On Tuesday I returned to the UK after spending three weeks in Zambia checking on our many projects and sourcing new ones. I find it hard to believe it is now over seventeen years since I first visited Mukuni Village. Starting with an orphan sponsorship programme The Butterfly Tree branches have grown significantly. We have projects throughout the Kazungula District as well as Livingstone and Zimba Districts.
Today we are building entire schools, health posts and community houses. We install boreholes and water reticulation systems, and sanitation for remote schools and communities. We provide support for HIV prevention and Girls’ Empowerment, and initiate sustainable income-generating enterprises for women and youths. We help the global fight against malaria.
None of this could have been achieved without the generous support of our donors, some have been donating since 2006. The money we raise comes from grant aid, trusts, individuals, corporate, schools, clubs and other organisations. Every donation we receive, whether it be big or small counts, and helps to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable children on the planet.
We have a wonderful team of volunteers both in the UK and Zambia who are committed to our grass root cause and have been paramount in the charity’s success. Working alongside our Zambian team gives me an incite into how much time is needed to initiate, manage and monitor the projects on the ground. I drove over 1,200 km while in Zambia to visits schools, communities and health posts. To access these remote areas, the tracks are often hazardous, during the rainy season – some become impassable.
These journeys give me the opportunity to meet pupils, teachers, and medical staff and to engage with the local communities. I see first hand the need but always ask the people what is required rather than telling the people what they should have. The difference a school borehole or classroom can make is remarkable. The difference a rural health post makes can be life-saving. Below are some of the main objectives we achieved during the past year.
PROJECTS FROM MARCH 31ST 2022 TO 1ST APRIL 2023
- Health Post – Katondo including a clinic, two teacher’s houses, borehole and toilets
- Health Post – Boombwe including a clinic, two teacher’s houses, borehole and toilets
- Completion of classrooms – Mukuni, Kamwi and Sichifulo schools
- Two teacher’s houses – Musokotwane Secondary School
- Restoration of a primary school classroom and one for special education – Mukuni
- Boreholes – Mambwa, James Siachema, Simukombo and Ngandu schools. Namyola and Hamoomba communities
- Sustainable community project for women in Sekute
- Donation of seeds and fertilizer – 50 schools in the Kazungula District
- Distribution of ground maize to 2,500 households in four Chiefdoms
- Distribution of mosquito nets to schools in Sekute and Nyawa
- Donation of textbooks, materials, and desks – primary, special education and secondary schools
- Donation of medical supplies – Simango, Mambova, Bunsanga and Mukuni clinics.
- Sponsorship for orphans at seven schools, and for university and college students.
- Sports sponsorship and football tournaments – selected charity for the Blackpool Cup
AWARDS 2022-23
- Scotland Prestige Awards ‘Education Charity of the Year‘ – winner.
- Central England Prestige Awards ‘HIV Support NPO of the Year’ – winner.
- WAFA AWARDS shortlisted for the ‘FOOD’ Category – winner to be announced.
The Butterfly Tree has grown considerably since the founding. Consequently we have recently converted the charity from a trust to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation as recommended by the Charity Commission, and a criteria for some grant funding applications. ‘A CIO has its own legal identity, and is liable for its own debts as opposed to a trust, which holds assets for its beneficiaries.’ The CIO will give donors more security.
The Butterfly Tree will not change its aims or the way we operate. The same trustees and volunteers will continue to raise funds and awareness to help those most in need and as always no salaries, office rent nor personal fees will be deducted from donations. The new charity number is 1202390 and can be seen on the Charity Commission’s website, as it is newly registered there is no financial history listed. However, all the financial records for The Butterfly Tree trust can still be viewed on the Charity Commission website, using this link 1118084.
Our Annual Report and Accounts for 2022-23, which will shortly be audited, and will be available to view in the next couple of months.
Many thanks to all our global donors, fundraisers, trustees and volunteers, both in the UK and Zambia, for making this another outstanding year for The Butterfly Tree, and most importantly for its beneficiaries.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
