Taking a Kindle Keyboard (3G/Wifi) to Africa - what do you recommend

[CegAbq]

On February 24 I am leaving for Benin, Africa (that's in Western Africa, between Nigeria & Togo/Burkina Faso for those who are geographically-challenged!). One of my daughters is serving in the Peace Corps there & I and my older daughter are going to visit her!

I am taking a Kindle Keyboard to her with lots of books pre-loaded (been collecting them for quite a while).
Although she does not have any electricity (or running water) in her village, she has one small solar charger & I am taking a larger solar charger to her:

and when she is at a Peace Corps 'work station' (about every 3-4 weeks), she will have internet access, so I plan to purchase additional books as time goes by & have them sent specifically to her Kindle, hoping that the internet connection will at least allow her sync & get those books. Otherwise I will also send her the list of books I have since purchased & teach her how to 'download' directly to her Mac via an internet connection & then transfer those books to her Kindle.

I've also purchased these to trick out her Kindle for durability & esthetic pleasure  :

and

and
(This skin because she also spent a semester studying abroad in Paris, during her senior year in college.) Very jealous!

SO - does anyone have any other/better suggestions for how to get this all set up for her?

Thanks for any and ALL tips to do this right for her. She's such a great daughter & I'm obviously very proud of her (and of her sister & twin brother as well!)

[Bigal-sa]

Your setup looks good. An additional item I would suggest is a micro-USB car charger for a smartphone (any of them should work with the Kindle) - assuming of course that they have a vehicle to get around. I've been a bit disappointed by solar chargers, but having said that, the one you have chosen looks good, if it's robust enough for the African bush.

[The Hooded Claw]

Sounds like a clip on reading light, or perhaps the Amazon lighted cover, which has the advantage of not needing separate batteries to be charged, would be desirable.

The screens on Kindles are fairly scratchable.  One of my friends swears by the clear covers they will sell and install at Best Buy.  I've never felt the need for a cover myself, but if I was going to where replacement Kindles were nearly impossible to get, I might feel different.  The covers don't degrade readability at all.

There's a 'magic' catalog you can load on the Kindle that gives direct links to a searchable catalog of downloadable Gutenberg books, if your daughter is inclined towards classics.

[CegAbq]

Your setup looks good. An additional item I would suggest is a micro-USB car charger for a smartphone (any of them should work with the Kindle) - assuming of course that they have a vehicle to get around. I've been a bit disappointed by solar chargers, but having said that, the one you have chosen looks good, if it's robust enough for the African bush.

Thanks - forgot to add that I did purchase a micro-USB cable & the Amazon adapter to plug into an outlet (she of course has the adapters that are required for an African country) to take to her! I have all of these out the 'wazoo' here, but got some specific ones for her to just be sure they would be compatible without any issues whatsoever (too tough to try to swap out if something doesn't quite work)  

[CegAbq]

Sounds like a clip on reading light, or perhaps the Amazon lighted cover, which has the advantage of not needing separate batteries to be charged, would be desirable.

The screens on Kindles are fairly scratchable.  One of my friends swears by the clear covers they will sell and install at Best Buy.  I've never felt the need for a cover myself, but if I was going to where replacement Kindles were nearly impossible to get, I might feel different.  The covers don't degrade readability at all.

There's a 'magic' catalog you can load on the Kindle that gives direct links to a searchable catalog of downloadable Gutenberg books, if your daughter is inclined towards classics.

Also forgot to mention that I got a screen protector IN ADDITION to the Octovo protective sleeve for her; and she has a battery-operated headlamp with rechargeable batteries for reading after dark.

I'll definitely check out that 'magic catalog' for her. I'm taking along one or 2 devices (haven't decided exactly which: netbook (heavy for overseas travel), original Moto Droid, HTC Thunderbolt, and/or Fire) so that if necessary I can access some of these sites while I'm with her (she, undertandably, is very conservative about her money & thus internet access and charges for such - there aren't any charges when she is at a Peace Corps work station, but I won't be at that station & will be using internet cafes while I'm visiting her & want to get her totally situated as much as I can with the Kindle! (Her father, my DH, is a complete luddite & is sending me with DTBs for her as well; however, given the status of electricity in her village, I guess 'luddite-ness' might be a very valuable approach as well  )

And BTW: I knew I'd get great responses here from the KB community - you all rock.

[Bigal-sa]

I'll definitely check out that 'magic catalog' for her. I'm taking along one or 2 devices (haven't decided exactly which: netbook (heavy for overseas travel), original Moto Droid, HTC Thunderbolt, and/or Fire) so that if necessary I can access some of these sites while I'm with her (she, undertandably, is very conservative about her money & thus internet access and charges for such - there aren't any charges when she is at a Peace Corps work station, but I won't be at that station & will be using internet cafes while I'm visiting her & want to get her totally situated as much as I can with the Kindle!

I have no idea of the technological infrastructure in the area you'll be in, but if there's no electricity, the chance of an internet connection is not very good. To use the cellphone based 2G/3G network in the areas where there is coverage, you will probably have to buy a SIM (and data) from the local service provider. My experience is that coverage is rather patchy outside the big cities.

[CegAbq]

I have no idea of the technological infrastructure in the area you'll be in, but if there's no electricity, the chance of an internet connection is not very good. To use the cellphone based 2G/3G network in the areas where there is coverage, you will probably have to buy a SIM (and data) from the local service provider. My experience is that coverage is rather patchy outside the big cities.

Yeah - the 3G is not going to do her any good whatsoever while she's in Africa (that feature is for when she returns to the US); for any new books that I add after I depart on Feb 24, she'll have to use the feature (hopefully available) to log into my Amazon account & then have them downloaded to her Mac when she is at a PC workstation that has internet access.
Hopefully I'll also load it up with enough books ahead of time that she'll have LOTS AND LOTS of material available already pre-loaded.  
She's got a serious thinking-brain, so I'm thinking of loading on books from various "100 best/must read" lists.

[ProfCrash]

I would get her a nice headlamp to read with. That way she has both hands free. It works great for reading but also getting around in the dark or in case of an emergency.

[Zero]

Instead of a solar charger, how about one of these?  It works by cranking it, and charges - also works as a radio and flashlight!

The only other item I can think of is a waterproof case of some sort.  It can be as simple as a Ziploc Freezer bag to something like this.  I have one similar that I bought at the boat store, to read when I'm in my kayak.

[ProfCrash]

Love the Trendy Digital cover.

[CegAbq]

I definitely want to thank everyone who contributed here.
I can see that I've already covered some bases & a few suggestions pointed me in directions that I have now followed-up on.
Sure hope she loves her Kindle as much as I love mine.
I think the only drawbacks will be (1) will the solar charge I am taking to her work reliably & long-term) and (2) will she be able to get new content when she is at the workstation with electricity & internet connection every 2-3 weeks.
New content may not be too much of an issue as I've already loaded on 35 Kindle pages of books for her.
I'm also compiling a list of Title, Author, date originally published, genre, & synopsis of the books I've loaded on. I'll give this to her in both electronic format & print format - her older MacBook doesn't hold a charge well, so she usually will not be able to access the electronic version.

[ProfCrash]

Can you get a replaceable battery for her Mac Book Pro? One that holds a charge longer?