Sponsor an Orphan

Sponsoring an orphan can give you a rewarding experience and make a huge difference to a child’s life. Children don’t ask to be born and when you are born in a country where one in every six adults is living with HIV, into a family that has been infected or affected by HIV/AIDS your life is going to have serious problems. Inevitably if a child loses one parent from AIDS then the other is likely to die shortly afterwards, if the mother survives then she will be left to support her children ususally with no income. Many of these people are in their thirties or forties leaving behind far too many young orphans.

A group of orphans at Mukuni sponsored by one donor

Zambia is estimated to have 710,000 orphans and with a population of barely 12 million this is an incredibly high statistic. On every trip I make to Zambia I am presented with a long list of new orphans; in Mukuni alone there are over 450 and in each school we are supporting there are more, it is heartbreaking. Although we are currently helping well over 200 in education at three schools through our orphan sponsorship and almost 1000 are on our feeding programs we appeal to everyone to sponsor an orphan. Our aim is to expand the programme to more schools in Zambia.

Education is the key, without it these children have no hope of improving their situation. Education teaches them the dangers of HIV and AIDS in Zambia, how to avoid it, how to remove the stigmatism and how to live with HIV if you have the misfortune of being born with it. Knowing your status, living positively and taking the medication can give a child with HIV the chance to lead a normal life, all of this can be achieved through education. Attending school, mixing with friends and completing high school gives an opportunity for these vunerable children to have a future. Zambia is an up and coming tourist destination and Mukuni is close to Livingstone the tourism capitol of the nation, therefore the children have a possiblity to apply for a career. Sponsor an orphan today and help them receive the education they need to succeed.

Feeding Program at Mukuni for vulnerable and orphaned children

The Butterfly Tree is currently setting up two projects at Mukuni Basic School to give the orphans an added skill and for them to help the school. Our aim is for the orphans to have a sustainable business producing all the school uniforms and to rear chickens for eggs to supply the feeding program and sell to the community. Both are positive opportunities for these children who have encountered such traumatic experiences in their young lives.

Sponsor orphan details: It costs as little as £8 ($15) per month or £95 ($160) per annum. The money covers school and exam fees, books, uniform, shoes and school bag. The Butterfly Tree has ten female volunteers who oversee the welfare of the orphans.

How to sponsor an orphan: Complete the online form below, then follow the next steps for either payment online, via cheque or standing order.