With just over one month to go, the Christmas bustle is underway. The Butterfly Tree has started a fundraising campain to provide mosquito nets and bags of maize for orphans and vulnerable children living in rural areas of Zambia.
‘Globally every two minutes a child dies from malaria – out of 400,000 deaths per year, 67% of these are children under the age of five in sub-Sahara Africa.’
The rainy season in Zambia has started, the time when children’s lives at risk if they contract malaria. Through interventions children can be protected and the most effective way is to provide a mosquito net. Due to limited supplies pregnant women and children under five are given priority, which means that school children are not covered. Our ‘mosquito nets for schools‘ is proving to be highly effective with positive results being achieved.
DISTIBUTION OF MOSQUITO NETS – MUYNUNDA COMMUNITY SCHOOL
At this time of year food is also in short supply. The dry season, which started in April lasts for 6 months, coupled with the impact of COVID-19 many families resort to just one meal a day. A bag of ground maize costs just £5 ($7) and can feed a family of four for three weeks.
BAGS OF GROUND MAIZE DONATED TO ORPHANS – KAMWI VILLAGE
We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from Fedex, South Africa to install 7 boreholes in rural schools and communities. This generous donation will transform the lives of thousands of women and children. No longer will they have to spend hours fetching water from rivers and streams, which are polluted, and one of the main causes of diarrhoeal diseases.
7 BOREHOLES FOR REMOTE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
The Katando Health Post development is progressing with the clinic and the two staff houses currently under construction, funded by the Overseas Aid and Development Commission of Guernsey. Blooms the Pharmacy, Australia, regular support for Simonga, Bunsanga and Mombova health posts is invaluable. We have also donated PPE to Mukuni Health Centre.
KATONDO HEALTH POST CLINIC
The third women’s project comprising of a workshop, chicken coop, equipment and seeds will help 200 women in the Sekute Chiefdom. A water solar-powered water reticulation system has been installed, and our youth builders are now on site. This project, funded by our Canadian partner Give a Hand.
SOLAR-POWERED WATER RETICULATION SYSTEM
We have extended our orphan sponsorship programme to Senkobo School in Musokotwane Chiefdom. Eight pupils, who had all dropped out of school after losing their parents have been reinstated. Such is the poverty that two girls had to borrow shoes from friends to return to school to sit their examinations. The sponsorship includes school and exam fees, uniforms, shoes, school bag and books for a cost of £110 per pupils, per annum.
ONE OF 8 PUPILS NOW ON SPONSORSHIP – SENKOBO SCHOOL
We are absolutely thrilled and humbled to have received an award for the Best Orphan Charity of the Year.
An exciting event took part in Mukuni Chiefdom last month after we sponsored a football tournment to create awareness of HIV. The event which was the first ever tournamant in this remote area of the Chiefdom, was held in Siamasimbi. Eight teams took part with Mukuni united being declared the winners. Pepe’s Zambia-Football Foundation kindly donated the kits for each team.
MUKUNI UNITED FOOTBALL TEAM, INCLUDING SPONSORED ORPHANS
The Butterfly Tree malaria prevention campaign has got off to a great start after two successful presentations to Inner Wheel Club Districts 12 and 20. 100% of all funds raised will be used to purchase mosquito nets for school children. If you would like to make a donation so that we can reach out to as many schools as possible please click on this link, The cost for a mosquito net is £5, there has been a recent increase due to the strengthening of the Zambian currency and inflation.
Or if you would prefer your donation to be used to purchase a bag of maize for £5, please add a comment when making a donation.
Many thanks to everyone who has already supported this campaign and to all the generous donors who have put their trust in The Butterfly Tree.
