Soccer Ball Drive UPDATE:

Hey folks, just a quick note to let you know the first shipment of soccer balls have been uploaded to the Civil Affairs. They are leaving here soon to do a mission downrange. I don’t want to disclose the where and when’s just yet, but it will be a remote location out in the ‘bush’ as we call it here in Africa. The CA team will be conducting a VETCAP as well as other missions. The CA folks have promised me pictures and possibly a guest blogging, so I will keep you posted.

Today Jeff and John departed for a mission with a fuel stop in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Jeff Webb’s church has put together a soccer drive as well, and they have collected approximately 200 balls. We loaded some of these balls, the shin guards you guys sent, and some pumps in the aircraft. Our Handler (a handler is somebody who takes care of filing our flight plans, coordinating for fuel, parking, customs, basically anything that we might need as a crew) at Dar is woman named Susan. She is on the cutting edge of women in business in Africa- She has a remarkable story. She was born in Tanzania, but educated in the US. She gained experience as an aircraft maintainer for Comair. (Comair is ASA’s sister Delta Connection Carrier, based in Cincinnati Ohio.) She worked on numerous airframes for a number of years before returning to Tanzania to found her business, Tanzanite Jet. Now her company provides Handling Services for every major air port in Tanzania. This is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, let alone a woman starting a business in a male dominant society located in Africa that is approximately fifty per cent Muslim. She is going to take Jeff’s soccer balls to a local orphanage there in Dar to be distributed to the children. Again she promised pictures so I will keep you all posted.