Today is World Malaria Day and marks the unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria throughout the world. Each one of us should be aware and support the United Nations target for 2010 to deliver effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria.

The Butterfly Tree supports Africa Malaria programs by providing malaria testing kits for Mukuni Health Centre and Katapazi Health Centre. Despite the Zambian government’s efforts there is always a shortfall. By topping up this vital supply of malaria testing kits more lives can be saved. Pregant women, babies and HIV/AIDS sufferers are particularly vulnerable. My first involvement at Mukuni back in March 2006 was to see a woman recovering from malaria as a result of our support. Zambia has the most deadly and most common form of malaria – Plasmodium falciparum, treatment is available once diagnosis has been obtained. 

World Malaria Day supports young Mukuni boy vulnerable to malaria

For World Malaria Day The Butterfly Tree is making an appeal on Touch Radio, Twitter and Facebook to ask everyone to donate just £1 to purchase a malaria testing kit. Your donation could save somone’s life.

World Malaria Day is on the 25th April and The Butterfly Tree is helping to promote malaria awareness and appealing to everyone to donate just £1 ($1.50) to buy a malaria testing kit, which could save a child’s life. According to the World Health Organization half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria, and an estimated 247 million cases led to nearly 881,000 deaths in 2006. The World malaria report 2008 describes the global distribution of cases and deaths from malaria, how WHO-recommended control strategies have been adopted and implemented in malaria endemic countries, sources of funding for malaria control, and recent evidence that Malaria prevention and treatment can alleviate the burden of disease.

Africa malaria: A baby recovering from Malaria at Mukuni Health Centre

Zambia has a population of less than 12 million people and yet there were 4.7 million cases of malaria reported in 2006. Malaria in Africa is the biggest killer and 75% of people worldwide who die as a result of malaria are children under the age of five mostly in sub-Sahara Africa. The latest report from WHO announced today states that Zambia has achieved a major reduction in malaria mortality by 66% and will be promoted for other countries to follow.

While there are four types of parasites that can cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum is by far the most deadly and common, particularly 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 evade 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 low immunity such as children, pregnant women, people with AIDS (not necessarily HIV carriers), and travelers from areas with little or no malaria. Malaria can also result in miscarriage in pregnant women, low birth-weight infants, developmental disabilities, and other complications.

Africa Malaria Prevention

Team preparing to spray every mud hut in Mukuni – October 2008

The Zambian government has a strategy in place to control malaria and aimed to ensure that at least 80% sleep under Insecticide-treated nets by the end of 2008. They are doing a tremendous job but working in African remote villages I often learn that at least three children have to fit under one net. The other problem is that there are never enough testing kits, early diagnosis is crucial, each time I visit Mukuni Health Centre their supply has depleted. The Butterfly Tree raises awareness and funds to assist this vital progam by providing malaria testing kits and mosquito nets. Saga Charitable Trust have given generously to our efforts. World Malaria Day is April 25th please donate a £1 and save someone’s life and help the Africa Malaria prevention and treatment efforts.

The Butterfly Tree is delighted to have a mention in an article featured in Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Last June I took the Donlins from New York up to Mukuni Village to show them around the school and The Butterfly Tree projects, they were very impressed with our work, donated virtually all their clothes to a poor community at Dumwa and have recently given a $2500 donation.. They have since said that it was the most memorable moment of  their trip.

Another family who I took to Mukuni during the same month gave a donation to the health centre, funded a bore hole, sponsor five orphans and offering on going support to the charity. All the visitors to Mukuni are touched by the people and their enduring hardships and are endeared to see that they still manage to smile. The importance of giving back to a community is invaluable, sitting round the pool of a five star hotel or playing on a golf course gives employment to local people but donating a bore hole gives their families safe clean water, a chance to improve their health, grow vegetables and gives them a chance to become sustainable.

In March we had great fun distributing the 2000 t-shirts and shorts donated by a group of tourists, through Nakker International, who visited Mukuni earlier in the year.

