1st December is WORLD AIDS DAY

The Butterfly Tree is appealing to everyone to join the world fight against this incurable disease.

2 million people die every year

Leaving thousands of children without any parents. 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, including 17.5 million women and 2.3 million children under the age of 15.  

Zambia is one of the poorest nations on earth where two thirds of the population live on less than 50 pence a day. It has one of the worst pandemics of HIV/AIDS with one in every six adults living with HIV; life expectancy has reduced to around 34 years of age resulting in 710,000 AIDS orphans.  

Photo: The importance of being testing for HIV cannot be stressed enough; by ‘knowing you status’ treatment and counselling can be obtained. The Butterfly Tree is funding this HIV workshop.

During my many visits to Zambia I have learnt a great deal about this devastating illness and I have seen first hand the suffering and heartbreak it causes. Too many elderly people have been left with no children to care for them and the added burden of having several grandchildren to support. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest speaker on Philanthropic Travel

On the 12th November I was privileged to be a guest speaker at The World Travel Market at Excel in London. I took part in a seminar entitled ‘Luxury Travel with a Conscience’ hosted by Morris Visitor Publications’ IN London magazine and Eventica’s Global Luxury Forum the latter had previously invited me to speak at their event in April.  

I was looking at this from a different angle to my fellow team members who were all in the travel business and wishing to prove that their companies were involved in responsible travel, particularly in the reduction of carbon emissions, recycling and building eco-friendly resorts. All of these are extremely important issues, but sadly the humanitarian factor is often overlooked.  

I explained the concept of philanthropic travel and how rewarding it can be to visit a local community, gaining a cultural experience and giving a donation to local project. Many people are totally unaware that behind their exotic resorts, built in third world countries are some of the poorest people in the world. I strongly believe that if the luxury traveller in particular were made more aware of these circumstances, they would be willing to ‘give something back’.  

Photo: Jane with a resident of Mukuni Village - ‘giving something back’ is such a rewarding experience. A new mattress to go in one of the new homes funded by The Butterfly Tree

As an example of philanthropic travel I began by describing how I went on a business incentive trip to The Victoria Falls and gained a life-changing experience by founding The Butterfly Tree. I gave three other examples; firstly of a ‘luxury tour operator with a conscience’ using one of The Butterfly Tree’s partners Exquisite Safaris, pioneers in luxury philanthropic travel, who include in all of their tours a visit to a humanitarian outreach project. Read the rest of this entry »