The Butterfly Tree Charity

August is usually a quiet month for charities and fundraising, not so for The Butterfly Tree and Mukuni. I have just returned from a visit to Zambia and the development taking place in several of the schools is amazing. My first stop was to Kamwi, a village just five kilometres from Mukuni Village, but so underdeveloped that it could be fifty. As soon as I pulled up in my 4×4 Sylvia, the deputy head teacher said ‘Come quickly Jane your children are waiting for you’. As we turned the corner of our newly built classroom, the entire school members were waiting, holding banners - then the pupils broke into songs especially written to praise and thank The Butterfly Tree for the bore hole, the 1×2 classroom, the teacher’s house and the feeding program. I was overcome with emotion, tears filled my eyes as I listened to the children singing, knowing that this long awaited project was now complete, which will enable the school to upgrade, shortening the distance many pupils have to walk.

Pupils at Kamwi Basic School                 Classroom for Special Education

Driving some fifty kilometres north west of Mukuni took me to Siamasimbi, a very remote village, which gets cut off during the rainy season when the rivers are too full to cross. The main bridge was destroyed through flooding and sadly has not been repaired by the local authorities. Numerous members of the community were providing unskilled labour to help with the construction of a new classroom and teacher’s house we have funded; here these African children finish their education around fourteen years of age, soon they will have an extra two grades along with the feeding program we are have introduced. Mandandi, half way between Siamasimbi and Mukuni has no such luxury, there is no school! This month the construction of our first entirely new school is taking place, it should be completed for the start of the new term in September, along with the teacher’s house. To improve sanitation all these projects will have pit-latrines added.

Siamasimbi Community Participation           Mandandi eagerly await new school

Machenje Village, another particularly poor village will have a new pre-school. Not leaving out Mukuni a 1×3 classroom block has been added for the over-crowded grades 8& 9 who currently have four pupils sharing a desk. This will also have two offices and storerooms. All these building projects have been made possible thanks to the grant aid from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission. In addition to this is a classroom for Special Education, kindly donated by The Besom. Children with physical disabilities can go into mainstrean school, now children with mental health problems or impaired vision and hearing can also go to school.  The Butterfly Tree pre-school will also have an additional classroom to cope with the ever-increasing number of attendees, which has now reached over 250. This has kindly been donated in memory of Sandra Challenger, a former employee of Saga, whose charitable trust support our African malaria program.  There are also six community houses being built for widows and orphans.

As always funds are needed for the Mukuni Health Centre for the HIV/AIDS in Zambia and malaria programs we support. A number of children have been sent to hospital for treatment and physiotherapy. We have just added a new water pump and paid for new pipework at the clinic. N’songwe Village will be able to open their community built clinic once the staff house we are funding has been constructed. With so few supplies from the government we have also sent out a shipment of medical supplies, some eighty boxes contain dressings, autoclaves and other equipment, besides clothes for the orphans and books and stationery for the schools.

Girls’ 100 metre sprint Jane presenting ‘Change for The Better’ CD

Mukuni Basic School played hosts for the Kazungula District Sports held over three days at the end of term. The Butterfly Tree provided food for the competitors and transport for pupils from outreach schools. Sport is an essential part of the schools’ curriculum; unfortunately the facilities are very poor with most of the playing fields being dirt tracks. I was shocked to learn that the volley ball that we purchased in Livingstone cost £23 ($34), the only one available locally. All the children ran in bare feet and very few had team shirts for the athletics or ball games. I saw several children collapse at the end of a race, possibly due to lack of food and fluid before they took part. Energy drinks, so commonly used for sporting activities in the west are rarely seen. Despite all the problems the standard was excellent and many Mukuni pupils will go through to represent the Kazungula District in the Southern Province’s competition. I am delighted to say that some of the competitors on on our orphan sponsorship program, proving once again the importance of being able to receive an all round education.

