I am delighted to say that The Butterfly Tree is going from strength to strength and has had another incredible year. November and December have been amazing months with donations pouring in from individuals, grant-baring organisations and corporate. I believe that our success is due to the fact that donors know virtually 100% of their funding will go directly into grass roots projects and that no administration or personal fees will be deducted. In addition none of this could have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of our UK and Zambian volunteers and the representatives in Canada and the US who have come ‘on board’ to help our cause.

Christmas 2012 – supporting rural communities

Our work  now reaches out to three Chiefdoms in the Southern Province of Zambia. Many vulnerable communities have advanced with the addition of bore holes, schools and improved housing, health and sanitation facilities. We have opened four new schools and been able to sponsor over 60 new orphans from Mukuni, N’gandu and Kamwi rural schools. We have also helped thousands more by providing stationery, materials, seeds and investing in malaria and HIV and AIDS prevention. A number of children have received funds to pay for operations and medical treatment, including several for eye problems. An orphanage in Livingstone has received support from us for the first time.

New home for widow looking after orphans in Mukuni

This season we will be distributing a vast number of mosquito nets in both the Mukuni and Sekute Chiefdoms and 2013 has some exciting projects in store. A second special education centre at Katapazi, a boarders’ shelter and 1×2 classroom at Mukuni, a clinic at Mahalululu and a health post and a women’s shelter at Mambova. Our emphasis will be on sustainability, improving reading skills and introducing a mentoring scheme for high schools pupils and school leavers. In addition we will continue to focus on HIV and AIDS prevention amongst school pupils and vulnerable communities.

Children at N’dele enjoy their new school – opened January 2012

Sadly it is not all good news and as I always say about working in Africa ‘for every step forward you take two back‘. Zambia has been plagued with an infestation of army worms, which started in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and is now down in the Southern Province and Mukuni has been hard hit. This is prime growing time and just when the maize is sprouting the army worms have destroyed all the crops in the area. President Sada has announced it as a national disaster and if it is not controlled in time Zambia could face a severe famine next year. With maize and fuel already in short supply we must find new ways to provide food for these needy people in the challenging year ahead.

With your support we have made a tremendous contribution to alleviating poverty in many outreach villages. Thank you on behalf of The Butterfly Tree for helping us to make this happen. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year.

Jane Kaye-Bailey

Every hour around 300 people die of AIDS related illnesses, between 30 to 40 of them are children. Globally there are 34 million people living with HIV and AIDS. Despite significant progress being made sadly last year there were 2.2 million new infections and 1.7 million deaths caused by AIDS related illnesses. Two thirds of those people are living in Commonwealth countries, the majority are in Southern Africa, which of course includes Zambia.

Yesterday I was invited at an event at The Commonwealth Secretariat to commemorate and to listen to panel discussions and multi-sectoral consultations for World AIDS Day. Among the panel were speakers from UNAIDS, the Tropical School of Medicine, UNESCO and various members of the Secretariat. This was an invaluable exercise and collectively everyone is focused on reaching the Millennium Development Goal of Zero New Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS related deaths, by 2015.

World AIDS Day: prevent the spread of HIV and protect vulnerable children

Education is the key for preventing the spread of HIV, particularly in developing countries such as Zambia. The Butterfly Tree funds a number of initiatives in remote villages. These include workshops to help overcome the stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV and AIDS, to encourage safe sex and to partake in voluntary testing. Knowing your status is paramount. Recently we provided funds for fifteen community based volunteers to attend training courses, in addition we have funded a workshop for defaulters, people who have been receiving treatment and then stopped after feeling well. These people cause a huge threat to the community. We continue to support mothers who are HIV positive, provide care for their infants and offer support to thousands of orphans effected by the pandemic, most especially children infected with HIV.

Members of the HIV and AIDS support group – Mukuni Village

Every child has a right to education and yet of greater importance every child should have access to basic healthcare. Health is fundamental and when you are working in one of the poorest countries on the planet adequate healthcare is not readily available. We are currently building a clinic at Mahalululu, where people walk 48 kilometres to get to Mukuni Health Centre. Our aim for 2013 is to provide further outreach health posts, to increase our funding for HIV and AIDS and to further promote peer education for HIV prevention within the schools. Zambia may not reach the Millennium Development Goal in 2015, but we are certainly doing our bit to help them.

From 10am on the 6th to the 8th December all donations to The Butterfly Tree can be doubled through the Big Give Christmas Challenge.

Buy a charity calendar for just £4 – contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk

Install Give as You Live to raise funds for HIV and AIDS Prevention while shopping on line, at no extra cost to you!

After the huge success and excitement of the visit by HRH The Princess Royal it was back to reality and out into the bush. Of all the projects run by The Butterfly Tree nothing is more important than providing safe, clean water. When I first heard that children have to walk several miles to fetch water I found it hard to comprehend, so when I recently visited Sibbulo I clocked the mileage and can now confirm that children from this area had been walking 11 kilometres – almost seven miles!

