distribution activity by a non-Partners group must be taken care of by said organization.
    
    
20. N/WC and non-Partners groups submit a detailed report on the distribution process to the W/NP office within the three weeks following distribution.
    
    
21. The W/NP office submits a report to USAID within thirty days of distribution describing in detail how materials were distributed, to whom they were distributed, and how they were used. Failure to submit this report in a timely manner will result in W/NP's disqualification from future participation in the Denton Program.