Here we go! Three of us-- Brian, Dave and Michael-- are traveling from the Monastery to the city of Ndola, Zambia, to collaborate with our Zambian team for the Africa Vulnerable Children Project. The project is centered in Kantolomba, a squatter’s slum on the outskirts of the city. This is one of the most impoverished areas in the world-- Kantolomba and surrounding communities have no electricity, inadequate housing, and little food.
The Africa Vulnerable Children Project began almost 6 years ago as a small feeding program for the most vulnerable children in Kantolomba. Today, the project is providing a meal a day and an education for over 400 children. In America we are a network of volunteers who work to raise the money needed to finance the programs in Zambia; in Zambia we are a cooperative of women and men working every day to improve the lives of people in Kantolomba. This trip promises to be another opportunity for Living Compassion's American and Zambian teams to work together to create peace through the ever-expanding work of this wonderful project. We are poised to "hit the ground running" in Kantolomba, where it's late spring and the rainy season is in full swing.
But first we had to hit the ground...
Dave, Michael and Brian meet up in Johannesburg Tuesday morning, having taken separate flights from the States.
Michael takes a breather at Johannesburg International. As you can see,
he is a fully equipped traveling monk. He's got an air purifier, a passport
pouch, his rosary, his "back-up" willingness key, and, of course, his personal
digital recording device--all around his neck.
Hey, that's what we're doing!
After a night's stay with the ostrich (and other fun fowl and grazing animals) at the Game Lodge in Johannesburg, the three of us will fly from Johannesburg to Ndola, where we'll meet the team and get started!