Children at Sibbulo Community School

A new school for these children of Sibbulo, a remote community some 100 kilometres from Livingstone and 30 kilometres from the main road, is almost complete. The project funded by JOAC, which includes a 1×3 classroom block, two teachers’ houses, latrines and a bore hole, proved to be challenging for our experienced builder and drillers. Building work is usually done in the dry season because of accessibility. However this community depended on swamp water for drinking, washing and everything else and the swamps were dry. Therefore building work was delayed as there was literally no water in the area. The drillers made several attempts before water was found some 60 meters below ground.

New bore hole for Sibbulo – children walked 11kilometers to fetched water

Another community, greatly benefiting from the installation of a bore hole, is Chuunga. Previously the people had to draw water from bacteria-infected streams causing serious health risks, particularly in infants. Thanks to Grant and Marilee Gibson this school now has its own bore hole. Again the school is simply a mud hut construction; 150 children are taught by an untrained teacher in two daily sessions. It has been agreed that we will help to develop this school. The Gibsons have also raised a considerable amount of funds for mosquito nets, which we distributed in the Sekute Chiefdom. This area, adjacent to the Zambezi River, is a breeding ground for mosquito causing an increase in malaria cases when the water is stagnant.

Pupils at Chuunga Community School have a new bore hole

During my travels I came across a young boy called Jordan with a serious eye problem and immediately referred him to Mukuni Health Centre. Aged just 16 months he had a growth under his eyelid that had become infected. After posting this story on Facebook, John McGhee, one of our donors, kindly offered to pay for Jordan’s stay in hospital. The growth has now been removed, Jordan has been discharged and his parents await the pathology report, which can take up to six months! Five other children received funds for various medical conditions, thanks to support from Brady Italia.

Jordan with his father before having an operation on his eyelid

For the first time we have taken on a project in town at Lubasi Orphanage, which is being funded by the Gottlieb family. Each of the 45 children was given trainers, clothing and stationery and extra funds were used to provide much needed food and supplies. A new home for a widow looking after orphans was provided by LCR Rotary Club and many orphans received assistance with their school and exam fees. Aside from the Royal visit the most joyous part of the trip was to catch up with Vincent and Elvis, the Kamwi twins who were two years old this month. We have provided all their needs since they lost their mother in childbirth.

Vincent and Elvis, the Kamwi Twins, are two years old

It was wonderful to see the development in the outreach villages but as always more needs to be done. I would like to say special thanks to all my amazing volunteers in Zambia, without their assistance nothing could have been achieved. More funds need to be raised to enable The Butterfly Tree to continue its vital work.

Jane Kaye-Bailey

Over 1000 children, waving a mixture of British and Zambian flags, lined the road leading to Mukuni Basic School to welcome HRH Princess Royal. The excitement reached fever pitch as the cavalcade of cars pulled into the school grounds. The 4×4, bearing the Royal Standard, stopped at the edge of the red carpet, on loan to us from the Ministry. When the Princess stepped out of the vehicle I felt an overwhelming sense of joy as I welcomed her to The Butterfly Tree. Standing close by The Butterfly Tree volunteers were eagerly waiting to meet The Princess, the women looking resplendent in their colourful chitangys; all of them wearing polo shirts adorned with our striking logo.

The Princess Royal Visit – Jane with HRH and Stain Musumgaila

I presented the twenty Zambian volunteers to The Princess along with Emma Soames, a trustee of Saga’s Charitable Trust, who is one of our major donors and Stain Musungaila, from Sun International. After the introductions I escorted The Princess Royal into a mud hut where I was able to tell her about the charity’s work in Zambia. I was so impressed with her knowledge and her interest, The Princess Royal is renowned for her work with Save the Children and many other charitable causes. After the briefing we proceeded to the Special Education Unit, where The Princess Royal was introduced to sixteen children who are now receiving an education for the first time. This is the only one of its kind in a Zambian village, thanks to funding from The Besom. ‘Good morning, Ma’am’ greeted The Princess Royal after she left the unit and entered a grade nine classroom during a Maths lesson.

Before being seated under a tented area, The Princess Royal was to receive gifts from Esnat, Angela and Cynthia, the three young girls who inspired the founding of the charity. Next the rich voices of the Mukuni High School choir followed by the traditional dancers and the beating of the drums entertained The Princess, after which a former recipient of The Butterfly Tree’s orphan sponsorship programme, Mudenda Hazyendo, told a moving story about how the charity had supported him. He had passed to go to university to study law; funds were not available so he had accepted the opportunity to go to teacher’s training college, thanks to funding from one of our donor’s, the BFSS. The Province’s Permanent Secretary also heard this story and Mundenda is to be offered a place a Lusaka University.

