Arkia flight brings 130 agricultural Zambian students to Israel for the first time

For the first time in history, about 130 agricultural students from Zambia landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on an Arkia Airlines flight courtesy of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, according to a statement posted on Friday.

During their 11-month stay in Israel, the students will study and volunteer with farmers from the Ramat Negev Regional Council as part of the council's “Agricultural Interns," which operates under the Israel Aid Agency (Mashav Division).

Eran Doron, the head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, said the initiative is part of the Beneficiaries Project. He explained this project aims to ensure food security and share worldwide the knowledge accumulated by Negev farmers.

“The project has a special contribution to Israel's foreign relations, especially this year,” Doron said. “Along with continuing the project, which did not stop even during the war, we are happy about the opportunity to assist countries in Africa not only by sharing knowledge in the fields of agritech but also to support this opportunity in the life-saving activities of the Save a Child's Heart association. This is an exciting connection that expresses mutual commitment and action for a better world.”

Israeli companies in the fields of agriculture, water management, information technology, health, communications, and defense are active in the south-central African country of Zambia.

After bringing the students to Israel, the plane returned Zambia graduates of the project who stayed in the country after the completion of their training “to maintain the functional continuity of agriculture in the region during the war,” according to the statement.

Israeli Ambassador to Zambia Ofra Farhi, together with the Ramat Negev Regional Council, arranged for a medical delegation from the Israeli humanitarian organization Save a Child's Heart to also take part in the flight, along with hundreds of tons of medical equipment, the statement said.

Oz Berlowitz, the CEO of Arkia, said they are proud to be part of the initiative that has helped farmers in southern Israel.

“This mission combines national, educational, and humanitarian values ​​and represents the company's values ​​of this type of collaboration, thinking outside the box and working for a common goal,” Berlowitz said.