Of all the villages we work in Siamasimbi is the most difficult to reach, especially during the rainy season. A distance of thirty-five miles from Mukuni this remote community has no clinic or village shop and is accessible only by 4×4. During my last visit to Zambia I was asked if I could give a lift to a women and her two children, shocked to learn that the previous day she had walked from Siamasimbi to Mukuni clinic and had planned to walk back the following day having no provisions to sustain them. There is no easy way to get to this village, rivers and streams have to be crossed resulting in children from some of the outreach villages unable to attend school during the rains.
Siamasimbi: This family had walked 21 miles to the clinic
This year the gentle and humble people of Siamasimbi saw the completion of a 1×3 classroom block, teachers’ house and latrines in addition to the bore hole we constructed in 2009. Our priority for next year will be to build a clinic in the area at Mahalula to accommodate neighbouring villages such as Siamasimbi. Although certain members of the community have been trained to practise traditional birth any complications could result in death. Several women each year die during labour attempting to walk to Mukuni Health Centre. The Butterfly Tree has recently completed a shelter kindly donated by The Besom, so that women who live a considerable distance from a clinic can go to Mukuni prior to the onset of labour. This is an addition to our Maternity Clinic, which opened in 2008, the facilities here provide a safe haven for women and infants. The Birthing Kit Foundation of Australia donates birthing kits to further improve the delivery procedure.
The Butterfly Tree Maternity Clinic – Mukuni Village
June through August is winter in Zambia. The days are gloriously sunny with temperatures reaching 22-25 degrees, however the nights are very cold and temperatures can drop to 4 degrees. Many children and elderly people sleep on the floor of their mud huts with no blankets and very few have warm clothing. Siamasimbi’s rocky terrain is at high altitude and can be exceedingly cold at night and many young children have to walk several miles to school in the early hours of the morning. Far too many children cannot afford shoes and walk bare-footed, often suffering from hunger along the way. Siamasimbi is just one of the many remote communities that desperately need further support to improve their circumstances.
Young girls at Siamasimbi walk bare-footed to school
You can help these vulnerable children by donating a uniform for £10 ($16) or shoes £15 ($24) or a blanket £15 ($24).
