Too many pupils unable to attend school

Although there are over 100 orphans being sponsored by The Butterfly Tree, many more urgently need help. I was distressed to learn yesterday that out of 50 pupils who had past grade 9 to attend the new high school, only 20 had been able to afford to pay for the fees and uniform.

In October 2007 when I was driving through Livingstone, the teacher from Mukuni who was accompanying me, asked me to pull over after she spotted a pupil from her class. When she asked Victor Simango why he was not at school, he bowed his head and simply replied ‘I cannot’. I also questioned him and found that he had no father and a mother who could no longer afford to educate him. I asked him if he liked school and that if he got the chance of a sponsorship would be attend. The answer was yes to both questions.  I suggested he meet me at the Head Teacher’s office at 9am the following morning, he was early!

It is heartbreaking to see these children who’s education is the most important part of their life, having to drop out of school as one or both of their parents have died. Next week grade 9 pupils are due to sit their exams; twenty would have been unable to take them until The Butterfly Tree intervened; their grandparents or guardians could not find the £4.50 to pay for the examination fees.

£85 a year will cover the cost of school and exam fees, books, uniform, shoes and school bag. Our aim is to get the older children back into school as quickly as possible so that they do not miss any more valuable lessons.

Please consider sponsoring an orphan and make a difference to someone’s life!

Overcoming the hardships through education

The improvements in education made by The Butterfly Tree over the past two years at Mukuni Village is having a positive effect on the community.

With the addition of a high school, now in it’s second year, pupils are able to complete grades ten to twelve of their education with a far better prospect of finding employment and with the boom in the Zambian tourist industry more positions will be available to school leavers.

Photo: Pupils have made these bricks for the high school laboratory

The addition of a pre-school totally funded by The Butterfly Tree now has 198 children attending three classes throughout the day. With very little entertainment in these remote villages young children can learn to read and write and speak English at a much earlier age. Read the rest of this entry »

Vice President of Zambia visits Mukuni Village

I have just returned from an eventful trip to Zambia, which included meeting Vice-President Rupiah Banda during his visit to survey the areas devastated by the recent floods.

Chief Mukuni invited me to attend the meeting when the Vice-President came to Mukuni Village. The Chief explained The Butterfly Tree’s involvement in his Chiefdom and I was given the opportunity to voice my disappointment in Zambian customs failure to release our shipment to assist the flood victims. Mr. Banda told me that it would be looked into by his office.

I personally visited the areas around Maramba, where many people had been displaced during the torrential rains that caused such destruction. I met a new born baby living in one of the tents provided by Shelter Box and learnt of the shortages of food amongst the people. Much of the nation’s maize crops have been destroyed during the peak growing season with a famine predicted in many areas. Read the rest of this entry »

More funds needed for Siamasimbi School

Tomorrow I will be leaving for Zambia and I am looking forward to seeing just how much progress has been made since my last trip in September 2007. I recenty learnt from my NGO committee that this month the Ministry of Finance sent a delegation from Lusaka to visits our projects. Apparently they were extremely impressed and could not believe that so much had been achieved in just two years.

The water is now flowing freely in Mukuni Village after replacing the nine leaking tanks and pipework. There are seveteen pit-latrine toilets and a much better equipped health centre since our input. The HIV/AIDS program is underway and the additional malaria testings kits mean that more people can be tested and treated. We have built twenty houses for vulnerable people and set up three families in sustainable business ventures. Young children are healthier thanks to the feeding programs we are providing at both the clinic and Mukuni School.

Photo: Jane with pupils from the remote school in Siamasimbi Village

However more funds are needed. Although we are supporting three village schools, Siamasimbi a remote community, receives very little help from the outside world Read the rest of this entry »

The Butterfly Tree has gained a global audience.

Thanks to JuggleFrogs most generous donation of a new website we now have supporters from Hawaii to Australia. Miranda of JuggleFrogs has devoted weeks of her time to develop the website and we feel very priviliged to not only having such an advanced site but also to having her on our team.

The website has had hits from seventeen States in the US this month and recently I received an email from a group of people from Colorada who visited Mukuni Village and wanted to help. After searching google they came across The Butterfly Tree and have kindly offered to sponsor twelve orphans.

We are now able to raise funds through everyclick which works like every other major search engine with the added bonus that every time you ‘click’ you can raise money for The Butterfly Tree. It doesn’t cost you anything and all you have to do is register your support - click here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thousands left homeless

One and a half million people have been affected by the recent floods in Zambia; several weeks of continuous rain have devastated many areas of the nation. On Friday of this week The Butterfly Tree is air-freighting huge amounts of medical supplies, blankets and clothing to help the victims. Cunninghams Epos Systems are providing the transport to Heathrow and MTEC Global are the shipping agent asssiting in the operation. Our appeal has received a great response from Zambians living in the UK who want support their fellow countrymen during this crisis.

Six thousand people have been displaced in the Southern Province and most of the crops have been destroyed. I shall shortly be flying to Zambia to assess the damage in the Kasungula District where we work. Read the rest of this entry »

Risk of famine due to loss of crops

The Butterfly Tree has launched an appeal to help victims of the recent floods in Zambia. The president has announced it as a national disaster and it is still raining!

Due to the lack of information reported by the world press it is difficult to access just how bad the situation is; talking to my contacts in the Livingstone area it is devastating. A number of lives have been lost and many people displaced; schools have had to closed and crops destroyed. The make shift homes, in compound areas such as Maramba have collasped and rural mud huts are not standing up to the deluge. 

Perhaps the worst is still to come, with most of the crops being lost during this prime growing season, a famine is predicted. Read the rest of this entry »

Prime Minister of Mukuni passes away

I was deeply saddened to learn that Shadreck Mabote, the Prime Minister of the Mukuni Chiefdom, passed away yesterday. In the brief time I knew him I believe that he was a great man who was totally dedicated to his people and respected by all who knew him. During my visit to Mukuni in September 2007 I spent many days travelling around the community with him and admired his dedication and committment.

Quite noticeably he was dearly loved and will be sadly missed by everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Area declared national disaster 

As if malaria, HIV/AIDS and poverty are not enough problems to contend with; now much of Zambia has been devastated by severe floods. Several weeks of continuous heavy rain has resulted in thousands of homes, livestock and agricultural products being submerged under water. Although it is the ‘rainy’ season the rainfall has been unusually high and this is the time of year when their summer crops are flourishing

Having visited Zambia several times in the past two years I have seen the hardships the people have to endure on a daily basis now they have a natural disaster to overcome. I cannot imagine how they will survive without financial aid from the Western World; President Mwanawasa has appealed for $13 million in international aid. Although we are experiencing severe flooding in the UK we do have insurances, government aid and social services to assist; many Zambian people have lost everything with little hope of recovery.

The authorities have closed schools, converting them into shelters for displaced families. More then 40 have died; many drowned or killed by crocodiles as they attempted to cross rivers for higher ground. Read the rest of this entry »

Make a difference this Christmas

The Butterfly Tree would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas.  

The words ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ echo in my ears every time I here the music playing. If only there were more people like Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure the world would be a better place and the wealth would be more evenly distributed.

Christmas, for me brings feelings of mixed emotions, I look forward to the time spent with family and friends. However Christmas shopping has never been the same since I founded the charity almost two years ago. I find it hard to cope with the ‘glut’ and the ‘greed’ of the western world during this festive season, everyone in state of frenzy; shops laden with merchandise; panic buying; people giving unwanted gifts; women stressed with the work load; couples arguing; children complaining that Santa didn’t bring the latest technical gadget. Is it all necessary?  

So do they know it’s Christmas? Read the rest of this entry »