Life in Zambia is tough for a school child, especially if you an orphan and have little financial support to pursue your education. Life is is even tougher if you are a child with physical or mental disabilities. The Butterfly Tree has been working on a number of ways that we can help these disadvanteged children. Now thanks to some amazing offers we are able to set up a Special Education department.

The Besom has generously donated funds to buy the materials for a classoom block to be built at Mukuni Basic School. The charity and community will supply the labour costs. We have also received a grant from St James Place Foundation Newbury Office, which will pay for materials and uniforms for the pupils. Fountaindale Special School in Mansfield, who caters for children with severe disabilities are offering on going support through fundraising and the provison of materials. They have held a number of events to raise funds for these African children who they believe to be worse off than they are. I am so touched by the genorosity of this school as their pupils need so much care and yet their selflessness will improve the lives of children who need special education in Mukuni Village.

Special Education for Mukuni: Siabajene has learning difficulties

This will be a great advancement for Mukuni and Zambia education as very little is available from the government who will only provide a teacher. To further enhance this project you can donate a donkey to transport a disabled child to school or sponsor an orphan.

The British and Foreign School Society gave us a grant in 2007 to provide materials and equipment for the new high school we had built at Mukuni, without this we would not have been able to open. This grant also included funds to buy stationery and equipment for Mukuni, Ngandu and Kamwi Basic Schools and gave us a great start in developing these teaching facilities. At the end of last year we had school leavers who were the first to complete a full education within Mukuni Village. This generous support helped to advance the education in these remote villages, giving the pupils access to materials that are not normally provided by the government.

Once again the The British and Foreign School Society has generously given a grant to help six more basic schools. Katapazi, Siamasimbi, N’songwe, Libala, Manayemumyemu and Mulindi Basic Schools will each receive funding to purchase stationery and equipment. We are currently working in Katapazi, Siamasimbi and N’songwe, now this will give The Butterfly Tree an opportuntiy to assist three further schools, enabling us to expand our work within the chiefdom.

Education in Mukuni: Siamasimbi Pupils               N’gandu Basic School Pupils

Education is the key and the only way these vulnerable children have a chance of improving their circumstances. With 50 % of the pupils at Mukuni being orphaned through HIV/AIDS in Zambia it is crucial that these children are educated. All our projects revolve around orphan sponsorship and support aiming to enhance their health and education facilities. This month we have been able to extend our feeding programs, thanks to a very generous offer from a volunteer from Arizona who worked with me on the projects last September. Cunninghams continue to support the feeding program for the Mukuni schools; in addition we are providing food for N’gandu, Katapazi, Siamasimbi and Kamwi and the local community have provided the cooks. Another feeding program commenced at Mubiana Community School kindly funded by Placer Nature Centre.

To improve the education these schools need continued support as the government funding for basic schools is minimal. You too can help by giving a donation to one of our projects or you can sponsor an orphan for as little as £8 ($15) per month or £95 ($160) per annum.

Seeing the heartbreaking pictures coming out of Haiti confirms the importance of international aid work and the need for our support in developing countries. Life is a struggle on a daily basis but when something as catastrophic as an earthquake hits your community where do you turn for help? These people have not only lost everything but have little hope for the future. There is no social welfare or National Health Service and with the inevitable outbreaks of disease, shortages of water and food supplies life becomes unbearable for the survivors.

Working in a country such as Zambia I have seen devastating loss and I know how vital aid work is. However it is essential that the funding and supplies are administered through the correct channels, ensuring that it does not get into the wrong hands. Being registered as a charity in Zambia as well as the UK has given The Butterfly Tree the opportunity to have a reliable and trustworthy team on the ground. They are able to initiate and oversee all our projects giving us regular reports and asking advice when needed.

One of the biggest projects we will be tackling in the next couple of months is the development of Kamwi Basic School, which currently has an intake of 130 pupils. Kamwi is in a particularly poor area of Mukuni with virtually no employment for the people. The older children currently have to walk up to six miles to Mukuni Basic School, hence the addition of a 1×3 classroom block and a teacher’s house the school will be advanced to grades five, six and seven. Four pit-latrine toilets will also be built, this project is being funded by a grant from JOAC.

Twins from Kamwi Basic School

At present the pupils and teachers have to share the community bore hole, a twenty minute walk from the school; shortly they will have a new well thanks to a donation from Just a Drop. The school is now being run by Sylvia Mulenga, wife of Presley Mulenga, Head Teacher of Mukuni Basic School and we have every confidence that the development of Kamwi Basic School will give these children hope for a brighter future.

Due to lack of funds the pre-school was at risk of closure. The Butterfly Tree has built a new, fully equipped classroom with outdoor play area and also funds two pre-school teachers’ and a helper’s salaries. Pre-schools do not receive government backing. The teachers make the school uniforms and use the profits to pruchase supplies. Now there are now 205 children attending three classes throughout the day.

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Kamwi, a remote school in the Mukuni Chiefdom, goes up to grade 5. The school needs to be upgraded as the children have to walk great distances to get to Mukuni Basic School, crossing elephant paths on the way. The younger children are frightened and run to school becoming too tired to do their lessons. The Butterfly Tree is funding a three-bay classroom.

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The Butterfly Tree has four projects underway to help the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We are funding voluntary testing programs; sponsoring HIV/AIDS orphans, a feeding program to help prevent mother to child transmission, the first to be initiated in Zambia. Working with TME, who provide educational DVDs, The Butterfly Tree is distributing them throughout the nation and translating them into local languages.

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The Butterfly Tree sanitation project has provided seventeen pit-latrine toilets for Mukuni Village. Thirteen are for the schools and teachers and four for the community. Lack of sanitation is these rural communities causes a number of health problems. We are also working with TME to provide educational DVDs on Health and Hygiene.

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The Butterfly Tree is funding a project for widows to have a sustainable income. By providing the materials the woman can make the school uniforms, clothing, basket ware and jewellery to sell in the curios centre. Many women are left with several children to support and have no way of earning a living. Mostly men do the wood carvings to sell to the tourists.