Letters to the editor

At about 4 p.m. she received a call from a Good Samaritan who found Vida's journal, books and papers discarded on Ellis St. across from Interior Health. The caller and his two friends wanted to return these items to Vida.

After receiving the call, Vida went to her car to find a window had been smashed and a backpack stolen.  The backpack held Vida's black Acer Aspire laptop computer, a silver external hard drive, cell phone, charger and the books and papers that were returned.

Vida is from a poor village in Northern Ghana in West Africa. She has been studying at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna for the past six years, has earned her masters degree and is working on her doctorate.

Vida plans to return to Northern Ghana to help her people there.

Vida is a remarkable woman. During her time in Kelowna she has started Project Grow (Ghana Rural Opportunities for Women).

This project helps rescue women from Vida's village from poverty. It has been so successful it has spread to neighbouring villages (Google Project Grow – Ghana).

The computer and external hard drive stolen from Vida's car on Saturday contained important, irreplaceable information including data and photos for Vida's doctorate studies and for Project Grow.

The computer and the hard drive also contain irreplaceable photos of Vida receiving awards from UBC and the World Bank as well as precious photos of her daughter and friends.

Vida is grateful and sends her thanks to the Good Samaritans who found her discarded journal and papers and took the time to phone her. 

We are pleading to the person or persons who stole the backpack to please return the external hard drive. No questions will be asked.

Keep the computer if you must, but please return the external hard drive.

Please drop it somewhere and call (778-214-1004 or 250-764-2942) to let us know where it can be picked up, or leave it at either the Salvation Army Thrift Shop at 1425 Ellis St. or at St. Charles Garnier Parish on Benvoulin Rd. 

Yvonne Germaine and Jim Couper