The time for festive cheer and celebrations is fast approaching and we have launched our annual Christmas Appeal. As in previous years we are raising money to buy bags of ground maize for orphans and vulnerable families, and mosquito to help protect children from contracting malaria. In addition, we have added mother’s shelters to the list.
100% of all donations for the appeal will be go directly into the cause, nothing will be deducted for administration or personal fees.
Mosquito nets have a substantial impact on reducing the number of malaria cases, especially in children. They can prevent severe disease and loss of life.
The mother’s shelters provide accommodation next to a clinic, so that women have a place to stay prior to the onset of labour. This facility can provide a safe place to stay when the nearest clinic is a distance of 20km from home. Our aim is to provide permanent buildings to replace mud and pole structures that are totally inadequate during the rainy season.
Thanks to a Blooms the Chemist, Australia who held a successful fundraiser for The Butterfly Tree, Nguba and Boombwe Rural Health Centres mother’s shelters will be constructed in the New Year. However, more are needed so that all clinics have a mother’s shelter like Simonga, which we built in 2019.
Food is always in short supply at this time of the year. Though the rains have started it will be a few months before the crops are ready. Therefore we donate bags of ground maize to orphans and vulnerable people for Christmas. The women’s food security projects continue to flourish so at least people have vegetables to eat until crops are harvested.
Women from four of these projects received extensive training on food production last month. Funded by the International Development Research Centre and implemented by the University of Zambia. The Butterfly Tree was selected as the beneficiary for Livingstone District, for the three-year project. This season we donated seeds and fertilizer to eleven food security projects to expand their production units.
Another borehole was drilled for Muumba community in Kalomo District. We have funding in place for two borehole. As well as water projects we fund sanitation to help prevent Diarrhoeal diseases. VIP latrines have recently been constructed at Musokotwane secondary school, Simakumbwa Community school and Katanda Health Post. The health post, which includes a clinic, staff houses, mother’s shelter and bio-digester for waste should be completed by the end of December.
Thanks to a substantial donation from Motive Real Estate, Texas at least twenty more orphans, widows and elderly people will have new homes. For every house this company sells, money is donated to the charity so that we can build a community house.
Christmas is the season of goodwill and time for giving. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation towards our Christmas Appeal. A mosquito net costs just £5 ($7), a 25 bag of ground maize is £10 ($14) and a mother’s shelter currently costs £4,500 ($6,000). Any amount, however small, will really help!
If you would like to make a donation you can find the different payment options by clicking on this link.
Wishing everyone the very best for Christmas and good health, peace and happiness in the New Year.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