New T-shirts for Mukuni children

It is a mutual benefit for both the traveller and the people in these developing countries. Anyone visiting the Victoria Falls can visit Mukuni Village and see The Buttefly Tree at work, many have said it was the highlight of their travels to Southern Africa. Philanthropic travel can make a difference to someone’s life, through our orphan sponsorship program you can make a difference to their entire community.

Two weeks ago Paul from Blackpool contacted me to say that he was going out to Zambia for a holiday and that he’d like to get involved with a charity working at Mukuni Village; by the end of the conversation Paul generously offered to fund a bore hole. Little did I realise that this was just his first donation. After several subsequent phone calls Paul told me that he was so inspired by the work of The Butterfly Tree that he would like to donate further funds.

Lillian Mwandila has lost both her parents and is eleven years old. She lives with her grandmother and four other orphans in a tiny mud hut in the middle of Mukuni Village. She was on our orphan sponsorship list awaiting a donor along with 59 orphans who I met last month. Now she has been offered an amazing opportunity thanks to Paul who will shortly be visiting Zambia, to not only obtain a full education at Mukuni but the rare opportunity to go on to University. Why was Lillian selected from such a long list when they are all vulnerable? The Butterfly Tree team in Zambia spent two days talking to teachers, visiting homes and scrutinising the orphans before they made their selection. Lillian proved to be the most needy with a clever mind, someone who hopefully will prosper from this wonderful offer and gain knowledge to assist her community in the future.

Lillian Mwandila from Mukuni Village

My new donor didn’t stop there after further conversations Paul wanted to fund five community houses, one of which I suggested went to Lillian’s family and he also offered extra funds for the other orphans living with her. After talking about the shortage of food and our successful feeding program at Mukuni Paul has also offered to start one at Siamasimbi School. Overnight Paul realised the importance of philanthropic travel, giving something back to the community he is visiting.

In the midst of all our doom and gloom due to the global crisis, do we stop and think just how much all the developing countries are suffering? Now one man’s kindness has given a boost to the charity funds and hope for a young Zambian girl. You too can get involved with our orphan sponsorship program and help Zambian children like Lillian.

Whether it’s a school meal or a packed lunch all our children receive something to get them through the school day. When you have to leave home at 4am for a three hour walk to school to start lessons at 7am by mid morning the hunger pains begin. There is no morning porridge because the supplies have run out and your family are too poor to provide a packed lunch or fund something from the tuck shop, by noon you become tired and lethargic. The afternoon activities are a struggle, exams are even tougher, it becomes difficult to concentrate. The walk back home takes longer as the hunger increases.

This is what happens in Mukuni and many areas that have been affected by HIV and Aids in Zambia. People are so poor that a great number only eat one meal a day, comprising of ground maize, vegetables and ground nuts. Chicken, bread, rice, eggs and milk are all luxuries. To help overcome this problem The Butterfly Tree provides a daily feeding program for Mukuni schools sponsored by Cunninghams. Over 500 children receive a daily nutritional meal, vital for the growth and development of any child.

Sweets a rare treat for Mukuni children

Now we need sponsors for the other schools in the Mukuni Chiefdom: Kamwi, Ngandu, Siamasimbi and Katapazi. Not only are the school children hungry, during my last visit I met a young woman from Machenje Village, she had brought her twins to Mukuni Health Centre to be weighed having walked the three miles from her home. The infants were fourteen months old, both suffering from malnutrition, the mother had no milk to feed her babies. She told me she hadn’t eaten since the day before.

The Butterfly Tree funds an under fives feeding program to replace breast milk in mothers who are HIV positive, transmission of the disease is then prevented. Unfortuantely formula in Zambia is very costly therefore we are introducing goats milk, a high source of nutrition and a way of providing a sustainable income to the milk produces. Women who have benefited from the program have voluntered to help with the running of this. These feeding programs are essential for the develpoment of children who are the future of Zambia.