General Meeting May 2019

May 28th was a cool and windy day by the pool area of Southern Sun, but the atmosphere among members was warm, although a bit sad as well, because it was time to say goodbye to two members who will be leaving Lusaka in the coming months; Martina Scammacca (from Italy) and Camilla Anderson (from Sweden). We thank them warmly for their contribution for DISA and wish them all the best in the future!

As our guest speaker of the month we were happy to have Nikita Iyengar from Conservation Lower Zambezi.

Below a short summary of Nikita's presentation - Conservation Efforts in the Lower Zambezi - in her own words:

I work at Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) as a PR and Fundraising Officer. While moving from New Your City to the Lower Zambezi was a big change, it is so incredibly beautiful here and the work is extremely fulfilling that the change was worth it after all.

Nikita in her "more natural habitat" with a pangolin, the scaly anteater, which is believed to be the world's most trafficked non-human mammal, poached for it's scales and meat

Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) is a non-profit organization committed to the protection of wildlife and to the sustainable use of natural resources in the Lower Zambezi. Established in 1994, CLZ is centered around three pillars of support: Wildlife Protection, Environmental Education and Community Engagement. 

The organization works in collaboration with Zambia's local wildlife authority - the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) to ensure the sustainability of animals in the Lower Zambezi Valley and their ecosystems.

Over the years, CLZ has increased their efforts including more foot patrol and aerial patrol efforts as well as more specialized units and intelligence led operations. All these efforts have led to a significant decrease in the poaching of elephants and an increase in the number of poachers arrested and the confiscation of illegal products.

CLZ's Environmental Education Programme has manged to inspire many children in the community that have gone on to work in the sector and see the benefits of keeping wildlife alive.

For more information about what we do, please visit the CLZ website: www.conservationlowerzambezi.org

Members, please note: the next General Meeting will take place August 27th!

Invitation to General Meeting 28th May, 2019

Welcome to our next general meeting on Tuesday, 28th May at the Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel.
Refreshments will be available from 9:00 onward, and the meeting will start at 9:30.

Membership renewal for 2019 ongoing
You are welcome to pay the annual membership fee K200 at the meeting. Please note that there will be no general meeting in June, so if you wish to renew your membership, but are not able to attend the meeting next week, please contact disazambia1@gmail.com.

Guest Speaker
Our guest speaker this month, Nikita Iyengar, PR and Fundraising Officer in  Conservation Lower Zambezi, will speak about the work the Conservation Lower Zambezi is doing to protect wildlife and environment.

Items to donate
If you have any of the following that you no longer need: crockery, cutlery and plastic ware & tailoring and sewing related items and materials, please bring them to the meeting. They are needed in our Nsansa project.
And as before; books, magazines, clothes, toys, etc. are always welcome!

Visit to 37d Art Gallery & Jagoda Gems 03 June, 2019

Welcome to a DISA "Coffee Morning"  in the beautiful surroundings of the 37d Gallery!

Monday 3rd of June, starting at 10:00 hrs.  -    Middleway 37d, Kabulonga 

Upon arrival we will hear a short presentation of the work of the Gallery and the stART Foundadion. We will enjoy the art display & the jewelry - and have a coffee morning in their lovely Coffee Shop together!

Please sign up at disa.activities@gmail.com by Thursday 30th May!

37d Gallery is located within a beautiful contemporary building in the Kabulonga area. The Gallery holds a wide range of art works by both local Zambian artists and international artists. The Gallery is a non-profit organisation which in turn supports the stART Foundation which is a charitable trust dedicated to the generation and promotion of visual arts practice and arts education in Zambia.

Enterprise Visit: Coffee Tasting at Peaberry Coffee Roasters

We (twelve DISA members) had a very interesting morning with Teija Lublinkhof of Peaberry Coffee Roasters. There is hardly anything she doesn't know about the coffee industry; coffee growing, importing/exporting, roasting, brewing, tasting, etc. We learned a lot!

Teija and the roasting machine

At her Peaberry Coffee Roasters she is producing coffee under two brands: Marika's Coffee (a Zambian blend) and Peaberry Coffee (international coffees and tea).

Teija is a Q licensed coffee taster, certified WBC (World Barista Championship) and WLA (World Latte Art Championship) judge and has judged in several World Barista Championships. She is also involved in developing Barista championships for the African continent as well as training baristas in Zambia and other countries. She also established the Zambia Barista Committee (ZABAC) in 2009.

You will find the Peaberry  Coffee Shop on Malambo Road in the industrial area of Lusaka. 

Welcome to DISA Zambia!

DISA (Diplomatic and International Spouses Association) was founded more than 20 years ago by a group of dynamic spouses in Lusaka. At that time the organization was called DSA (Diplomatic Spouses Association). In 2015 the constitution was revised and the name was changed into DISA. Our organization is open to all expatriates in Zambia. 

We are an independent, non-profit, non-political organization with sustainable approach. DISA aims to support local projects that improve lives of women and children.

We have monthly general meetings which are held on the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00 at Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel. These include a variety of speakers from charity projects supported by DISA as well as businesses and topics of interest to members. There is always time for members and guests to chat over refreshments kindly provided by the Southern Sun Hotel.

We have a Projects Committee which supports and liaises with projects known to DISA as well as researching and contacting new projects. They decide funds allocation and arrange project visits by DISA members.

DISA members create and organize many activities and social events which cater for all our members' interests (both men and women).

If you interested in joining DISA, please send an email to: disazambia1@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you.

In the Annual General Meeting (AGM) 26th February 2019, we elected the new Executive Committee for the year term 2019-2020.

Executive Committee members from the left: Rada Jovic (Committee member)), Barbara Harvey (Committee member), Mila van Niekerk (Treasurer), Gail van Schie (Chair of Projects), Ines de Biolley (Chairlady), Jenny Norman (Committee member), Jaana Sorsa (Secretary), Joan Cochrane (Vice Chair), Kala Iyengar (Committee member).