World Malaria Day 2012

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

‘The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 – Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria – marks a decisive juncture in the history of malaria control. Whether the malaria map will keep shrinking, as it has in the past decade, or be reclaimed by the malaria parasites, depends, to a great extent, on the resources that will be invested in control efforts over the next years. In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade’. This is what is stated by the World Malaria Organisation. It remains a very sensitive issue and will only continue to be successful with global funding. Malaria is still the biggest killer of man, with 75% of all deaths occurring in children under five in sub-Sahara Africa.

World Malaria Day: Distribution of mosquito nets – Mukuni Chiefdom

Sadly I do not see very little of this funding reaching rural communities where we work. During my recent trip to Zambia I came across more new cases of malaria than in previous years. The government are supposed to provide mosquito nets to all children under five and pregnant women. The Mukuni Chiefdom has a population of 20,000, since January 2011 the community has received only 100 nets from the Department of Health. Thanks to a generous annual donation from Saga Charitable Trust we run a malaria prevention program in the Chiefdom. In March we distributed 400 mosquito nets to outreach villages as well as purchasing malaria testing kits , which are equally important. Early testing is vital especially in this region where P. falciparum is prevalent and may result in death within hours or a few days of infection. It is also crucial that the people are educated about the dangers of malaria as early symptoms can appear to be flu-like making it imperative to seek immediate medical advice if there is a fever. If caught in time it can be easily treated.

Twin boys from Chibale contract malaria

Today I will be attending an event to mark World Malaria Day at the Commonwealth Secretariat. A number of key speakers will address and consult on global malaria. Topics will include malaria control, women and children’s vulnerability to malaria and most alarmingly the growing resistance to malaria medications. Until there is a cure prevention is essential, providing mosquito nets and malaria testing kits will continue to be one of our main priorities. You can help us! Donate a mosquito net for as little as £5, which could save the precious life of a child.

Volunteering at Mukuni

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

The Butterfly Tree is a charity and not a volunteer business. However we do allow dedicated and committed people to volunteer for the charity at Mukuni Village, seven kilometres from the mighty Victoria Falls. Unlike businesses there is no charge for this opportunity though we do ask participants if they would like to give a donation to one of our many projects or take with them to Zambia items for the school or clinic. Over the past four years we have had a number of people from all walks of life who have made a substantial contribution, which has helped both the charity and the community in Mukuni. These include students, individuals and professionals from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Finland.

Volunteering at Mukuni: James from the UK and Petteri from Finland

This is how it works – we are very flexible as you will be independent, though you will be working alongside a teacher, medical officer or a member of the team. There is no time scale so you may stay as long as you wish. If you are interested in working at both the clinic and the school we suggest you help at the clinic in the mornings and school in the afternoons. Please note that the schools are closed for the Christmas break during much of December, a month at Easter and for the month of August. There is also the opportunity to assist with community-based projects such as constructing houses, painting classrooms, holding workshops or working with women’s groups.

Wendy, an accountant, gave advice to women on income-generating enterprises

There are no facilities or accommodation available in Mukuni therefore we recommend that you stay in Livingstone at either of the backpackers places: Fawlty Towers or Jolly Boys or Chanter Lodge if you want somewhere reasonably priced. For those seeking a more up market type of accommodation our partners Sun International have two hotels next to the Victoria Falls and Stanley Safari Lodge half way between the Falls and Mukuni. These arrangements along with flights will be your responsibility. To get to the village you can either take the local bus, which changes at the Victoria Falls and takes about an hour – it’s around £3 or £4 return or you can do a deal with a local taxi to take you for around £15 return. Zambia is very safe compared to most countries and the local people are extremely humble, friendly and obliging.

Mutsa from London spent four months teaching peer education for HIV Prevention

All volunteers have loved this life-changing experience vowing to return and many have joined our cause to help improve the lives of these vulnerable people. Besides working with the charity the area has an abundance of activities including safaris, white water rafting, elephant-back riding and micro-liting over the Victoria Falls. It is also close to the Botswana border where some of the best game in Africa can be seen at Chobe National Park. If you would like to volunteer for The Butterfly Tree please send an email to jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk

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Newsletter April 2012

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

I have just returned from Zambia after three full weeks overseeing The Butterfly Tree projects and sourcing new ones. We are now covering areas some 100 kilometres from Livingstone, reaching out to villages in very remote areas where progress is being made in both health and education. However much more needs to be done in areas where poverty is extreme, parents are dying from AIDS related illnesses and children are hungry. Mukuni Village, due to its location, close to Livingstone and the border of Zimbabwe, suffers more than most. The HIV and AIDS statistics are incredibly high and more and more children are orphaned through this destructive disease, stressing how essential it is to continue with the orphan sponsorship program.