Jane Kaye-Bailey

Listen to the Mukuni children singing on YouTube

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Buy our charity CD ‘Change for the Better ‘

Africans are born with rhythm, so it is not surprising to come across many talented people during my trips to Mukuni; song and dance play an influential role in their culture. The forthcoming Lwiindi Ceremony, the ‘Cutlural Feast of the Spray Ceremony of the Victoria Falls’ scheduled for the 2nd August. This is a great spectacle of colour showing many aspects of tribal life, most especially through music. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Live Aid, the famous Fundraising Concert for the famine in Ethiopia. I recently watched a biography of Bob Geldof and a recording of Live Aid, this shows the power and lure of music from every corner of the world. I have always been inspired by the incredible fete acheived by the organisers of this event and believe that music is a great media for fundraising.

Charity Music: Crystal Shaun & TY2 & Leya Tribal Dancing at Mukuni Village

This year we launched a charity single, called ‘Change for the Better’ on World Malaria Day to increase global awareness and raise funds for the fight against Africa malaria. Although Zambia is not a famine area, there is hunger, poverty and sickness and the continual battle against malaria and HIV/AIDS, lack of safe, clean water and medical supplies. The Butterfly Tree has concentrated its work in the Mukuni Chiefdom to improve all aspects of life and not just walk away after putting up a new classroom. It is vital to improve the water and health facilities along with advancing the edcuation to really make a difference, after which Mukuni Village can attempt to be more sustainable.

HIV/AIDS in Zambia  under fives’s feeding program     outreach clinics in Mukuni

A student from North Carolina recently visited our projects on behalf of GlobalGving US. Troy Smith has written a wonderful report highlighting our work and the difference we are making to the lives of the orphans and our programs for HIV/AIDS in Zambia. A volunteer from the UK, Brendan Poynton, recently spent some time at Mukuni, Ngandu and Kamwi Schools holding music workshops for the pupils. He was so inspired by our work and the response from the children that he has offered to raise funds to build a Music Centre at Mukuni. With this in place we can hold events in Zambia and who knows we may even be able to host our own mini ‘Live Aid’ concert.

In a recent program the Big Give set up a scheme in schools to inspire the next generation of philanthropers, using the Dragon School in Oxford as a pilot. After researching 6000 charities on the site three were selectecd as the finalists. This is the email we received from the school ‘We have been engaged in a project to encourage philanthropy in schools via the Big Give, of all the 6000 charities on their site, I choose The Butterfly Tree because I really like the work that you are doing and I believe that you will spend the money in the right way’.

Philanthropy in Schools: Machenje pre-school children

This is just one of the many schools offering support to the charity. I recently spoke to my local village school, Wolverton Primary, for the fourth consecutive year. The interest they have shown in our projects and desire to learn about the orphans effected by HIV and Aids  in Zambia is truly inspiring, the school also sponsor an orphan from Mukuni Village. Other schools to offer support are Fountaindale Special Education School, Farlingaye High School, Arden School, Marston Green Primary School, Monikie Primary School and Cromwell Junior School to name but a few.

Jube Musonda on The Butterfly Tree orphan sponsorship program

Education is not free in Zambia and it is important for children in western countries to realise how fortunate they are. Education is the key to improving the lives of African children, without it there is little hope. There are a number of ways for schools to support The Butterfly Tree - by fundraising for a specific project, joining our orphan sponsorship program or through social networking such as Facebook. I recently submitted a story to Facebook, after learning that they are creating a new page, to highlight causes that have been enhanced through Social networking: ‘We liked your story so much that we’d like to feature it on a new page on Facebook we’re creating from people like you around the world’.

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Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of the most stunning sites in Africa. Mukuni Village is just seven kilometres from this World Heritage site, a place of worship for the local Leya people. The forthcoming Lwindii ceremony is celebrated by these indiginous people who call the falls ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. Thousands of tourists from all over the world visit this wondrous site, staying at luxury hotels such as the Royal Livingstone and the Zambezi Sun, both owned by Sun International and for a taste of Africa, Stanley Safari Lodge or the Tongabezi Lodge. All of these companies are supporting the charity.

Mukuni Village tourists: 3 young girls from the Leya tribe of the Mukuni Chiefdom

While visiting the area there is an option to take a cultural tour to Mukuni, to see the tribal people in their natural surroundings. Over the past four years The Butterfly Tree has received a substantial number of donations from tourists who have been moved by the plight of these people and inspired by the work of the charity. The Butterfly Tree team are able to give a gudied tour of Mukuni, showing them our many projects, the school children at work and the clinic in action, ending with a chance to purchase curios from the market.

