Zambia - Riverside Farms

Mission
Equipping men and women to make an impact for good in their communities. This is accomplished through training in life skills, by promoting healthy living and by a strengthened spiritual focus. These programs and services are provided by the organization in a sustainable manner while working in support of the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in reaching the world for Christ.

Description
Riverside Farm Institute is situated on a lovely campus and farm of over 1,100 hectares reaching from the beautiful Kafue River along the rocky escarpment to the distance near the Kafue Gorge Road. This institute contains a large farm, boarding school, medical clinic, a bible school, and a wellness center. 

More Info

• Average Fundraising Goal: $5,000 for two semesters. Prices may vary. See Student Missions office.
• Timeline: Full year or 6 month commitment. 
• Location: Riverside farms is located near Kafue National River and a ridge on the outskirts of a town named Kafue. Kafue is a small town roughly two hours south from Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. Locals often refer it to ‘Kafue town.’ Kafue contains 2 grocery stores and a main market where student missions usually visit. Check out the location on Google Maps!
• Living Accommodations: For female student missionaries, a house is provided near the clinic. Including two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room area, and a restroom equipped with a shower and sink. In the bedrooms, each room contains 2 twin beds, (linens are included but it is encouraged to bring your own), a mosquito net on each bed, a drawer, desk, and closet space. The house includes a fridge, stove, couch, dining table, sink, pots, pans, and silverware. Outlets in this house only are 110V. For male student missionaries, two share a smaller house that contains two beds split by shelves and a small bathroom with a shower. There is also male accommodation in an another house. It’s a small dorm room with a couple bunks, desks and then there’s a bathroom at the end of the hall with some showers and a squat toilet.
• Language: The official language in Zambia is English, yet it is definitely not the most spoken. Zambia has 72 dialects and the ones spoken in this area are Chitonga, Bemba, and Nyanja. Chitonga is the most common in this area.
• Food: Nearly all meals are served in the cafeteria, but student missionaries commonly cook in their perspective houses. Groceries can be bought in town or at the Sales Center on campus. All food is vegetarian. Food such as bread, oil, and seasonal vegetables can be purchased in the Sales Center.
• Requirements: Visa (apply on arrival)

Position Info

• Clinic Volunteer/Nurse - Help in the local government clinic under the supervision of trained Zambian nurses. 
• Teacher - Help in assigned classes from grades K-8 in the Bible school, or in the boarding school.
• Wellness Center assistant - Help the wellness center in wellness training for patients. 
• Media Assistant - work with administration to film, edit, and upload content to support the online education program. May also create promotional videos for the organization.
• One Day Church construction worker - Riverside Farms has a program in which they build one day churches all throughout the country and need construction workers to complete this mission.
• Akuna Soap Industry - a subsidiary of Riverside Farm Institute that has two major emphases: manufacturing and sales. The business will produce all-natural, healthy, quality, handmade soap that will be priced at a rate that is affordable to most Zambians. Akuna Soap Industry is in its startup phase and will very soon transition into an expansion phase, due to current demand.  Sales agents are trained in groups at SDA conferences and churches. Additionally, there is a push to get the products into local hotels, chain stores and supermarkets. Four soap bars are currently in production, but other products are being developed soon. As a business intern/student missionary, your job would be assisting in the Sales/HR and Production aspects of scale-up. Adaptability will be a key part of this opportunity, and as an intern you will gain experience in all aspects of the business - marketing, sales, manufacturing, R&D, and finance.
  • Sales/HR Intern 
    • Oversee/Create new sales partnerships
    • Manage & fulfill product orders/secure payments
    • Travel throughout Zambia to conduct sales agent trainings
    • Keep customer records database
    • Maintain online store (no previous web experience required)
    • Find/Utilize talent in local universities to train and hire local management
    • Interview production workers
    • Answer emails/interests/inquiries
    • Ensure regulations are followed
    • Schedule/conduct facility tours
  • Production, Research, and Development Intern
    • Assist with all aspects of production scale-up
    • Oversee/Create supplier partnerships
    • Oversee raw materials inventory management
    • Negotiate with local/international suppliers and secure deals
    • Facility planning/costing breakdown
    • Staff training/contract monitoring
    • Assist in manufacturing daily operations
    • Research/Develop product rollout
    • Assembly efficiency/bottleneck analysis
    • Automation systems & equipment planning

Riverside Farm's Website