Despite having a relatively small population of just over 12 million people, there are 710,000 orphans in Zambia, primarily as a result of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. One in six adults living with HIV and longevity is barely 38. Sadly the Livingstone area, which is close to Mukuni Village, has one of the highest problems in the nation. This is due to the exposure of being both a border town and the capital of tourism. The devastation caused by this pandemic is heartbreaking, everyone in Mukuni and beyond has been infected or affected – the loss is totally overwhelming.
Orphans in Zambia at N’gandu Basic School
Poverty as always is one of the major under-lying causes, but people from every walk of life have been affected – from government to industry, agriculture and tourism, no area has escaped this virus that has caused so much devastation. According to the latest statistics from UNAIDS, at the end of 2010 there were 34 million people living with HIV and this same year 1.8 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Although in the past five years, both the number of new cases and deaths have declined globally, Zambia like most Southern African countries, is still suffering. Our aim is to intensify our HIV and AIDS prevention projects and increase the numbers on our orphan sponsorship programmes. To date we have sponsored over 500 individual orphans and improved the conditions for thousands of vulnerable children.
Young orphan in Mukuni Village Zambia
The Butterfly Tree supports a number of HIV and AIDS prevention programmes and this year we will mostly work within the schools, targeting the pupils, as we strongly believe that this is where the change can be made. As always we will continue with our orphan sponsorship programme; only this week two siblings, who had previously lost their father, have now lost their mother. If we can ensure that these vulnerable children remain in school and receive a sound education, they have hope. The alternative means having to rely on their guardians, adding further pressure to the family, which pushes them below the poverty line.
Last year a peer education for HIV and AIDS prevention was initiated thanks to Mutsa Marau, a young volunteer from London and now a member of The Butterfly Tree team. To help reduce the number of orphans in Zambia Mutsa has trained a group of Mukuni school children aged between 14 and 20 to reach out to other schools and their communities educating them about the dangers of HIV and AIDS, how to prevent it, how to live with it and how to remove the stigma that surrounds it. Girls are four times more likely to catch it than boys and will be given extra support on how to avoid getting pregnant as well as learning about the risk of contracting HIV.
Peer educators in HIV and AIDS prevention – Mukuni Village
If you would like to sponsor an orphan please complete the on line form.
