The Butterfly Tree built the first secondary school in the Kazungula District in Mukuni Village, which has enabled thousands of children to complete their education. Ten pupils under sponsorship are currently attending university, while others have sought employment. I am delighted to report that six young men and women, who were sponsored by the charity, have undergone extensive army training and graduate this month.
In addition to Mukuni Secondary school we have developed one for Musokotwane, completed in April. An extra 1×3 classroom block will advance River View Secondary school, and a new secondary school, including a 1×3 classroom block, teacher’s house and toilets, is under construction for Nguba. Prior to these facilities pupils had to drop out of school at the end of grade nine. These schools now run from grades eight to twelve.
The three special education classes we initiated at Mukuni, Katapazi and Simonga are to receive a boost thanks to a donation from St James’s Place Foundation. Another primary school is being built at Bbombe Lyangoma, a remote area of Nyawa, where pupils are currently being taught in an inadequate learning environment. A 1×2 classroom block and toilets will improve both education standards and sanitation. We also have funds in place to develop another primary school. These schools are handed over to the government for them to provide trained teachers and to fund ongoing costs.
Sadly, it is not all good news due to the severe drought which is causing widespread hunger. Declared as a National Disaster and Emergency in March, the situation is worsening and no rain is expected until October. People, especially in the remote villages, lost all their crops and are desperate for food. We are distributing bags of ground maize to the most vulnerable and getting support that can help many more people to grow food and access clean water.
I am delighted to announce that the Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission has approved our application for another Grant Aid Award. This will enable us to establish food security and safe water projects for four groups of women. One each for Nyawa, Mukuni, Musokotwane, and Sekute Chiefdoms and will include storage buildings, solar-powered water reticulation systems, fencing, tools, seeds and grinding mills for maize.
So far this year we have installed sixteen boreholes with three more at Luwe, Muule and Service Centre community schools to be drilled this week. These will be shared with their communities to provide access to clean water for the maximum amount of people during this critical time and in future. In areas where the streams have run dry people can be found digging for water in river beds.
The Murphy Family Foundation has kindly offered a substantial donation to support our food and water projects so that more people can be helped during this dire situation. We are incredibly grateful for the support we have already received from our donors and want to thank everyone who has donated funds to give people access to clean water and to help prevent a famine. While we cannot help everyone we are reaching out to thousands of people in need.
If you would like to make a donation, a 25kg bag of maize costs £10, please click on this link or should you wish to donate to something else please contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk
100% WILL BE USED TO PROVIDE VITAL FOOD AND WATER FOR THOSE MOST IN NEED.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
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