Exploring Ndola

Monday, June 30th, 2008 Ndola, Zambia, Africa
After visiting Mapalo and MacKenzi schools we had lunch back at the university. After lunch, we went back out on a tour of Ndola. Our first stop was the Arthur Davidson Children's Hospital where our medical team will serve for the week. This was a difficult place..I didn't finish the 'tour' of the facility, I just couldn't take it. I wanted to cry.
Here's a picture that Danny Ortega took of the Hospital.


For our last stop on Monday we went to the future site of the Northrise University campus outside of Ndola. Here they have the Northrise University Farm and are building dorms for the students.
Here's a picture of the Dorms that are being built (Photo courtesy of Danny Ortega)


The farm currently consists of a banana plantation. They are planting that in sections one year at a time for crop rotation. They should get their first crop of bananas soon. They are digging the holes for the next section of trees by hand with pick axes! Though they own farm equipment, human labor is cheaper than gas. Northrise Farms' next project is a chicken production facility to mass produce chicken to sell in Ndola and perhaps further in the future. The chicken coop will hold 3,000 chickens.
The vision for Northrise Farms is immediately to feed the university students. The big picture is a vision that Zambia can feed the entire continent of Africa with the proper training. Training that students can get at Northrise University. Amazing.


While we were visiting the farm we had a memorial service for a Northrise partner from Bakersfield California, who passed away while on a visit to Northrise in April. Moffat Zimba planted an almond tree for him at the farms and they'll put a plaque up for him too. This farmer was a significant contributor to the development of Northrise Farms and the vision to farm God's Way - respecting the farmers and the earth.
Danny got a picture of that service.