One of the most important considerations when giving to charity is to ensure that the maximum amount goes directly to the cause and this is something that we continue to strive for. I repeatedly hear people say that they are through with giving to charities that deduct a sizeable amount of a donation to cover administration fees. Other hidden costs cover salaries, personal expenses and outlay for restructioning. Obviously the larger charities have to generate vast amounts of money and have high overheads but so much money is being misused. Last year it was revealed that one of the better known charities gave their Chief Executive and Deputy Leader over £800,000 in pay-offs.

Charity Giving: best use of donor funds – new school for Silelo pupils

The Butterfly Tree prides itself in being able to capitalise on a donation and use it in the best possible way that will benefit the rural communities we support in Zambia.  For the past six years we have been able to use donor funds to initiate projects such as building classrooms and clinics, bore holes, malaria and HIV and AIDS prevention programs, community housing and orphan sponsorship. No administration costs or personal fees have been deducted. Our loyal and committed teams both in Zambia and the UK work on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time and energy to improving the lives of those less fortunate. Administration fees in the UK are covered by the Chairman and we do not rent office space in either country.

Beneficiaries of Charity Giving – three young boys from Mukuni Village

This month we have changed our donation facility, as the one previously used has now added costs. The new facility is Mydonate, which is administered by British Telecom and provides us with a free, secure service and an easy-to-use method. We hope that this will be a great benefit to both The Butterfly Tree and our donors. For anyone wanting to create their own fundraising page Mydonate can also be used. Sporting challenges, events, school fundraising initiatives can benefit this method.

We are also registered with Just Giving, we pay monthly fee for this facility so anyone creating their own page can link to The Butterfly Tree.  For American Donors who require a 501 (c) 3 facility we are listed on the US GlobalGiving site. There are many other ways to help raise money for our cause, these include Giving Lots - charity auction site, Everyclick - a search engine that donates to charity every time you search on the web and we are also listed on Ebay for Charity. If you would like more information please contact: jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk

To make a donation please use the Mydonate service now listed on our website.

Virtually all the work of The Butterfly Tree revolves around the HIV and AIDS orphans. At Mukuni Village almost 50% of the school children have lost one or more parent putting a huge burden on elderly grandparents and guardians and its the same story in every village. We believe that the only way to make the change is to target the younger generation and teach them all about HIV and AIDS prevention. Last year we were delighted to welcome Mutsa Marau to our team as a volunteer from London. Mutsa has a BA in Anthropoly and Socialogy, a MBA in International Business Practice and is a trained youth worker. She has written her own HIV and AIDS prevention program to train peer educators amongst school children, for the past four and a half months has worked with pupils at Mukuni.

HIV and AIDS Prevention Co-ordinator – Mutsa Murau

Now these dedicated young people are ready to ‘spread the word’ and are reaching out to other rural schools. They are educating their peers on the dangers of HIV, how to prevent it, the importance of voluntary testing and how to live with it if you are unfortunate to have been born with the virus. Other issues include teenage pregnancy and other sexually transmitted diseases and surrounding issues. With our support their aim is to reach out to all the schools we are involved with and beyond. Several of these educators are from The Butterfly Tree orphan sponsorship program and it is wonderful to see the progress they have made as inviduals and a group.

Natasha – Peer Educator and orphan sponsored by The Butterfly Tree

Another volunteer, Brendan Poynton, is currently raising funds to build a Music Centre at Mukuni. This will give these vulnerable HIV and AIDS orphans an opportunity to hold concerts and social activities to raise funds and awareness to help the fight against this devastating disease. Through several fundraising events Brendan has almost reached his target and has

now organised a charity auction, through MUSIC EARTH RISE, to complete his task. There are some amazing lots including a guitar signed by Eric Clapton and a print signed by Ronnie Wood. If you would like to bid for any of the items please use the following click on Music Earth Rise Auction.

Alfred is not an orphan but his parents are seperated and have very little income. He attends school and makes clothes to generate some money. During my last visit to Mukuni Village I was horrified to learn that Alfred had attempted to commit suicide. When I was asked to counsel him I was unsure of how to approach the matter. I got a run down from his teacher and learnt that he was very intelligent and hard working. When I met this fine young man I let him explain what happened. He told me that he had helped with the housework, prepared supper for the family but had to go away for a couple of hours. When he returned, feeling very hungry after not eating since early morning, he was horrified to find that all the food had been eaten by his family. After an argument with his brother, feeling weak and deprived he went into the bushes and attempted to end his life. Miraculously he was found before it was too late.

