There were generous telescope donations made during IYA2009 from the Galileoscope Cornerstone Project and Celestron, with the objective of supporting developing regions. DAG coordinated the process of distribution which included:
•    Issuing a call for requests to all regions of the world
•    Establishing an international selection panel to evaluate requests
•    Coordination of selection process
•    Global distribution of telescopes (this was mainly coordinated by the shipping company Leman USA Inc for the Galileoscopes and Celestron’s various agents for their donations)
•    Consolidating reports of usage

To date, although a large percentage of telescopes have reached the allocated destinations, there are still selected recipients waiting to receive them. Great difficulties have had to be overcome with high transport costs and many challenges with customs and tax issues specific to different regions. However, through coordination of deliveries to regions rather than countries as well as generous donations received for transportation, such as the Armagh Planetarium for example, which sponsored the transport of Celestron telescopes for the Sub-Saharan Africa region, DAG has been able to ensure that the bulk of the telescopes reached their destinations.

Approximately 5200 Galileoscopes have already been shipped to the following countries, either for further distribution to developing regions or usage within the country itself: Turkey; Poland; Germany; Senegal; United Arab Emirates; Romania; Vietnam; Nepal; Jamaica; Serbia; Azerbaijan; Venezuela; Uruguay; Turkey; Albania; Pakistan; France; Kenya. The Galileoscopes for a number of African countries were shipped in bulk to South Africa and arrived in Cape Town in August 2010, with distribution further afield underway at time of writing this text.

Celestron donations included 20 “go-to” Nexstars and 160 of the popular Firstscopes. These were destined for all 8 DAG regions of the world and have been shipped to USA; Brazil; Uruguay; Trinidad & Tobago; Guatemala; Madagascar; Ghana; Kenya; South Africa (to be sent further to Gabon, Rwanda, Mozambique); Nepal; Vietnam; New Zealand.

Reports from recipients will be posted on the DAG website as they are received. Much gratitude and acknowledgement must go to Michelle Meskill of Celestron and the team at Galileoscope including Rick Fienberg (American Astronomical Society), Doug Arion (Carthage College) and Steen Sanderhoff (Leman USA Inc.).

Click here to download report from Pakistan