Mukuni orphans receive tourists’ donations

After visiting the village there are many ways in which the tourist can get involved and become a philanthropic traveller. Either by a giving a one off donation towards a project, offering on going support or the most popular choice is to sponsor an orphan. There is also the opportunity to return as a volunteer, something that several people have experienced and many wish to return. Saga guests include a visit to our projects as part of their itinerary and these tours have been extremely fruitful. For our American philanthropers there is now an opportunity to donate through GlobalGiving US, an organisation that helps non-profits to obtain US donations using a 501 (c) 3 certificate. 

June, the start of the British summer. A time when we embrace the warm sunshine, blue skies, light evenings and hope for rain-free days. A time for planting out the garden, barbecues and Pimms. During this period many of us will be pumping thousands of litres of water onto our precious gardens, wash our cars and fill our swimming pools, while children in Zambia will be drinking from crocodile infested rivers.

Zambia has a dry, wet and winter seasons. The rains abate at the end of March and can rarely be seen before the end of October. Six months without rain, when the lush green vegetation turns into a dry parched terrain. Life in villages such as Mukuni is challenging, life in remote villages like Siamasimbi is tough. Water is life, without it nothing can grow. In the west it is taken for granted, for African children it is a precious commodity. The Butterfly Tree’s aim is to provide safe, clean water to all the outreach communities in the areas of our work. To date we have provided seven bore holes in the Mukuni Chiefdom, two of them from private donors and five thanks to our partnership with Just a Drop. We have also added nine new water tanks in Mukuni Village thanks to a generous donation from Saga Charitable Trust.

Water is life: dry stream in Mukuni, a common scene in the month of September

African woman and children can be seen all over the continent walking long distances to obtain water. Streams are shared for bathing, washing clothes, drinking water and with animals, further increasing the risk of pollution. The difference a bore hole can provide is enormous. No longer are the children at risk from being attacked by crocodiles, the risk of infection is considerably reduced. Earlier this year seven babies died in one village due to a water-born bacterial infection.

Besides providing bore holes we set up a water committee to educate the community and to teach the people basic hygiene, maintenance skills and sustainablity. Five of the schools now have their own bore hole with Indian hand pumps and two with Playpumps, a wonderful concept whereby the children can pump their own water while playing on a merry-go-round. The schools are now able to have their own gardens to support the invaluable feeding programs.

Children happily pumping water safe, clean water for Kamwi Basic School

In conjunction with Small Charities Week 14th-18th June we are promoting awareness for the one billion people who do not have access to safe, clean water and raising funds to support our water projects in Zambia.

In the past twelve months we have been inudated with requests from people who want to volunteer at Mukuni. My son, Mike and his friend Lucy have just returned after spending two weeks working on The Butterfly Tree projects. Mike as a member of the charity, was able to check on our projects and visit several of the outreach schools where building construction is underway. The 1×3 classroom block at Kamwi Basic School is almost complete and a teacher’s house is currently being built; with the addition of a bore hole and feeding program, the children of this very poor, remote village will have a chance to improve their situation.

Volunteers at Mukuni: Lucy working at the pre-school   Mike visiting lions at ‘Mukuni Big Five’

A visit to Siamasimbi was also included now that the rains are over and the village is again accessible. Mike spoke to the entire community who rejoiced when he announced that the charity is to build a 1×2 classroom block and a teacher’s house for the school. At Mukuni massive construction is underway - a 1×3 classroom block for grades eight and nine, a classroom for special education and an additional one for The Butterfly Tree pre-school. It was here were Lucy spent most of her days as a volunteer, teaching English to the young African children. With some of the funds she and Mike raised, three schools were presented with exercise books, pens and educational material.