School Feeding Programs: Albert earning a sustainable income

When we hear of a young person in the west taking a life it is most likely to be fuelled by drug or alcohol abuse or perhaps bullying at school, but not from hunger. For these rural communites in Zambia hunger goes hand in hand with poverty and our aim is to address the situation at all the schools we support. Sustainable feeding programs are a long-term solution. For the past five years Cunninghams have provided funds for 350 vulnerable children to receive a daily nutritional meal at Mukuni. Many of these children have to walk several miles to school to commence lessons at 7am followed by an afternoon of activities. This feeding programme has helped to improve the health, concentration and stamina of numerous school pupils.

Kamwi Basic School feeding programme

Without sponsorship we are unable to offer such programmes in other schools, though we do provide seeds for several schools to grow produce to supplement their diet. October to March is the rainy season in Zambia therefore it is vital to plant as much maize as possible to provide food for the dry season. The daily porridge from the World Food Program is intermittent and insufficient  for three school terms. Education is the key to overcoming problems of hunger. As for Albert, though he is not an orphan he is vulnerable, and has been added to our orphan sponsorship programme and will be given funds to develop his sewing business to create sustainability for himself and his family.

This December we have raised a record amount of funds primarily as a result of participating in the BigGive Christmas Challege and two substantial grants from two of our major donors. The British and Foreign School Society has generously given a further grant to supply equipment and materials for the four new schools we have built at Mandandi, Matengu, Silelo and Malima. Included in this grant are funds to send twenty school leavers to study at college. These courses will include hotel management, engineering, computing and mechanics. Saga Charitable Trust have continued their support by once again funding our malaria prevention programme in Mukuni Village. Providing mosquito nets, malaria testing kits and educational workshops play a vital role in saving precious young lives.

Young Mukuni girl at The Butterfly Tree Pre-school

At the beginninng of December we took part in the BigGive Christmas Challenge and would like to thank everyone of our donors who patiently donated online and to the ones, including Cunninghams and Gardiff, who had previously pledged £3000. The competition was steep and funds were depleted within an hour of each day. Amazingly on the third day we reached our target of £6000, with Music Earth Rise making a significant contribution. As a result the two amounts combined total £9000 and have been doubled thanks to the BigGive philanthropy fund and their major donors.

Silelo pupils will attend their new school in 2012

2011 has been an incredible year taking on many more challenges and reaching out to new areas in the Mukuni and Musokotwane Chiefdom. In 2012 we will be building another clinic at Mahalulu in and a new school for Sibbulo community in the Sikute Chiefdom close to the Botswana border, funded by grant aid from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission. We are helping thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children to have a better chance in life by improving their water, health and education facilities. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us – donors, volunteers, corporate, schools, clubs and individuals who have trusted in our beliefs, which has enabled us to make a difference in one of the poorest areas on the planet.

From all of The Butterfly Tree team both in the UK and Zambia - we wish you a very Happy Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year!

This month most of us will be frantically buying presents and getting ready for the Christmas festivities. The shops are stacked with merchandice, delicious food and an abundance of drink and yet we still struggle to find that special present with a difference. One way to overcome this problem is to give a charitable gift and there are many ways this can be done. Each year hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of unwanted presents get tossed in the trash - money, time and effort all spent in vain.

Charity Christmas: Supper brewing for a grandmother with five orphans

If you want to find a worthwhile present, which not only offers pleasure to both the giver and the recipient, but can benefit a third party who is less fortunate, then you may like to consider one of the following options: Sponsoring an orphan in Zambia will provide an education for a child, donating a mosquito net could save a child’s life or build a house to accommodate an entire family. There are many other ways to help the orphans – donate a bicycle for a child who has to walk a long distance to school, buy a bag of maize for just £10 or donate a blanket for the cold winter nights for only £15.

Sponsor an orphan – Bright Siabenlengu, Mukuni Village

For most Zambians the highlight of their Christmas Day will be going to church, very few will have a celebratory meal or exchange presents. Two thirds of the population lives on less than one pound per day – their stress is not brought on from deciding what present to buy their family members, but whether they will have enough n’shima (ground maize), vegetables and ground nuts to feed the whole family. One young boy, just fifteen years of age, from Mukuni, recently tried to take his life because he could no longer cope with being constantly hungry. Please give this a thought when you are filling your trolley – do you really need that extra bottle of wine?

