Doing Well and Doing Good
Liquidity Services has made it possible for buyers like Reine and Sidney Williams to put the circular economy to use for social good. A GovDeals buyer for many years, the couple has been using its time, money, and personal resources over the years to buy and ship supplies to the city of Nkongsamba, Cameroon, where many residents face extreme poverty.
“It’s really my wife, Reine” Sidney Williams says proudly. “She’s from Cameroon and she loves to give back to her community.”
For the last five years, the couple has regularly researched and purchased surplus assets on GovDeals, then periodically packed and shipped the items from Delaware to Nkongsamba at their own expense.
Most recently, Nkongsamba’s mayor authorized the construction of a community recreation center after Mr. and Mrs. Williams donated five exercise machines and padded wrestling mat flooring purchased in 2022 on GovDeals from schools around the U.S. Mr. Williams said he and his wife feel grateful to be in a position to help the residents build their first community center, giving them a place to gather and get some exercise.
“We couldn’t do our part without finding really inexpensive items on the GovDeals marketplace,” he said. “And we look forward to doing more!”
Other items the Williams’ have purchased and donated include four large bounce houses and hundreds of high school math textbooks. Each of the bounce houses was placed in a common meeting area around the city for children to enjoy. The textbooks support children who are eager to learn in a city where supplies are limited. Gifting communities with simple resources like these will have a lasting impact.
Secondary marketplaces like the Liquidity Services’ GovDeals platform make it possible for people around the world to connect supply with need. GovDeals serves as a steward for state and local governments to be able to upcycle, repurpose, or resell their surplus items to millions of qualified buyers across the globe, facilitating the sale of everything from iPhones to islands.
