After a somewhat challenging year I am pleased to report on the completion of several projects that will benefit the orphans and rural communities. All of them are hugely beneficial, but none more so than those providing improved water and health facilities. Two new bore holes have been added at Kauwe and Muchambila schools in the Nyawe Chiefdom. A generous donation was received from Epsom College for the Kauwe bore hole as well as two latrines and a sluice for Mukuni Health Centre. Attraction Tickets Direct has donated a bore hole at Kaminbwa school and two double latrines at Kamwi school. These were initiated through Just a Drop, one of our partner organisations.
Charity Newsletter – new latrines for Mukuni Health Centre
The new health centre at Mahalulu in the Mukuni Chiefdom is now complete. The government had taken three years to construct a clinic building in this outreach area – in just over a year we have added a maternity clinic, a women’s shelter, three medical staff houses and latrines in addition to a bore hole. This was achieved through a significant grant from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission. The facility will cater for people who previously had to walk over thirty kilometres to reach the nearest health centre. A further women’s shelter has been added to Mambova Clinic in the Sikute Chiefdom using generous funding from The Besom.
Three staff houses for Mahalulu Health Centre
Patients come to the clinics with numerous illnesses including HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases besides burns, snake bites and anti-natal and post natal clinics. In addition to skilled staff local people are trained to assist with childbirth and home care. The HIV and AIDS statistics in the area are the highest in the nation, with as many as 30% of the population being infected with the HIV virus. Livingstone is a border town and the capital of tourism. I was horrified to learn that one of my team had overheard some European female students saying that they only come to Africa for sex! Using funding from Brady Italia we are increasing the number of educational workshops on HIV and AIDS prevention and teenage pregnancies, but it appears the visitors also need to be educated!
Mother and infant receiving post-natal care at Mukuni Health Centre
A new Special Education unit at River View School has just been completed thanks to substantial funding from ENRC Marketing employees in Zurich. A further unit, funded by Saga, is currently being constructed at Katapazi Basic School. The BFSS 1×2 classroom block is in full use and a school shop will shortly be built with the assistance of students from Thomas Mills High School in Suffolk who have paid for the building materials. Some of these projects are two hundred kilometres from our base at Mukuni and up to sixty kilometres off road. All kind of problems arose, including poor access, vehicles getting stuck, dry bore holes and increase in fuel costs. Mupotola, Martin and Presley, three of The Butterfly Tree volunteers in Zambia, deserve most of the credit for their hard work, sheer determination and dedication in helping these vulnerable communities.
Mupotola driving through the bush to reach Sibbulo Village
As always it was great to meet up with the orphans. Many of them participated in the Kazungula District schools’ events, with Mukuni hosting it at the new Music Centre, donated by MUSIC EARTH RISE. Mukuni won the best choir, poetry and traditional dancing competitions and went on to compete in the Southern Province finals where they came runners up in all categories. I managed to catch up with the Kamwi twins who lost their mother in childbirth, both are happy and healthy and will be three years old in October. Sadly more children have been orphaned and need our support. Today I was delighted to hear that the Mukuni Village Fund in Australia has agreed to sponsor fifty orphans for a further year. Many thanks to all our donors, most especially to Midge Steuber, Thore Larsgard and Black and White Accounting – each of them are supporting ten orphans.
Jane with Vincent and Elvis, the Kamwi twins
If you would like to sponsor an orphan please contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk and for daily updates you can follow us on Facebook. Without your support none of these developments could have been achieved.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
