Away we go!

We embark on 10/12 to start our month of travel throughout southern and eastern Africa. Thank you to everyone that contributed to our trip!

Here's the quick rundown of our itinerary. . .

Kenya: Arriving in Nairobi on 10/14 and then off to the Maji Moto cultural camp to volunteer in the community before heading out on a 2-day walking safari with Salaton Ole Ntutu, Maasai tribal chief and new friend.

Special thanks to Susan Olofson for helping arrange our trip and for connecting us with Salaton and the important work he is doing.

Tanzania: Safari, safari, safari! We will be traversing to a few of the world's premier big game viewing spots including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti.

We have a specific request from our niece Maya to get photos of elephants and crocodiles, so these will be on the top of our list.

South Africa: We will be spending time in Cape Town and the surrounding townships and will also be attending a wedding in the wine country outside of Cape Town.

Courtney spent four months volunteering with Wola Nani and will once again be providing her counseling expertise while in South Africa. Nate will be assisting in any way that Wola Nani and its partner organizations need him to.

Special thanks to our dear friend Gwen Vogel. Not only did she create this connection through her own non-profit organization, SalusWorld, she also created the Courtney / Nate connection by introducing and subsequently marrying us. We love you, G! Courtney is looking forward to making contacts and connections with some NGOs in hopes of creating new partnerships with SalusWorld.

Uganda: When we get to Uganda at the beginning of November, we will be entering the most volunteer-focused portion of our trip.

Courtney will be spending time with the Uganda Health Cooperative member group Kyamuhunga Child Development Centres, an HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children project. Nate will be leading a 2-day communications capacity-building workshop with the Uganda Health Cooperative (UHC) board of directions and then assisting the team construct the 2010-2012 work plan for the UHC/Malaria Communities Project.

Special thanks to Jennifer Stockert and Scott Aebischer with HealthPartners for facilitating this amazing opportunity, and to Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO George Halvorson, who helped found these health care co-ops in Uganda while he was with HealthPartners and who connected us with Jennifer and Scott.

We will be traveling light and sans computer, but will be posting updates, photos, and videos when we can. . . stay tuned!