My belief has always been that children do not ask to be born nor do they choose where they are born. Being brought up in a Yorkshire Dales farming community I had access to clean water, readily available food, a nearby hospital, and primary and secondary schools.
If you are born in a poor community in Zambia, where you live in a mud and pole construction, do not have access to clean water, your crops have perished due drought, you must walk several kilometres to reach school and the nearest health facility is a distance of 20km, life can be tough. No more so than for orphans and vulnerable children.
Since 2006 The Butterfly Tree has provided sponsorship for orphans and vulnerable children living in extreme poverty, in the Kazungula District of Zambia. Many live with elderly grandparents or guardians who have little source of income. Some of you may have read on the BBC’s Africa News section about the Zambian government abolishing school fees in 2022. This was welcomed by everyone – however, money still needs to be found to pay for uniforms, shoes, books, school bags and sports kits. The article mentions increased number of pupils returning to school resulting in overcrowding and shortages of classrooms, desks and books.
I have seen this on numerous visits to Zambia where pupils are sitting on the floor and where there is only one textbook per class. The Butterfly Tree will shortly complete two new schools. A secondary school for pupils at Nguba includes a 1×3 classroom block, teacher’s house and toilets – this will provide an improved learning environment from grades 8 to 12. A community school at Bbombe Lyangoma will have a permanent 1×2 classroom block and toilets. Once completed we will hand these schools over to the Ministry of Education who will provide trained teachers and ongoing expenses.
On health matters – monthly donations from Blooms Chemist, Australia provide essential support to Bunsanga, Mambova and Simonga Health Posts. The company has also donated funds for a shelter at Simonga. We have built seven entire health posts and expanded a further six by adding maternity units and mother’s shelters. These rural facilities are crucial for providing maternity care, general practice, and HIV and malaria testing and treatment.
Thanks to a substantial donation from the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust 1,320 mosquito nets we given to pupils and teachers at Kauwe primary and secondary schools. A testimonial from Kauwe’s Environmental Health Technologist includes the following extract: ‘This year 2024, we are yet to record any malaria cases among pupils. This act of generosity will go a long way in saving lives and ensuring a reduction in Malaria within our catchment area.’ Schools in Mabwa zone also received mosquito nets this year as part of the grant from Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission.
Heartbreakingly, the impact of the severe drought caused by El Niño and climate change is escalating. Our local volunteers and health workers are reporting distressing news: ‘A child dying from poisoning and two more hospitalized after eating wild roots. People fainting from hunger after going days without food.’ In one zone a health worker told me that 95% of the crops had perished, this is common in many areas. Every day our local team receive requests for food donations.
Since March we have been distributing bags of ground maize to the orphans and vulnerable children on sponsorship and to those with disabilities and to the elderly. We cannot feed everyone but your donations are providing vital support and helping to avert a famine. We are most grateful to the Murphy Family Foundation and Kampango for their generous support for the food crisis, and to all the individual people who have donated funds to buy bags of ground maize.
We have now installed 20 boreholes this year with four more scheduled in the coming days. Nine solar-powered water reticulation systems have added to provide food security with more to follow. Seeds and fertilizer will also be donated so that more people can grow their own food to relieve hunger and for sustainable income-generation.
With no rain expected before October we need to do much more. If you would like to donate a bag of ground maize which costs just £10 (US13) please click on this link or contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk
100% WILL BE USED TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR THOSE MOST IN NEED.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder