August, 2019 | The Butterfly Tree Charity

‘Celebrated every year on 19 August, World Humanitarian Day is directed towards honoring humanitarian efforts worldwide and propagating the idea of supporting people in crisis’.

ELVIS & VINCENT, SUPPORTED SINCE LOSING THEIR MOTHER DURING CHILDBIRTH

The Butterfly Tree’s humanitarian programmes have been operating in Zambia for over thirteen years and had an enormous impact in the Kazungula District. Thousands more children are enrolled in schools and have improved healthcare facilities, access to clean water and sanitation, to name but a few of our projects.

THE CHARITY PROVIDES FUNDS TO IMPROVE RURAL HEALTH FACILITIES

Kawewa School expansion to add extra grades is progressing well, thanks to a grant from the BFSS. The new school at Muyunda, a remote area in Nyawa, is almost complete. A further boarding shelter is being constructed at Mukuni High School, after a group of students from Arnewood School raised funds and spent five days working on the site and assisting in our special education unit.

NEW CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR MUYUNDA COMMUNITY SCHOOL

A new health post and staff house are currently being constructed at Bunsanga, after receiving further grant aid from GOAC, and the addition of a maternity ward and women’s shelter at Simonga clinic is under way. More houses for widows and orphans in Kamwi Village have been donated by Motive Real Estate, Texas.

SEVEN MORE HOUSES FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

In the next few weeks commencement of an entire new school, close to the Kazungula border, and two boarding shelters at River View School, will commence. This area has a high prevalence of HIV. Funds have been generously donated by the Hilary and Neil Murphy Charitable Foundation. The aim is to enrol children who are not attending school, who can eventually go to River View Secondary School.

RIVER VIEW SECONDARY SCHOOL – KAZUNGULA

We are doing everything possible to help with the severe drought, which is affecting over 2 million Zambians in the Southern and Western Provinces. Bags of roller meal are being distributed on a regular basis as a result of your donations. We cannot help everyone, but we are reaching out to vulnerable people in Nyawa, Sekute and Mukuni Chiefdoms.

INVALUABLE SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMMES

Villages in the remote areas, that rely on streams and rivers for drinking water, are suffering the most. Funding is in place for five boreholes, with three more on the way. Margaret Bax and her family kindly donated two boreholes for Mukuni Chiefdom. Another one is a result of a birthday gift – ‘when one year old Indiana is older her parents will tell her that to celebrate her first birthday, they, her family and friends kindly donated a borehole to help those most in need’. In October three young lawyers are coming to Zambia, after raising money for boreholes through their brilliant initative ‘Belgian Lawyers for Africa – It’s Legal to Care‘.

EIGHT BOREHOLES TO BE DRILLED TO HELP WITH WATER SHORTAGES

On the malaria prevention front we have been distributing mosquito nets to school children and villages, and targeting Ngwezi zone in Sekute Chiefdom to reduce the number of malaria cases. At the end of August Martin, is going to walk 180km from Porto in Portugal to Santiago in Spain to raise awareness and funds for mosquito nets. Entitled ‘the flamingos are walking for malaria prevention‘, we will be following his progress and posting on Social Media.

DISTRIBUTION OF MOSQUITO NETS – CHUUNGA VILLAGE, MUKUNI CHIEFDOM

Through your tremendous support, whether you are a donor, volunteer or fundraiser we celebrate our achievements on World Humanitarian Day and aim to improve the lives of many more less fortunate children. If you you would like to make a donation towards the food and water crisis all our platforms are free.

Many of you may have seen last week’s alarming news regarding resistant malaria spreading in South East Asia and that the parasites have moved from Cambodia to Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and that it would be catastrophic if it reached Africa.

There are an estimated 219 million of malaria cases each year, most occur in Africa, with Zambia being no exception. 75% of the 435,000 annual deaths occur in children under the age of five in sub-Sahara Africa.

THE MIGHTY ZAMBEZI RIVER – ZAMBIA

While the researches and drug companies are seeking a cure and alternative medications to overcome resistance, malaria prevention methods are imperative to avoid new cases of malaria. The Butterfly Tree’s programme, which is proving to be highly successful, is helping to prevent new cases occuring in Zambia.

PUPILS AT RIVER VIEW SCHOOL HAVE PROTECTION FOR MALARIA

The latest report received from the Environmental Officer in Nyawa Chiefdom, states ZERO cases of malaria after our intervention. We provided universal coverage for two villages and their surrounding communities, where there was a high prevalence of malaria. Each dwelling was painted with a safe insecticidal coating, larvicide was placed in streams and ponds, and mosquito nets were given to each family.

ZERO CASES OF MALARIA IN NYAWA VILLAGES

These results are significant and prove that eradication can happen. In Moomba Chiefdom, some 300 km from our base, 46% of the population had malaria in 2017. In December that year the charity started a programme to provide universal coverage for the entire Chiefdom, here are the latest statistics:

1,531 cases in 2017
525 cases in 2018
56 cases to date in 2019

MOOMBA CHIEFDOM – MALARIA CASES SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED

We aim to continue providing mosquito nets for schools after identifying that school children are not being protected from malaria as priority is given to pregnant women and children under five. Every pupil and teacher is given a mosquito net. 3,500 nets have been given to the following schools: River View, Sikaunzwe, Kawewa, Mambova, Chuunga and Kamwi.

MOSQUITO NETS FOR CHUUNGA COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL

In September we are to provide further protection for an area in Musokotwane Chiefdom. After visiting Ngwezi Rural Health Centre in March and learning that the larvicide, which we had previously donated, was helping to reduce the number of malaria cases, the next phase will be to apply the insecticidal coating. In addition, mosquito nets will be given to three schools in the area. We are very grateful for the recent support from the Hilary and Neil Murphy Foundation, GOAC and Rotary Clubs.

MALARIA PREVENTION PROGRAMME – NGWEZI

I am delighted to announce that The Butterfly Tree has been invited by the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs for Great Britain and Ireland as one of their International Service Chairman’s Charities for 2019-20, along with Medical Aid Films. At their National Conference in Leicester last month the three organisations, formed a partnership, and will be ‘Working Together to Prevent Malaria.’

JANE KAYE-BAILEY WITH SHAMIM GOVANI AND CATHERINE McCARTHY

Monthly Archives: August 2019

WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY 2019

ZERO CASES OF MALARIA RECORDED IN NYAWA VILLAGES