begging, borrowing, hoping not to steal

So I've been compiling my Rwanda packing list this week (just three months in advance!) to figure out how much stuff I still have to scrounge up before my late-December departure. Turns out, it's a fair amount of stuff. If anyone happens to have anything on this list just gathering dust at their apartment/parents' house/local department store and feels like making a donation to the get-Jo-out-of-here cause, email me! at joanna.a.copley@gmail.com.

for me:

lightweight sleeping bag
high-quality bug repellent
high-SPF sunscreen
small flashlight
batteries
travel alarm clock
swiss army knife
first aid supplies/basic medicines
internal frame backpacking backpack
smallish regular backpack
hot water bottle
iPod headphones
small short-wave radio
thermometer
oral re-hydration salts (anyone?)
water purification tablets
band aids
Pilot G-2 rollerball 07-pt pens (because writing with any other pen is just drawing)

for the children (think of the children!):

maps, posters, calendars, anything that could hold some educational value
portable tape or CD player (upgrade: iPod speakers!)
3D models from chemistry or biology classes or anything of that ilk
BOOKS in English, preferably paperbacks, preferably at a high-school reading level

More to come on both these lists as launch day draws near. Suggestions for things that I should absolutely bring/not bring are also welcome!