Thanks to two large grants from the British and Foreign School Society and Saga Charitable Trust we have just topped the £1,000,000 ($1,600,000) mark in our fundraising efforts for Zambia! None of this could have been achieved without the generosity of our major donors and all the volunteers and fundraisers who have dedicated their free time to helping our cause. This is even more significant knowing that virtually 100% of all money raised goes directly into grass roots projects. Six years on and we still do not deduct administration or personal fees, nor rent office space; relying solely on volunteers both in the UK and Zambia.
£1 million raised, where it all started – Mukuni Basic School
More Funds Needed This Christmas
The average British family spends between £530 and £682 on Christmas. Two thirds of Zambians live on less than one pound a day and the only way they celebrate Christmas is by attending church.
On the run up to Christmas you can help raise further funds for orphans and vulnerable children, in remote villages, who are ravished by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria and poverty.
Very few families are able to buy a chicken, eggs or milk; for most their meal will consist of ground maize and vegetables. We are running a number of initiatives over the next few weeks to raise vital funds, which can provide food, mosquito nets, orphan sponsorship or a blanket for people less fortunate than we are.
Donate a bag of maize for just £10 ($16) and make someone’s Christmas special
The Big Give Christmas Challenge
Again we are taking part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge in December, this gives us the opportunity to double donations, through matched funding. Last year we raised £9000 which was doubled to £18,000.
To qualify for matched funding we need to raise £6000 between 6th – 9th December, so we need your help.
To participate and double you donation, make a donation between 6th – 9th of December, through the Big Give to The Butterfly Tree Orphan Support project – Click to donate via Big Give
For our American donors a similar opportunity is available through Global Giving who have a 501 (c) 3 status. Our orphan support project on their site has already raised £10,000 ($15,000).
Orphan Sponsorship: Eva receives sponsorship through The Butterfly Tree
Give As You Shop This Christmas
Help us to boost our funds during the Christmas season through on line shopping. Everyclick has recently launched ‘Give as you Live‘, a simple method of raising funds while shopping at your favourite on line stores. All you have to do is download an application, which simply takes seconds, then every time you shop it will activate and give you the option to raise funds for The Butterfly Tree at absolutely no cost to you. Tescos donate up to to 5%, Ocado up to 4%, Boots 3% and many more stores have this worthwhile offer. With your help we could soon be on our way to raising a second million!
Chuunga Community School needs a proper classroom and a trained teacher
2013 Charity Calendar
Once again our popular charity calendar is available to purchase for just £4 ($7) plus postage. This high quality desk-top calendar shows images of the happy children we support and our many achievements. Each page is sponsored, which covers all the printing costs. They are designed by Miranda, our trustee who owns Morphity, using our own images. We incur no cost in producing the calendars. So when you are making your Christmas list and struggling to know what to choose please consider the following: A mosquito net for just £5 that could save a child’s life; a bag of maize, which could feed a family for two weeks for just £10; a blanket for those cold winter nights costs £15 or a calendar to adorn your desk. A special thanks to all the calendar sponsors: INTL Global Currencies, Cunninghams, Executive Futures, Stratford Audi, Casio UK, Saga, DCA, Accountax, LCR, Traditional Conservatories, The Fell Group and Gardiff. Details of how to buy the calendar will be available shortly.
For further details of how you can help to boost our funds during the Christmas period or to pre order your 2013 charity calendar contact: jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk
