The Copperbelt

Hello all--we thought we'd write a quick post as long as we have got internet for... a little while? We have been busy up in the Copperbelt. Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet with officials from the Ministry of Education in Kitwe, 60 kilometers from where we are based, at the Franciscan Center in Ndola. We have heard a lot about the importance of the Ministry in bringing access to education for all children, so we were very happy to get the meeting and make some connections at the Ministry. The staff we met there were, a lot like people we have met in other groups, feeling constrained by their budgets, and also open to discussion and new ideas. It was good to make their acquaintance.
We then met a self-advocate, Julien, also in Kitwe. She is a dynamic woman, very outgoing, very personable, and is a strong advocate in her community, despite many, many challenges.
Today we did a training here in the morning at the Franciscan Center, with teachers, nurses, self-advocates (including Julien), parents, and clergy. The diversity of the group made for a strong conversation. We were happy that many of the people in the training connected with each other, and hopefully built upon their advocacy network. In particular, Julien had told us that she plays sports every week with her group of self-advocates, and in our group was a sports education teacher who needed ideas on how to include people with disabilities in class. It was wonderful to see these two make a connection and share ideas.
In the afternoon we did a training with the novitiate (friars in training, basically), who are in a year of spiritual reflection here at the Franciscan Center. The group asked a lot of good questions, and we had a fruitful discussion on inclusion, community, and the roles they can take towards advocacy as religious persons in their community.
Tomorrow we head back to Lusaka, then on to Livingstone. The friars have been gracious hosts, and we have been enjoying our time in the Copperbelt.