During my visit to Mukuni I was fortunate to have Professor Doug Saunders from Sydney University acccompany for four days. After a brief encounter at Livingstone airport in May 2007 Doug was interested in my work, came to the UK to see me and this February funded a trip to Zambia to assist the charity. He is setting up a program to allow medical students from the University to do their internship at Mukuni Health Centre and Livingstone Hospital, giving the students experience and tropical medicine and in return the students will bring a wealth of knowledge for new treatments.

I took Doug to the morning clinics at Mukuni Health Centre, run by Mr. Mwewa, the clinical officer and Mrs Mukuni the midwife. From a medical experience he was fasinated but equally appalled by the lack of facilities, equipment and medicines. In fifty years in medicine, specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics, he had never seen cases of malaria, leprosy, TB in HIV positve women, severe pre-ecampsia or juvenile cataract.

Chaton Siloka awaiting an operation at Mukuni Health Centre

Doug offered to help with diagnosis and treatment. Two boys who had been suffering from ailments for several years; one had continual urinary infections and the other an enlarged spleen, neither could not be treated in hospital due to lack funds. They had been unable to attend school for much of the year and suffered pain and discomfort. Another boy, Martin Siloka had accidently been hit by a small stone, resulting in loss of sight in one eye as a a cataract had formed. The Butterfly Tree is funding treatment for these three children.

I have set up a program to fund four children a month who need hospital treatment. Although Mukuni Health Centre has some excellent staff it has not got the facilities to operate or treat certain cases. Idrin Ghani who The Butterfly Tree has been funding since last October had her final operation last month and has recovered from the osteomylitis that could have taken her life.

We all complain about our medical care, in the UK it is a free service and we have very good facilites; these rural people cannot evern afford the transport to take them to hospital, where they have to pay for their medication and often the operation as well. Our Gallery shows photos of the Mukuni Health Centre.

Today marks World Water Day. Despite the UN’s International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life 2005–2015′, there are still over a billion people who have not got access to safe, clean water. Water is life, a commodity that we take for granted in the west, but when you have to drink the water from crocodile infested rivers and carry it for several kilometres it is very precious. Millions of children die each year from preventable water-borne diseases, hunger and poverty are a result of water shortage. Women spend many hours of their day fetching water. In a country such as Zambia when the dry season lasts for six months it is crucial to have an adequate source of safe, clean water.

This stagnant water is used for drinking and washing

Earlier this month we were able to provide four new bore holes for the Mukuni Cheifdom. We are working with two other water charites, Just a Drop and W Charitable Foundation who have donated three of the bore holes. WCF are funding London’s University’s SOAS to research water problems in Africa and we are delighted that they have chose The Butterfly Tree for some of their field work studies.

Mukuni, Siamasimbi and Katapazi schools will all benefit. Previously they had to share a well with the community, which depletes the supply and in some cases the water is only available for a few hours a day. Not only is there insufficient water for drinking but also for washing and sanitation. The school will now be able to grow their own vegetables reducing hunger amongst the pupils and making them more sustainable.

The fourth is from a very generous family from the US who I met in Zambia last June. The village of Kafekwa and their neighbours had to rely on river water, highly contaminated, diarrhoa is a common ailment amongst these people. It is a fertile growing area, the income comes from farming and now with the addition of the new well and pump more food can be grown.  

New bore hole and pump for Kafekwa Village

We insist that the communities receiving our donated bore holes have their own water committee, must maintain the hand pumps and teach the people basic hygiene.

It is now three years since I first went to Mukuni Village, which resulted in the founding of The Butterfly Tree. Having just spent three weeks in Zambia overseeing our programs and sourcing new projects it is very difficult to prioritize when there is so much need. However two of the most crucial issues are health and water and I am very grateful to Professor Doug Saunders from Sydney University’s medical school for assisting me at the clinic and Rachel Hemingway from W Charitable Foundation who spent a week with me giving advice on water and sanitation problems. The charity has funded three bore holes for schools through our partners Just a Drop. We put in a fourth bore hole at Kafekwa Village kindly donated by toursits from the US. This month starts the development of Katapazi from a grant received to improve their clinic, build a classroom and 4 pit-latrine toilets in addition to the new well for the school.

Our efforts have much improved the health facilities at the Mukuni Health Centre though there are many patients who are referred to Livingstone hospital and cannot afford the transport. We have started a new program to assist four children a month who need hospital care. Idrin Gani had ostemyelitis when she was just two years old; leaving her limping and disabled. Nine years later the infection flared up again and when I found her the leg was covered in sores. Since October 2008 we have provided funds for an operation in Lusaka, weeks of treatment and physiotherapy. Now Idrin is back home in Chise happily enjoying school and life with her family.

 
Jane with Idrin and her mother                           Bore hole and pump for Siamasimbi School

The Butterfly Tree received donations amounting to £7000 in memory of my late husband Lawrence. His favourite project was the community houses for the elderly and vulnerable; these funds have been used to built six homes as well as purchasing beds for the maternity clinic and the restoration of a classroom at Ngandu School. The school has been able to upgrade to grades eight and nine, particularly beneficial for children who previously had to walk long distances to Mukuni.

  
Community House in Mukuni Village                    International Women’s Day celebrations

Tourists from the US have generously donated 2000 t-shirts and shorts through The Butterfly Tree for the children of the Mukuni Cheifdom. We are providing sewing machines and materials for the orphans to make school uniforms, enabling the school to be more sustainable. It was heartbreaking to see so many new orphans; sixty more children from the Mukuni school are desperately seeking sponsors to pay for their education. We are currently supporting over 150 orphans, working to provide them with a future and teaching them the dangers of HIV/AIDS, how to avoid getting pregnant and health and hygiene. Please continue this vital funding for the orphan sponsorship program ,your help is greatly appreciated by both the charity and the orphans. We are currently raising funds for a Science lab at Mukuni High School to complete our project, until this is build the pupils have to sit costly external examinations - any contritbutions would be most welcome!

On the 8th March I hosted a day at Mukuni Village to celebrate International Women’s Day. Twelve groups came from all the surrounding villages walking some walking for over two hours; lunch and drinks were provided by us and the women sang songs, performed dances and drama. It was a rare treat for these hard-working people, many of which are widowed and have several orphaned grandchildren to care for. These women have a very tough life, especially when ther husbands have died and in many cases their children as well leaving them to be the sole provider. We are setting up a project for women to produce goat’s milk, a good source of nutrition and can be used to replace breastmilk in HIV positive women. We are currently providing formula but this is very costly and not always available in Zambia. Just another of the problems they have to overcome. Our under five’s feeding program is vital to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to infant.

I am delighted to say that in three years we have achieved a great deal and much more than any other charity working in the Mukuni Cheifdom. As always a special thank you to everyone who has supported The Butterfly Tree and enabled us to carry out these worthwhile projects. The photos from this trip can be seen in our Gallery.

Warmest regards,

Jane Kaye-Bailey