The Butterfly Tree’s 2012 charity calendar is available to order. The twelve companies who each sponsor a page have generously continued to do so this year. Some of these companies also sponsor projects annually and have made an invaluable contribution to our work in Zambia.

The calendar is designed to create awareness of our vital work in Zambia and to raise funds for the grassroots projects. The charity’s funds have helped thousands of children to improve their situation in life.  Each £5 that is raised from the sale of this calendar can buy an impregnated mosquito net, medical supplies for one of the three clinics we are operating in, or much needed stationery for one of the fifteen schools we currently support.

The calendar pictures highlight some of our projects at Mukuni and other villages and of course at the forefront are the orphan orphan sponsorship program. Almost everything we do is for the benefit of these vulnerable children. Providing them with clean water, nutritional food, improved education and health facilities to help the fight against Africa malaria and HIV and AIDS in Zambia is paramount.

I would sincerely like to thank the following for sponsoring the calendar: Executive Futures, The Fell Group, Three Counties Insurance, LCR Systems, INTL Global Currencies Ltd., Gardiff, Casio, ListersVolkswagon Group, Tommee Tippee, DCA, Cunninghams and Saga Charitable Trust. A special thanks to Miranda at Morphity for designing the calendar.

These captivating pictures show just a few of the pages for 2012. The high quality desk top calendar measures 21cm x 16cm and can be bought for £5 or US$10 including postage.

Second class postal charges in the UK: 1 calendar; 80p 2-3 calendars £1.50;  3-4 calendars £1.95 4-5 £2.35

Postal charges for Europe: 1 calendar £1.60; 2 calendars £2.40

Rest of the World: 1 calendar £2.40; 2 calendars £3.70

100% of all sales will go directly to the cause. To place an order complete the form below:

This week The Butterfly Tree is participating in theBigGive Christmas Challenge, which gives us the opportunity to double any donations made from the 10 am on Monday 5th until Friday 9th December. Donations made to charities during this time will be matched by a combination of pledges donated by the charity’s major donors and the Big Give’s Philanthropist Fund. The donation must be made to The Butterfly Tree Orphan Support project listed on theBigGive website.

The project covers a variety of ways where we provide vital funds for the numerous children orphaned through the HIV and AIDS in Zambia. Most crucial is to supply a safe, clean drinking water. All schools need their own drinking water, which can also be used to provide water for gardens, enabling them to have sustainable feeding programs, essential for growth and stamina of young children. The Butterfly Tree provides HIV and AIDS and malaria prevention programs, treatment for sick children and much needed medical supplies. Our aim is to improve the health facilities for the orphans.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge – orphan support for Chaton Sitali

Education is the key to making the change. Through the orphan support program we have given hundreds of orphans an education. Many had dropped out of school due to lack of funds and to date we have sponsored over 400 individual orphans. In addition thousands more have been helped in fifteen schools throughout the Mukuni and Musokotwane Chiefdoms. We have build classrooms for mainstream and special education, teacher’s house, latrines and supplied vast amounts of stationery and equipment. We are very grateful to British and Foreign School Society for further grant aid to supply the four new schools we have built this year. Some of the funds will be used to provide further education for twenty orphaned and vulnerable children.

Five orphaned girls living with their grandmother in N’gandu Village

This is an amazing opportunity for us to reach out to many more orphans in Zambia. Please click on this link to donate – your support will give another orphan a chance in life.

7th December 2011 - we have now reached our target for the BigGive Christmas Challenge. Any further donations can be made through our website as the matched funding has reached its maximum. A huge thank you to everyone who participated, the following has been achieved:

Total of Pledges: £3000 which will be doubled to £6000

Total of Donations: £6000 has been doubled to £12,000

Today marks World AIDS Day. Over 30 million people have died from AIDS related causes. An estimated 33 million are living with HIV. 2.9 million of these are children. Around 68% of from sub-Sahara Africa. Zambia has the seventh highest prevalence in the world. Today gives the opportunity to unite in the fight against HIV and to commemorate the people who have died from this devastating disease.

World AIDS Day - young Mukuni girl free of HIV

For the past five years The Butterfly Tree funds several HIV projects in the Mukuni Chiefdom of Zambia. These include orphan sponsorship, educational workshops and voluntary testing, treatment for the sick and an under-fives’ feeding programme to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Formula is provided to replace breast milk in HIV positive mothers. Since its conception in 2007 every infant accepted on our program has been tested negative. Due to high costs of powdered milk we have initiated a goats’ milk project to supplement the programme, with the aim of making it sustainable.