New classrooms for Kamwi Basic School & Special Education at Mukuni

The remainder of the funds raised by Mike and Nigel Birch through their sponsored cycle, were used to set up a goat-rearing project for women. Half the profits will be used to create a self-sustaining income and the other half will be offered to help the disabled people of Mukuni Village. There is always an opportunity for volunteers to help either at the school, clinic or work on a community project so long as they fund their own travel and accommodation. Not only is there the opportunity to help these vulnerable people, it is an amazing place to visit. The village is just 7 kilometres from one of the most spectacular areas in Africa, the magnificnet Victoria Falls. We can give advice on where to stay, transportation and make the arrangements to work with the ground team. All we ask in return is for the volunteers to do some fundrasing or give a donation to a project of their choice. Many of these volunteers have expressed a wish to return to Mukuni or get involed with The Butterfly Tree charity. Some of them sponsor an orphan and others have donated generously. If you would like to find more about the chance to volunteer please contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk

Although the area where The Butterfly Tree works is not an area of famine there is a great deal of hunger, particularly amongst the children who have to walk a considerable distance to school. Leaving home at 4am, covering a distance of ten miles to reach school for start of lessons at 7am is not an easy task. This is to be followed by a full morning of lessons so by noon their stomachs are rumbling ferociously. For the lucky ones they will have brought food to school or been given money to buy something at the Mukuni Village market; for the less fortunate no food is available until after the return journey to their village.

Since 2006 The Butterfly has provided a nutritional feeding program, generously sponsored by Cunninghams for almost 500 vulnerable pupils at Mukuni Village. This year thanks to the generosity of Karen Lytle, a philanthropic traveler from Arizona four other schools, N’gandu, Kamwi, Siamasimbi and Katapazi have their own feeding programs. Mubiana Community School has also received funds donated by Placer Nature Centre. All of these schools, along with Mukuni, have been given seeds to grow their own vegetables to add sustainability. This year most of them had good crops of maize, the staple diet of Zambia. The maize has been dried, ground and stored for use during the dry season, now they are planting vegetables to support the feeding programs.

Feeding programs: Katapazi and Mukuni - two of the schools that grow their own maize

These feeding programs are essential, without them both attendence and performance is poor. We are encouring all the schools to become sustainable, each of them has been given a bore hole to support this program, the last to be completed is at Kamwi Basic School. This is a great boost for the schools, especially during the dry season when it is normal to go six months without rain. Once again we are grateful to Just a Drop for providing the funds for our water projects. Seeing fresh, clean water pumping from underground gives much joy to the communities and a healthier option than using rivers and streams contaminated with bacteria.

New bore hole & Indian hand pump for Kamwi Basic School

Both the feeding programs and water projects have made a substantial ‘Change for the Better’.

One of the great things about running a charity to help orphans is the enormous amount of interest and support it attracts. Now that we have been operating for over four year and have been able to achieve a great deal, we are getting a considerable amount of offers from individuals, schools and churches who genuinely want to help us make a difference. Besides collecting donations, they are doing their own fundraising activities to assit our programs in communities such as Mukuni.

On the 2nd May Mike Kaye and Nigel Birch set off at 06.00, from London’s Trafalgar Square, to cycle 165 miles to Nottingham. Much of their journey was cycling in torrential rain, facing north-easterly winds with temperatures barely reaching eight degrees. An arduous challenge to complete in one day. At 22.10 they finally arrived at Escucha in Nottingham to down a few well deserved pints! Mike is now on his way to Zambia with Lucy Machin to volunteer at Mukuni Village, the funds raised will be used for sport and educational materials. Later this month Jake Wilson-Gunn and Andrew Mottram will be cycling from Lands End to John O’ Groats. Others have done sponsored walks, swims and the iron-man challenge. Several schools have raised funds to sponsor an orphan and supplied bicyles for children in outreach villages to travel to Mukuni schools. Several churches have donated their collections to buy educational materials as well as supporting the orphan sponsorship program.

Fundraising for Mukuni: Mike & Nige cycled 165 miles from London to Nottingham

The local Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs have also been a great support, particulary building hokmes for the vulnerable. This month Basement Entertainment and the UK Zambian community held a fundraising event in London, where our charity song ‘Change for the Better’ was launched to increase global awareness and raise funds for our malaria program. One new fundrasing initiative we have started is to collect empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones for recycling. Empty Cartridges will provide a pre-paid envelope with The Butterfly Tree logo for you to send to them for recycling; in return they will donate to the charity for every item received. Any amount, however small or whichever way you chose to help, can improve the health and education of the those less fortunate in Zambia.

