Jane Kaye-Bailey has been selected as a finalist for Aidex ‘Humanitarian Award of the Year‘. After being nominated for this prestigious award Jane is one of the four finalists. Below is the nomination, submitted by Leah Black. The winner will be announced on the 15th November 2017, at the Aidex Global Humanitarian and Development Event in Brussels. The vote to select the winner is open to the public, with Jane being a finalist The Butterfly Tree will receive a huge amount of publicity. Please use this link to vote for Jane:
Since founding The Butterfly Tree, Jane has selflessly provided 11 years dedication to the people of Zambia in her work to help orphans and rural communities. Her commitment has helped and saved thousands of lives with awe-inspiring lasting impact across an extensive geographical area in Southern Zambia, which she’s continuously expanding to ensure widespread support. I came across Jane 10 years ago when searching for a volunteer-led charity to fundraise for. I have followed her impressive work since then. From its conception, the charity’s philosophy has been to ensure that all donor funds go directly into grassroots projects and no personal fees or administration costs are deducted, which to this date is still, outstandingly, the case. This year I was keen to volunteer in Zambia to share my skills and see Jane’s charity first-hand. What I witnessed over two months astounded me; a charity true to its nature, following its original mission and changing lives sustainably and effectively, being run entirely by talented and dedicated Zambian volunteers who Jane is highly regarded by, with community self-development and local people at its heart.
Jane at the launch of The Butterfly Tree’s new Malaria Prevention Programme 2014
To highlight Jane’s impact, some 10,000 people now have access to safe water through 21 new boreholes, and better sanitation. She has developed wide-reaching sustainable feeding programmes in a country that ranks third hungriest nation globally and one of the poorest countries in Africa. Her support feeds over 2000 orphans and vulnerable children daily and provides seeds and fertiliser for vulnerable families. Jane strongly believes that education is fundamental to tackling poverty and through her desire to help change the future of vulnerable children she holds education at the heart of what she does; not only curriculum-based but also peer-led community education and youth empowerment; tackling personal, social and health issues, especially preventing HIV & Aids.
Jane with the ‘Kamwi Twins’, whose mother died in childbirth leaving premature babies. Now age 7 the boys have been supported by the charity since 2010.
Jane’s projects have developed new rural schools, with teacher’s houses, latrines and boreholes. She has enabled sponsorship of several hundred orphaned and vulnerable children from pre-school to grade 12, and helped students to attend college and achieve their aspirations, many of whom return to the villages to help their communities and inspire local youth. Additionally, her charity has provided vast amounts of materials in the 35 schools she helps and added special education units in four of them. 82 houses for widows and the elderly have been constructed, maternity care and medical supplies have been provided to numerous health centres and 12 clinics are supported, some of which her charity has built. Jane has commendable ability to empower communities she works in to be sustainable. She first ensures that adequate facilities are provided so that, once basic needs are available, income-generating activities can be introduced by initiating sustainable enterprises and microfinancing.
Jane raise funds to built the first matenrity clinic in rural Zambia. Others, as well as women’s shelters have also been constructed.
Jane’s work doesn’t stop here; through her continued dedication to tackle malaria she’s making a massive local and potentially national, even global, impact. For the past nine years her charity has funded a successful malaria prevention programme in Zambia, providing over 12,000 mosquito nets, malaria testing kits and educational workshops saving countless lives. Significantly, she’s been working with a UK company, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on two new products, an insecticide coating and larvicide granule which last two years and are not harmful to humans, animals or the environment; perceived to be the most superior currently available globally. The National Malaria Control Centre did an evaluation of the products and was extremely satisfied with the results. Consequently the products were approved by the Zambian Ministry of Health and the Zambian Environmental Agencies. After being granted a license Jane’s charity distributes these for humanitarian aid. In high-risk malaria locations where they were applied there was a significant reduction in new cases of malaria, protecting over 1000 households with an aim to safeguard many more nationwide.
Jane distributinmg mosquito nets and funding educational workshops for malaria prevention.
Jane runs the charity with compassion and full business sense, giving her great ability to build partnerships locally and internationally, like working closely with the Ministry of Education and District Health Authorities. Jane has a proven record for getting things done; she’s an exceptionally hard-worker. There’s no rushed jobs or funds being spent unwisely, as she ensures quality and transparency in all that the charity does and that fundraisers’ money goes directly towards good causes. This award would not only be an honour to Jane but also a significant achievement that would deliver enormous sense of pride to all people who hold Jane in their heart; most importantly local Zambians, who will be inspired and enthused by such recognition. I hope that you can see, like me, how deserving Jane is of joining the wall of fame at this year’s AidEx.
Jane hosted HRH Prnicess Royal in 2012 after the charity has been chosen to receive a visit during Her Majesty’s The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year
Please use this link to vote for Jane as a finalist for the Humanitarian Hero Award.
Leah Black
Youth Develpoment Coordinator for The Butterfly Tree