Mutsa Marau with a Mukuni baby

This year we have intoduced a new project thanks to Mutsa Marau, a young volunteer from London, who at our own cost, has been working in Mukuni Village for the past three months. Her HIV prevention programme to train peer educators amongst the school pupils has been a huge success. Having spent her time training these young educators, assisted by Margaret Mulenga, they are now targeting outreach villages to ‘spread the word’. Today to mark the occassion 15 members, between the ages of 14 and 20 years, will be performing at the Chief ‘s Palace as part of Mukuni Villages’ activities to mark World AIDS Day. The groups performance will include poetry reading along with the presentation of art pieces explaining how every one of them can help the prevalance of HIV in their community get to zero.

Peer educators in HIV prevention including sponsored orphans

From the 5th – 9th December all donations to The Butterfly Tree have a chance to be doubled if made through our partners, the Big Give, during their Christmas Challenge week. To participate and help to give these young AIDS orphans a chance please donate to our programme through the Big Give website.

Friday 25th November saw the launch of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club 2012 Yearbook. For the first time the Club has introduced a philanthropy section – The Butterfly Tree has been included in this prestigious edition as one of their selected charities. The event took part at the renowed Claridges Hotel in London in the form of a champagne reception and afternoon tea. A far cry from the remote villages of Zambia, but a rare opportunity to promote our work, creating further awareness of the plight of those less fortunate.

We are most grateful to Karen Lytle from Arizona, who generously sponsored our advert in the publication. The feature was written by an award-winning journalist and the book has been published by St. James House of London. The Yearbook will be presented globally to Royalty, Heads of State and the Club’s members among many other people. It is a great honour to be included in this esteemed book and we are hopeful that it will bring forth new donors and philanthropic travellers to visit our projects close to the Victoria Falls region of Zambia.

Extract from the 2012 Yearbook

Despite its outstanding natural beauty and the warmth of its citizens, Zambia is home to many stories of suffering and tragedy. Almost three quarters of a million children have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in this landlocked sub- Saharan country of just 12 million inhabitants, while one in six adults carries the HIV virus. Life expectancy is a mere 35 years – and with two thirds of the population living on less than one dollar a day, few have the means to acquire expensive medical supplies in a country that is already desperately short of drugs and life-saving equipment and relies heavily on international aid.

Saving lives: Having been confronted with these heart-rending problems during a visit to Zambia in 2006, Jane Kaye-Bailey vowed to establish a charity back in Britain to tackle the issues head-on. The Butterfly Tree was born soon afterwards, and through tireless volunteer work, this respected charity has made a real difference on the ground. The Butterfly Tree’s activities have transformed the lives of numerous children, as Jane explains: ‘Three quarters of all deaths caused by malaria occur in children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. By providing mosquito nets and malaria testing kits, many lives can be saved.

Follow link:  The Butterfly Tree in the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club 2012 Yearbook

The worst thing that can happen to any child is to lose a parent, but when a child loses both mother and father life becomes unbearble. To add to the heartbreak many of them have to drop out of school. There are 710,000 orphans in Zambia who need support. In some cases these children have to go into orphanages. For rural children a better alternative is available – if they can live with friends or relatives then at least they can have stability. The Butterfly Tree orphan sponsorship program has provided an education for over 400 vulnerable children and hundreds more have been assisted in many ways. This takes the pressure off their guardians and gives them an opportunity to stay at school with their friends. Education is the key and their only hope for a brighter future.

Support Aids orphans – young girl survives lightning strike

I recently met a young orphan who lives with her aunt. During a terrific thunder storm she was struck by lightning while standing inside her mud hut. The strike hit her back creating holes her uniform and she collapsed from shock, someone managed to get her to safety before the house went up in flames. Miraculously she had only superficial burns but they had lost all their meagre possessions and clothing. Life is tough being an orphan but when faced with these kinds of challenges it becomes insupportable. The Butterfly Tree builds community houses for orphans and their guardians, in many cases these guardians are elderly grandparents who have no source of income.

Sponsored orphans  - Mukuni Village

If you would like to sponsor an orphan or donate to towards this program it will help these children to overcome their loss. In December we are participating in The Big Give Christmas Challenge, which means that any donation received between the 5th – 9th December is eligible for matched funding. Donations must be made directly to the Big Give website and will be transferred to The Butterfly Tree charity account.