Donated bicycles for long distance travel         New home for widow with orphans

If anyone is interested in doing a challenge or an event, it need not be as strenous as a marathon or a cycle ride, a sponsored walk or simply making cakes as Lucy did and raised almost £100 by selling them to her office colleagues! We can provide you with advertising material, sponsorship forms and suggest ideas.  The Butterfly Tree team is very grateful to all those generous people who have already participated and especially to the ones who are offering on going support.

World Malaria Day marks the unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria throughout the world. Africa malaria is the biggest killer of man, with 75% of deaths occuring in children under the age of five in Sub-Sahara Africa. There are almost one million new cases recorded every year.

According to the World Health Organization half of the world’s population are at risk of malaria. While there are four parasites that can cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum is by far the most deadly and common, this strain is prevelant in Zambia. Once a person is bitten by a P. falciparum carrying mosquito, the parasite grows, multiplies, and undergoes a series of complex life cycle changes that allow it to invade the immune system and infect the liver and red blood cells. Malaria disease caused by P. falciparum may result in death within hours or a few days of infection especially in those with a low immunity such as children, pregnant women, people with AIDS and travelers with little or no malaria. It can also result in the miscarriage in pregnant women, low birth-weight infants, developmental disabilities and other complications.

The Butterfly Tree provides mosquito nets, malaria testing kits and educational workshops for remote villages, such as Mukuni, in Zambia. The long-lasting insecticide treated nets provide nightly protection, the most vulnerable time is between 10pm and 5am when most bites occur. The result of last year’s distribution of nets is that no new cases of malaria have been reported. Providing malaria testing kits is equally important, though malaria cannot be cured it can easily be treated if caught in time. Education is the key; workshops in the communities teach them the dangers of malaria, the importance of nets and the need to be tested.

‘Change for the Better’

Lillian Mweene from Mukuni Village, having completed her education after being on our orphan sponsorship program, told me she wanted to be a musician. I then listened to her sing and contacted Basement Entertainment UK, who put me in touch with TY2, one of Zambians top male artists. Ty2 called me and offered his help, I suggested that it would be great to have our own charity song. He then met me Livingstone, bringing fellow artist Crystal Shaun and Kaufela from Zambezi Fm to record a song. Lillian was invited to join them, the words were written by the artsits themselves and recorded at Raising Sounds Studio with a bonus track from Lillian. Change for the Better was completed in less than two days. We are grateful to the following who have also donated their services: the artists, Raising Sounds Studio, Zambezi Fm, Hiltongrove Mastering, Basement Entertainment UK, PSW Printers and Xpresscds. No less tha 80% of the sale to be used for The Butterfly Tree Malaria Program, sponsored by Saga Charitable Trust with support from Viking River Cruises. The song is available to purchase, on this website, as a CD for £5 or download for £2 and in shops throughout Zambia from May.

Buy the CD or download via: www.changeforthebetter.bandcamp.com

Please buy this song and save a child’s life

Besides producing charity songs The Butterfly Tree is also supporting enviromental issues and recognising World Earth Day. Mother nature has played havoc with our earth in the past few months so we have to protect the wonderful world we live in. Global warming is effecting the entire planet, each and everyone of us must play our part.

It is very difficult to change the culture and way of life of tribal people, such as the Leyas of Mukuni Village. Due to the vast amount of wood needed for people living in rural communities,the forests of Zambia are being depleted. Wood is needed for building mud huts and charcoal is required for cooking. In villages like Mukuni wood carving has been the main source of income for many years and for many people their only skill. Being in a tourist catchment area, close to the Victoria Falls, the main source of income is curio selling. Magnificent animal carvings, intricate masks and wooden bowls are among some of the many items sold at the Victoria Falls and Mukuni Markets.

World Earth Day: The mighty Zambezi River flowing towards the magnificent Victoria Falls

With high unemployment throughout the nation selling crafts to tourists is a means of providing food for the family. One solution is to provide tree nurseries for these rural communities. Not just providing seeds but offering educational workshops on how to preserve and protect the enviroment. Garry Brooks, the founder of African Community Projects, is a Canadian forestry expert, who has freely offered his expertise to show us how to go about growing trees. In our small way we can not only help the people of Mukuni Village but also acknowledge World Earth Day by planting thousands of trees.