U.S. senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) departed Friday “for a trip to Africa,” the Associated Press/Chicago Tribune reports. The Senators “planned to visit Tanzania, Congo, Ethiopia and Sudan. They [are] expected to return to the United States on Feb. 19” (2/13).

The trip “will focus on global health, maternal/infant mortality, clean water, sanitation, refugee, and economic development activities, according to a release from Durbin’s office. The senators will also discuss regional peacekeeping and diplomatic issues,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Chicago Sun-Times highlights aspects of the trip’s itinerary, which includes meeting with Tanzanian health officials, visits to regional and rural health clinics and discussions about water and sanitation issues in Darfur, Sudan (2/14).