When I first met Davison Simalonga on my recent trip to the Mukuni Cheifdom he was carrying two large, heavy sacks tied to a pole, which he placed across his shoulders. I insisted that we pulled over to offer him a lift to his home, and learnt that he lived in Kamwi Village. I then discovered the burden that this quiet and humble man had been undertaking twice a week to provide for his family.

Having lost his own wife and children he married a widow with a family of three youngsters. Every morning Davison walked the couple of miles to his garden in Chise Village carrying water from the river to nurture his vegetables. No problem with that, until I learnt where he sold his vegetables! Due to much competition from other local growers there was no guarentee that Davidson would sell his vegetables at the nearby Mukuni market, so twice a week he carried his sixty kilo load, one bag on either side of his shoulders, wearing torn sandals on his feet and walked all the way to Livingstone, a distance in excess of twenty miles earning just £6.50 per load.

Photo: Davison Simalonga, aged 76 from Kamwi, Mukuni Chiefdom

I was horrified even more so when Davison told me that he was born in 1932, a seventy-six year old man, toiling so hard seemed inhumane. I immediately set about easing his burden without trying to change his life. I arranged for a donkey to be bought, to purchase his vegetables for The Butterfly Tree’s feeding program at Mukuni Village and included his children in our orphan sponsorship program.

Davison is now a very happy man, using his donkey to carry water from the river and to transport his vegetables the short distance to Mukuni, where he can be sure of a sale to The Butterfly Tree feeding program.