The Butterfly Tree has a new housing project underway. One of the most noticeable problems I spot when walking around the villages, is that despite having an abundance of land many people are living in over crowded conditions. This is due to the fact that these communities are too poor to build new homes and too many are living in one house, especially families taking in orphans due to the pandemic of HIV and AIDS in Zambia.  

Photo: Angela, Cynthia and Esnat outside Cynthia’s home. Five people have to share this one house. The Butterfly Tree are helping to give this family a sustainable income

Traditionally every rural Zambian homestead should have 3 houses; sleeping quarters for both the males and the females and a kitchen. However I have visited a number of families where there is only one house and as many as six people sleeping in it!

Houses should be thatched every five years but sadly many have leaking roofs, we recently repaired a house for an elderly lady suffering from asthma, her roof was leaking and the mud walls had holes causing drafts during the cold winter months where the temperatures at night can drop to below 5 degrees.  

Grasses are free to gather but it is hard to believe that the poor cannot even afford the £10 to have their roofs re thatched. We are building new homes for the needy, particularly widows and children. These will be slightly larger than the norm and will have concrete floors more suitable during the rainy season than the ones with sand bases.  

Photo:The new home for Esnat and her mother a ‘gift’ from Jane Kaye-Bailey who is sponsoring the three girls.

It only costs £400 to build a new house which will accommodate at least four people comfortably. If you would like to take part contribute to our Zambia Housing Project or even care ‘to build a home’ for a family you can contact us by email or make an on line donation.