During my recent visit to Zambia the nation’s general elections took place. With a change of government it is believed that Michael Sata, the new President, will increase aid to deprived areas and stamp out corruption. Although I never involve the charity in political matters, measures to improve health and education sectors need to be addressed. In the past five years I have seen a reduction in funding for  both rural schools and clinics, which have to rely more than ever on international aid for development. I came across a woman who had walked 37 kilometers, taking 13 hours, to reach Mukuni maternity clinic from Chuunga - she was nine months pregnant.

37 kilometer walk to the nearest clinic       School with teacher’s house – Malima

Thanks to substantial grant aid from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission we are in the final stages of completing three new rural schools. The villages of Silelo and Matengu in the Musokotwane Chiefdom had to rely on unskilled teachers operating in mud hut structers. It was amazing to see the transformation, each school has three classrooms, two teachers’ houses and latrines. The community participation had been impressive and once approved these schools expect to open in January 2012. A third school at Malima, in the Mukuni Chiefom, has been given the same funding with the addition of a bore hole.

Silelo - old community school                     New school for Silelo pupils

The highlight of my entire trip was to see the Kamwi twins, who lost their mother and sister during childbirth. Vincent and Elvis celebrated their first birthday this month.  Last October, when I first set eyes on them, I feared they would not survive; they each weighed just over one kilo. At barely two weeks old they were sent to a remote village, after being discharged from hospital because they could offer them only water. I could not refuse to support to these helpless infants. For twelve months the charity has provided formula, clothing and blankets and all their requirements, while their grandmother has lovingly nurtured them. They have been tested free of HIV and both are happy and healthy and are testament to the vital role we play in these vulnerable communities.

Vincent showing us his standing skills        Elvis with his grandmother

October sees the start of the rains and many mud huts cannot stand up to the deluge. This is particularly hard for old people supporting orphans. In the past few months we have build an additional nine homes. Two of them have been donated by one of the volunteers, James Ashley, who helped construct the houses. Five of them were funded by ENRC marketing who have also funded a teacher’s house, HIV and AIDS prevention projects and the under five’s feeding program, which has also received support from Brady Italia. One home was donated by LSR Rotary Club, one by Aurora and the other through the Cyclothon Challenge.

New house for widow with orphans            Under-fives’ feeding programme

I had the pleasure of working with a number of volunteers, Casey Short and Margaret Bax, from Oregon, returned for a third year to continue the goat’s milk project. Mutsa Marau, a young lady from London, is spending four months at Mukuni teaching peer education in HIV and AIDS prevention. Petteri Alppi a former UCL student from Finland has documented the work of The Butterfly Tree in addition to writing a much needed Maths and English Revision guide. Claire Richardson and Hannah Lainton spent time teaching business skills to women’s groups. I have been so impressed with their hard work and dedication and thank them for helping us to make a difference.

This past month has seen a boost in funds for The Butterfly Tree thanks to the many volunteers and fundraisers helping our cause. On September 15th Mike Kaye, Nigel Birch, Jake Wilson-Gunn and James Blackburn arrived at Brands Hatch Circuit to participate in CyclothonUK. The charity won a free place for a team of four. We are very grateful to the organisers, the participants and our main sponsors, CRB Solutions, Academy Leasing, Geddess Associates and Serenity Finance for making this happen.

Fundraisers: Nigel, Mike, Jake and James at the end of a 12 hour challenge

The challenge started at 7.30am and finished twelve hours later at 7.30pm. The undulating hills proved to be too much for some, especially the event organisor, Victor Umbugu, a former England rugby prop. Despite the gruelling task our amazing team persevered and earned a well-deserved sixth place out of thirty teams. Their efforts have raised over £2200 for our projects in Zambia.

   Jake tackles the undulating hills                Mike at the start of his twenty laps

During my recent trip to Zambia I was fortunate to be working with several dedicated volunteers. Mutsa Marau, who is working with pupils in the Mukuni Chiefdom, has initiated a peer education project in HIV/AIDS prevention. Petteri Allpi, a former UCL student from Finland, set himself tasks to improve the Maths and English standards in the schools and documenting The Butterfly Tree projects. A third volunteering trip to Mukuni Village for Margaret Bax and Casey Short, sees the progression of the goat’s milk project to support the under-fives’ feeding programme.