Cynthia, Esnat and Angela presenting gifts to The Princess Royal

The performances ended with a powerful poem about orphans, written by Jane Kaye-Bailey and recited by Natasha Mufaya:

Spread Your Wings

 I am a butterfly who has emerged from a tree

My wings are developing so I can be free

I am learning and yearning to break the poverty cycle

In order to help those in need like me

As time passes by The Butterfly Tree

Will nurture many more orphans like me

My life is enriched with the education I receive

Soon I can explore what the world can offer me

Natasha Mufeya reciting a poem to The Princess Royal

Once the performances were over, The Princess RoyaI unveiled a plaque before I escorted her down the sandy track to the Mukuni Health Centre. Here seated on the verandah were several young children who had successfully undergone operations and treatment, funded by the charity. I explained the programme and how we had paid for the restoration of the clinic and provided a huge amount of medical supplies and equipment as well as malaria and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes. Finally we proceeded to The Butterfly Tree maternity clinic and women’s shelter, both invaluable additions to a clinic that serves some 7000 people.

Children, who have received medical support from the charity, meeting HRH

The time passed far too quickly and as I thanked HRH for visiting the charity her parting words still echo in my ears ‘Working with orphans is difficult but you seem to have got it right‘ – a compliment indeed!

I am delighted to announce that The Butterfly Tree is to receive a visit by HRH The Princess Royal, during her forthcoming visit to Zambia, as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. This is a great honour for both the charity and Mukuni Village. Working closely with the British High Commissioner and The Princess’s secretary the arrangements have been finalised and everyone is looking forward to this auspicious occasion. Today I will be travelling to Zambia to make the final preparations for the visit for this exciting event. Accompanying me will be Emma Soames, a trustee of Saga Charitable Trust; Saga is one of the charity’s major donors.

Royal Visit for Charity: Mukuni Basic School

After a welcome from Chief Mukuni, HRH will arrive at the school where she will be greeted by some 1500 school children. The programme will include seeing a classroom in action, our special education unit and the orphan sponsorship programme. The choir and traditional dancers will perform and orphans will recite a poem and explain how our sponsorship has helped gain a place at high school and subsequently teacher’s training college. The Princess will unveil a plaque before proceeding to Mukuni Health Centre to learn about our health projects, which include a maternity clinic and women’s shelter, malaria and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes and treatment for sick children.

Cyclothon UK: Mike Kaye, James Blackburn, Nigel Birch & Richard Harrison

This will complete an incredible month for The Butterfly Tree. We had great success at Cylcothon UK when Mike Kaye, Nigel Birch, James Blackburn and Richard Harrison spent 12 gruelling hours cycling round the Brands Hatch Circuit. Prana Zambia held an event for Yoga Aid, a global initiative to raise funds for grass roots projects. Our Canadian representatives have a new concept to raise funds to purchase mosquito nets, as a result we are now able to distribute nets in the Sekute Chiefdom. By the end of the year, with Saga’s funding, every household in the Mukuni Chiefdom with have three mosquito nets.

Jacob, a volunteer for the charity, distributing mosquito nets

This week will also see the announcement of the UK Travel Mole Web Awards 2012. We have been short listed for the Best Responsible Tourism site and Miranda de Freston of Morphity, our trustee and web designer will attend the event in London. We will be posting a report and photos of the Royal visit later this month.

We are excited to announce that The Butterfly Tree website has been shortlisted in the UK TravelMole Web Awards of 2012. This is the ninth year of the UK TravelMole Web Awards and our site was selected from a record-setting number of entries.

TravelMole.com and TravelMole.TV publishes 15 eNewsletters and broadcasts hundreds of videos to over 450,000 travel & tourism industry professional registered members and subscribers, as well as 30 million consumers in 132 countries. This includes the highly acclaimed VISION on Sustainable Tourism publication.

The awards presentation to the winning websites will be held on September 26th at the Doubletree by Hilton London.

Best Responsible Tourism Site

This was our application:

The volunteer opportunities described on the website have attracted people from all walks of life coming from North America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Every month doctors, nurses, teachers and students provide additional ‘hands on’ assistance at the schools and clinics supported by The Butterfly Tree.

The entire website has been designed, developed and donated by Miranda de Freston of Morphity Ltd, who is a trustee of the charity. Alongside Miranda, Jane Kaye-Bailey, the founder, manages the ongoing content for the website to ensure regular updates for readers and subscribers on the extensive charity’s activities.

The website highlights the extensive work that has been done in the local communities we work in, promotes philanthropic travel, volunteering and fundraising opportunities.

Through our website we actively promote philanthropic travel and offer volunteering opportunities on a range of projects. This promotion and extensive optimisation of the website has attracted hundreds of groups, corporate and individuals from around the world.

The website has been instrumental in drawing worldwide donors, generally exposing The Butterfly Tree charity and is one of the main reasons people initially become inspired to get involved.