The Butterfly Tree, founded in 2006, is about to complete another successful year. In the past year we developed more schools, built a new health post, installed boreholes and toilets, and initiated sustainable income-generating projects for women and young people with disabilities, to provide food security.
In addition we distributed thousands of mosquito nets for the prevention for malaria and sponsored new orphans and vulnerable children in primary and secondary schools.
Constructed by former sponsored orphans, this month our trained youth builders completed a 1×3 classroom block for Musokotwane Secondary school. Generously funded by The Murphy Family Foundation the donation includes computers, science equipment and desks, as well as power for the entire school. Furthermore the donor is funding a 1×3 classroom block at River View Secondary school, which is currently under construction.
This week our young builders will commence construction for a new secondary school at Nguba, which will include a 1×3 classroom block, a staff house and toilets. A further team will head to Bbombe Lyangoma, a remote area in Nyawa, to build a 1×2 classroom block and toilets for their community school. Both are being funded by a private donor.
The special education class at Mukuni recently received donations of footballs, sports kits and learning materials. This facility is vital in helping children, who have a wide range of difficulties, including intellectual impairment and Cerebral Palsy, to keep active and to be educated. The charity also built special education classrooms at Katapazi and Simango schools, and offers ongoing support.
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month and without our support children like Joseph, may not have been able to walk let alone be educated. At the age of six Joseph could not walk. The charity funded a 12-month course of physiotherapy after which he was sponsored to go to school. Now aged fifteen Joseph thrives at the special education class and plays football.
A health post at Mabwa, consisting of a clinic, two staff houses, toilets, biodigester for waste, a borehole and equipment, is now complete. This facility will shortly be handed over to the Ministry of Health who will provide trained medical staff, and the ongoing costs. A generous grant from the Overseas Aid and Development Commission of Guernsey funded this project.
Following on from the distribution of mosquito nets in Mabwa and neigbouring schools, children in Kauwe Primary and Secondary schools received 1,000 nets as part of our ‘Mosquito nets for Schools’ programme. The Angus Lawson Memorial Trust generously support this programme.
This month we successfully drilled three boreholes for Nguba Secondary school, and Kamusiku and Monono Primary schools and surrounding villages. A further two boreholes will be drilled this week. We are currently developing sustainable food projects for women, and young people with physical and mental health challenges with the support from our Canadian partner, Give a Hand, and private donors.
Water and food projects are paramount. On the 1st March, the President, Hakainde Hichilema, declared the prolonged dry spells in Zambia as a National Disaster and Emergency. ‘Today, with heavy heart, we address you, as our beloved country faces a severe drought, the worst of its kind, caused by the El Niño weather conditions in the 2023/24 rain season and influenced by climate change.’
Though we cannot help everyone we are sourcing funds to install additional water systems and to provide new innovative solutions to end hunger. Our aim is for more women to manage food security for their families and for income-generation. If you would like to offer a donation please click on this link to see the different options or contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk
Thank you to all our donors, volunteers and fundraisers for your tremendous support and I would to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