 Mutsa – HIV/AIDS Prevention      Casey, Presley, Petteri, Margaret, James and Jacob

Hannah Lainton and Claire Richardson spent a month teaching business skills to women’s groups in Mukuni and also taking lessons for children at the school. James Ashley raised funds to donate and assist in the construction of a house for a widow with orphans in addition to working with young children. The mutual benefit of having volunteers has a lasting impact on the community and creates a life-changing experience for the partaker. If you are interested in volunteering in Zambia or fundraising for our projects please contact us.

“Five years on and The Butterfly Tree is still going strong. A significant amount of progress has made a lasting change to the Mukuni Chiefdom with the advancement of our health and education projects. Successful fundraising has enabled the charity to build additional classrooms, teachers’ and clinic houses, bore holes and latrines. Each school now has a bore hole, providing safe clean drinking water an opportunity to grow vegetables, which provides a sustainable feeding program.

On Saturday I will be flying out to Zambia for what I am hoping will be a very rewarding trip. The three schools that we are currently building in the villages of Matengu and Silelo in the Musokatwane Chiefdom and Malima in the Mukuni Chiefdom should be completed by the end of October. A teachers’ house at Mukuni is also under construction as well as five community houses for widows and orphans. We have a number of volunteers who are helping to improve the Maths and English standards at Mukuni Basic School, others are assisting with the HIV and AIDS prevention projects and teaching business skills to groups of women. We are very grateful to all of them for giving up their time to volunteer for The Butterfly Tree.

Education for Zambia - New school for pupils at Matengu to open shortly

In addition to our on going sponsors the Barrington Educational Initiative, a Swiss based private charitable endeavour, has offered to support our work. We have also recently partnered with and Travelers Gift Vacations, a tour operator that provides luxury and purpose travel. A philanthropic traveler has a chance to get involved with charitable work in one of the developing countries they are visiting. The longer I work with the charity the more I realise there is a great need for collaboration amongst small charities operating in Zambia. If we endeavour to work with other organisations together we can make a bigger impact, create transparency and help to alleviate corruption. One of our new partners is Global Partners for Health, a US based charity also working in Zambia, who aim to provide vital medical supplies for our clinics.

Health education – young women from Kamwi Village gives birth to seventh child

Tomorrow our own cycling team, The Flying Butts, will be competing in a cycle challenge at Brands Hatch. The CyclothonUK event has some thirty teams involved in the challenge to raise funds for charities. One of our volunteers, Oscar Miyanda of Basement Entertainment, is providing the music to spur the teams on. So far we have raised almost £2000 all of which will go towards our orphan programmes in Zambia. We wish Mike Kaye, Nigel Birch, Jake Wilson-Gunn and James Blackburn every success and thank them for giving up their valuable time to take part. If you would like to sponsor the team this can be done either on our website or through Just Giving, no deductions will be made.

With less than two weeks to go our charity team ‘The Flying Butts’ are busy training for Cyclothon UK, being held at Brands Hatch on 15th September. Mike Kaye, Nigel Birch, Jake Wilson-Gunn and James Blackburn will be competing against thirty teams comprising of international rugby players and the British para-cycling who are to compete in the 2012 Olympics. The event starts at 7am, is open to the public and should reach fever pitch late afternoon, ending at 7pm. The team are generously giving up their time to raise funds for The Butterfly Tree health and education projects in Mukuni and beyond.

Cyclothon UK  – raising vital funds for these Zambian children

These fundraising events help to boost vital funds to support our work in Zambia. All our work revolves around the many orphans who have lost their parents as a result of  HIV/AIDS.  710,000 children are left orphaned and desperately need our help to provide them with an education and improved health and water facilities. Our orphan sponsorship programme gives these children the opportunity to complete their education giving them better future prospects. To date we have sponsored over 400 individual orphans and helped several thousand more at the many schools we support in the Mukuni Chiefdom of Zambia.

Evelyn Makaya , Mukuni High School on our orphan sponsorship programme

We are very grateful to our main sponsors: CRB Solutions, Geddes Associates, Adacemy Leasing and Serenity Finance. If you would like to sponsor The Butterfly Tree team this can be done by donating through Just Giving or on our secure charity donation page. No fees or administration costs will be deducted, all funds raised will go directly into our grassroots projects. If you would prefer to sponsor an orphan please use this link and complete the form. Your support can make a lasting change to a child’s life.