Old classroom at Silelo

New School at Matengu

I am pleased to report that it is not all ‘doom and gloom’ much progress is being made. The highlight of my trip was visiting the four new schools that we have constructed thanks to a hugely generous grant from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission – three opened in January and one will open next term. All of these schools are complete with teachers’ houses and latrines with the addition of a bore hole at Malima. For the Mandandi community this is a real advancement, previously 46 children had never been to school and over 30 attended only once a week due to the long distance they had to walk to the nearest school. Each new school has received a substantial amount of stationary and equipment as a result of a grant from the British and Foreign School Society. We aim to make these schools sustainable by providing seeds to produce feeding programs as well as uniform making projects to create income generation.

Another highlight of the trip was when the new British High Commissioner, James Thornton, paid a visit to Mukuni Village. The Commission had selected The Butterfly Tree projects out of all the NGO’s operating in the Livingstone area.

New school at Silelo

New school at Mandandi

Further improvements include a shelter for boarders, funded by Saga Charitable Trust, which means the older pupils can remain in Mukuni during the week. The special education project is so successful that the Provincial Department of Education has got involved. Fountaindale School has once again provided a teacher exchange program. During their recent visit the UK teachers hosted workshops for the Province, using Mukuni Special Education as a model for this exercise. It is a joy to see local children with both mental and physical disabilities receiving a sound education. The orphan sponsorship has recently had a boost, many sponsors have either visited Mukuni or found us on the internet with over twenty more children being able to join the program. Virtually 100% of our sponsored orphans recently passed to go to the high school and twenty orphans, who completed grade 12, have been able to participate in vocational courses, part of the grant from the British and Foreign School Society. A further teacher’s house at Mukuni High School has been completed as a part of a considerable donation from ENRC Marketing.

Special Education Children

Sponsored Orphans – Ngandu

Mukuni Health Centre has had a ‘facelift’ with the inclusion of a women’s shelter, kindly funded by The Besom who also funded a teacher’s house at Ngandu Basic School. Major health issues persist and once again we have funded treatment for several children. I was saddened to learn that there has been an increase in new cases of malaria during this year’s rainy season. We distributed 400 of Saga’s mosquito nets to outreach villages targeting children under five and pregnant women. While attempting to reach an area in the Sikute Chiefdom, where we are to build a new school at Sibbulo, the journey proved to be too arduous. After several hours we failed to reach the village as the track was overgrown and many areas were water-logged. It was a very frustrating journey and when we got our second slashed tyre, we could go no further. By 7.30pm the mosquito were at large – despite having insect repellent, the insects attacked through our clothing. The three of us were covered in bites and it was hours later when the rescue vehicle arrived, eventually we touched base at 12.30am. This journey confirmed just how inaccessible some of these villages are and how lucky we are to have access to anti-malaria medication.

Distribution of mosquito nets

World Women’s Day

As always I hosted an event for International Women’s Day – over 100 women, including the Bedyango, Chieftainess of Mukuni, were in attendance. The theme was ‘Inspiring Futures, Connecting Girls’ and the agenda included topics on how to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, women’s health issues and sustainable income-generating activities. A challenge was offered for groups of women to submit projects and the most original would be given start-up costs and advice. I was assisted by Wendy Calloway, an accountant who is both a donor and volunteer for The Butterfly Tree and kindly offered to give all the groups expert business advice. We have had a number of volunteers who have worked at both the school and clinic, most valuable are the seven-year medical students from Sydney University and Margaret and Casey from Oregon who returned for a fourth time to develop their goat’s milk project. We are very grateful to all our donors, fund raisers and volunteers who have helped us to reach out to many more rural communities. Funds are in place for the construction of a further school, a clinic and a Music Centre.

If you would like to further support any of our projects we have a new donate facility with British Telecom.

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