Development for Katapazi

Despite all the set backs that arise when working in a country as poor as Zambia, the good news outweighs the bad. The development at Katapazi Village is in the final stages of completion. Thanks to an extremely generous grant aid from Jersey Overseas Aid Commission, this project undertaken by The Butterfly Tree to improve the health and education facilities for Katapazi, is almost finished. To advance the project a bore hole funded by Just a Drop and W Foundation has been installed for the school, this had an additional use making the building of the classroom much easier.

Katapazi a remote community with a polulation in excess of 5000 lies over 30 miles from Livingstone. It is accessible only by tracks and during the rainy season these become impassable. Part of the Mukuni Chiefdom Katapazi has a basic school and clinic, both were badly in need of restoration and advancement. The school has 500 pupils and most of them had to drop out after grade seven as the distance to the next school was too great. They can now add two more grades for the older children and benefit from having a spacious 1×3 classroom block and additional pit-latrine toilets.

 

Katapzi Village: new classroom block             pit-latrine toilet

For the men of Katapazi the facilities at the clinic were non-existent, the nearest health centre demanded a walk of over 25 miles resulting in uneccessary deaths. Besides restorating the existing clinic we have built a seperate male ward and installed solar panels to provide lightning for the clinic to operate at night. In addition we have purchased a paraffin fridge for the medical needs which include malaria and HIV/AIDS medication. We would like to thank the people of Jersey for this invaluable assistance, where the men can be treated and lives can be saved.

 

Male ward under construction                       paraffin fridge containing medication

There are many more villages that have no schools or health centres. The Butterfly Tree aims to offer others the same opportunity as Katapazi, which has enabled these vulnerable children to receive a sound education and given access to improved health facilities for an entire community.

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