The long flight is history

Due to technical difficulties we are unable to upload our pictures, however we are happy to be on solid ground in J-burg. Everything went smoothly, albeit a bit longer than expected with a stop over in Dakar, Senegal. We're off to dinner and then looking forward to sleeping in a real bed before leaving bright and early in the morning for our final flight to Ndola.

And we're off!

It's Saturday morning and we're at the airport, ready to begin our long journey to Ndola. We head to New York this morning, and from there we complete our longest leg of the trip- to Johannesburg! After 14 hours of flying we overnight in J-burg, get clean, rest up and hit Ndola by noon on Monday! Wish us luck- we'll see you in Africa!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Isubilo

For more detailed information on Isubilo and Zambia, please visit their website at http://www.isubilo.org

Who are we working with?

The primary purpose of our visit is to hold a 5 day training program with the leadership team at Isubilo. With our team building program we'll be concentrating on things such as effective problem solving and decision making skills, team relationships, communication, and interdepartmental collaboration.

As we refer to the different people on our blog during our stay, we thought a quick run down of the names would help set some context for later.

The management team consists of Andy, Babs, Tanga, Isabel and Charles, along with the department heads. They are as follows:

Home Based Care for HIV/AIDs clients - Sue and Maggie
Orphans & Vulnerable Children - John and Priya
Pastoral - Jimmy
Clinic - Richard and Stephanie
Mill - Victor
Building - Fred
Compliance Clinic - Barbara
Agriculture - Tanga

We've also been asked to spend a day doing some team building with approximately 15 local church leaders. We'll try to fit this in on Saturday, along with some time spent with the kids in the OVC division. Should be a jam-packed agenda for our stay!

ISUBILO COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE
is a non-profit charitable organisation working in Ndola the third largest city in Zambia and was established in May 2000. Isubilo means hope in the local Bemba language and offers hope to families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS through holistic physical - medical - psychological and spiritual care.

The Isubilo Centre is based in Chifubu a teeming urban township of Ndola. Isubilo serves three townships with a joint population of 120,000 within the area most affected by HIV/AIDS in the region. Many inhabitants live in very poor densely populated conditions without basic public services and sanitation. The centre is a converted tavern within a walled compound of two acres. The property which has been developed over six years now includes a clinic, a pharmacy, packing and storage rooms, a conference hall, a small meeting area also used as a craft workshop, a kitchen, a maize mill and small offices. The buildings are surrounded by land partly cultivated by the agricultural team and HIV support group clients and partly used for sports activities. A bore-hole provides clean water for the centre and an outlet at the gate supplies free water to the local community.

Where are we??

Zambia is in Southern Africa and is bordered by the Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. We will be in the North Central of Zambia also known as the Copper Belt.