I have just returned from Zambia after spending three weeks in the baking heat visiting many of our projects and catching up with the orphans and vulnerable children on The Butterfly Tree’s orphan sponsorship programme. The temperatures soared to 41 degrees but the good news is that the much needed rains have started, bringing new life and hope to these remote communities.
The furthest site I reached was Katanda in Kalomo District where we are building a health post thanks to a generous grant from the Overseas Aid and Development Commission of Guernsey. The distance to Kalomo from Livingstone is only 130 kms, but it was a further 75km arduous off-road drive to reach the site, making it a fourteen hour round-trip! The project includes a clinic, a mother’s shelter, two staff houses, a water system and bio-digester for waster. Great progress was being made and once the constructions are finished we will provide all the necessary equipment. Mosquito nets for children were also included in the donation. The facility will be handed over to the Ministry of Health after completion.
On the topic of health, we donated medical equipment and supplies, including an oxygen concentrator, to Simonga, Bunsanga and Mambova health posts. Blooms the Chemist, Australia offers vital ongoing support to these three facilities. The company recently held a fundraiser to offer further funding for our health programmes in rural areas of Zambia.
A substantial donation was received from Nick Bousliman, one of our major donors, in September. The funds have been used to purchase 2,000 mosquito nets. These have been distributed amongst school children living in ‘malaria hotspots’ in Kaloma and Kazungula Districts to help prevent children from contracting malaria. This donation also enabled us to drill boreholes for Maila Male primary school and for the following communities: Milangu, Sheleni and Syamwiya, with more to follow. Additionally, seeds and fertilizer were given to advance eleven food security projects for women and rural communities.
Two further boreholes have been drilled this month, one for a Nguba Rural Health Centre and one for Siamusunse Community school. The handpumps and protective fencing will shortly be in place. These were funded from a grant from the Peter Stebbings Memorial Charity.
I managed to reach some of the women’s projects, including Musokotwane and Sekute Central. At Musokotwane the women told me that their sorghum harvest was successful and that they are continually growing vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplant and okra.
Sekute Central women were delighted to share the fact that the profits they gained have been used to buy more seeds and that they are able to provide food for vulnerable people in their community. What was so pleasing to hear was that the produce for both projects, apart from what is used for home-consumption, is sold within their communities as opposed to taking it to the markets in Livingstone and Kazungula. This saves time and transportation costs.
As for our education projects this year we are adding further infrastructure to three secondary schools. An additional 1×3 classroom block will shortly be completed at Riverview secondary. Prior to our support there was no secondary school at Riverview. We first built a 1×4 classroom block in 2015. This was followed by a science lab and three more 1×3 classroom blocks, two boarding houses and toilets. The pupil enrolment at the secondary school is now 1,038. Thanks to the generous support of The Murphy Family Foundation Riverview continues to flourish.
The Murphy Family also funded another boarding house for boys, and toilets for girls at Musokotwane secondary school. Another donor helped us with an additional 1×3 classroom block and a boarding house for Nguba secondary school, which opened in January 2025 and continues to enroll more pupils.
Further development is taking place at Simukumbwa community school, after Victor Ubogu’s successful fundraiser. The second classroom block, feeding shelter, staff houses and toilets are under construction. The new water system is in place. This is a substantial project and a huge bonus for this remote community in Kalomo District. I did not manage to reach the site this time due to the distance and heat but one of our local volunteers visits the site regularly and reports back to us.
As always it was a pleasure to meet up with pupils being sponsored by The Butterfly Tree. I visited them at the following schools: Mukuni, Ngandu, Kamwi, Riverview, Kazungula Boarding school, Senkobo and Musokotwane. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to meet all of them due to examinations taking place. A further twenty pupils on sponsorship will complete grade twelve in December.
Last but not least, some of the sponsored pupils who completed grade twelve and were offered university and college courses gained degrees last month! Charity was awarded a teaching degree and is currently doing her work experience at Riverview, the school she attended up to grade twelve. Henry gained a degree in Bio-medicine, while Kenneth and Christopher gained degrees in accountancy. Esnart gained a college diploma in journalism and Bright a diploma in accountancy. This was a rare opportunity, which they all embraced, and potentially life-changing.
We continue to receive tremendous support, which has enabled us to make sound progress in all categories – water, health, education and food security. I wish to thank all our generous donors, trustees and also Presley, Martin, Stain, Natasha and Lloyd for implementing and managing our many grass root projects in Zambia.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
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