Category Archives: Education

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THE BUTTERFLY TREE 2006-2021

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Fifteen years ago today I flew to Zambia for the first time, little did I know that it would not only change my life for the better, but it would result in helping to change the lives of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children in one of the poorest countries on the planet.

TRADITIONAL DWELLINGS – MUKUNI VILLAGE 2006

Since the founding of the charity in 2006, and subsequent registration in 2007, The Butterfly Tree has considerably expanded. It began with sponsoring a few orphans in Mukuni Village and over the years it has developed into an accomplished organisation. Our work covers a vast area of the Kazungula District where we have built new schools and health centres, installed boreholes and water reticulation systems, initiated feeding programmes, implemented an advanced malaria prevention programme, and build houses for orphans and the elderly.

JANET, SPONSORED BY THE CHARITY, COMPLETED MUKUNI HIGH SCHOOL – DECEMBER 2020

What has helped to sustain the charity is using volunteers and registering our own NGO in Zambia, as well as the continual support from our donors, many of them have been with us from the beginning. Along the way we have gained hundreds of donors from all over the world. I am totally overwhelmed by the support we have received, and by the dedication of our wonderful trustees and volunteers who make everything happen. They have risen to the challenges of working in an area of extreme poverty, where both HIV and malaria are prevalent. More recently they have helped to raise funds, and provided emergency relief for communities, suffering from food shortages, due to a severe drought.

EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF – MAMBOVA COMMUNITY

Now with the COVID-19 pandemic we are facing a challenge on a scale that none of us have ever before experienced. HIV started off as an unknown virus, but now thanks to medical advancement and the development of antiretroviral drugs, people can live long and healthy lives. Amazingly, in barely a year since the pandemic was announced by the World Health Organisation, the coronavirus vaccines are being widely distributed. Zambia is expected to start the vaccination roll out in February, which will be a great relief as the new coronavirus variant from South Africa is spreading rapidly.

HAROLD, ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS, DELIVERING PPE TO BUNSANGA HEALTH POST

Due to the recent increase in coronavirus cases in Zambia the opening on the new school year has been postponed until the 1st February. Projects that are taking place out in the open, such as the construction of the school expansion at Musokotwane, the teacher’s house and Muyunda, community houses for widows and orphans, and both the beekeeping and mango projects, will continue. As always we are mindful of the need to protect our volunteers and beneficiaries therefore, as before we are providing PPE to as many rural health centres as possible, and to schools when they open next month.

BEEKEEPING PROJECT FOR 200 WOMEN – MUYUNDA

In 2021 our aim is  to sponsor more orphans and continue to fund eight colleges and universities students. Fourteen pupils who were under sponsorship completed high school in December, without our support they would have dropped out of school at an earlier stage. Though the orphan sponsorship is the core of The Butterfly Tree, our WATER, FOOD, HEALTH and EDUCATION projects have a significant impact on vulnerable children in remote areas of Zambia. We have many more exciting projects ready to implement once it is safe to do so.

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12 STORIES OF HOPE – DAY 12

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HOPE OF A BETTER FUTURE
In 2006 Jane Kaye-Bailey visited Mukuni Village and met three little girls who showed her their humble home and proceeded to follow her round the village. Three weeks after returning to the UK Jane decided to go back to Zambia to see how she could offer help to this poor community. Firstly, she wanted to find the three girls but only had a photograph and no names. After showing the photo to several people the following day, she arrived in Mukuni to find the three shy little girls sitting under a tree patiently waiting for her. After learning they lived in extreme poverty and could not afford to go to preschool, Jane offered to sponsor them.
Despite all the hardships, and two of them each losing a parent, the girls have worked hard to gain a sound education. Esnart was made Head girl, excels in public speaking, and after completing school in 2019 is now training with the police. Angela will shortly enter her final year at high school and has also been given the position of Head girl as a result of earning good grades. Cynthia, despite struggling academically, has persevered, and starts high school in January. This is just one story of the hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children The Butterfly Tree has helped to educate. Thousands more have better health and education facilities, access to safe water, improved sanitation, feeding programmes, and prevention against malaria.
Wishing all The Butterfly Tree Charity donors, volunteers and beneficiaries a Happy Christmas. Thank you all for the tremendous support you have given us and for putting your trust in us, most especially during this challenging year. We hope that the New Year will bring you good health, peace and prosperity.
Donations can be made using either of these links:
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12 STORIES OF HOPE – DAY 10

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SPECIAL EDUCATION
When the founder of The Butterfly Tree met Joseph at the age of 6, Jane learnt that he was born with cerebral palsy and could not stand without toppling over. The charity provided funds for Joseph to have physiotherapy sessions for one year, after which he could walk, but sadly he had never been to school. Like most children with physical and mental disabilities he just stayed at home with his grandparents. The charity had previously discovered that there were no facilities for children with special needs and subsequently raised funds to build the first facility of its kind in Mukuni Village. Joseph started attending school one day per week, shortly increasing it to daily. He is now 14 years old, is very intelligent, enjoys going to school and loves to play football. He and his friends, with a variety of disabilities, receive a sound education. The charity has since built special education units at River View, Simango and Katapazi Schools.
Donations can be made using either of these links:
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STORIES OF HOPE – DAY 8

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Textbooks for schools – Zambia’s education structure has 7 years at primary school, 2 and 3 years at junior and higher secondary school. Age is flexible as many children are late starting school due to extreme poverty. Pupils can complete high school up to the age of 22. Facilities in rural areas are lacking in resources, educational supplies, equipment and sporting facilities. There is a huge shortage of textbooks in schools, some classes have only one to share between 60 pupils, for some subjects a teacher may have to take copies of the curriculum. This is most difficult for examination grades, especially those wishing to gain good results in order to proceed to higher education. The Butterfly Tree raises funds to provide textbooks in schools, and after monitoring classes whereby each pupil is given a textbook, exam results have considerably improved. In one instance in Mukuni Junior School every grade 7 pupil passed their exams.
‘Thank you for the donated learner’s textbooks. They have greatly helped to improve learner’s academic performance. Learners now have materials in terms of textbooks to use for their studies while away from school. They use them as reference materials for their homework, and also for research as well as reading literatures.’ Kingsley Hamachila – Head Teacher, Mukuni Secondary School.
Donate a textbook this Christmas for £7 or $10.
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12 STORIES OF HOPE – DAY 3

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ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP
Zambia has 1.2 million orphans. Since 2006 The Butterfly Tree has sponsored the education of hundreds of individual orphans and vulnerable children at #Mukuni, N’gandu, Kamwi, Ndele and River View Schools from pre-school to completion of high school. The area has a high prevalence of HIV and many of the children have lost one or both parents, living with elderly grandparents or guardians in extreme poverty. Our aim is to keep the children within their village community rather than go into an orphanage in town. Two young boys from Kamwi Village have been on our sponsorship programme since 2011, when sadly their mother and baby sister died during childbirth. Elvis and Vincent weighed just 1.3kg and were not expected to live. Thanks to their wonderful grandmother and the support from The Butterfly Tree the boys are now nine years of age.
Over forty college and university students have achieved degrees and diplomas in teaching, journalism, bio-medicine, hotel management and catering, agriculture and information technology. The charity has trained former sponsored orphans to become peer educators, teaching pupils about the dangers of HIV, early pregnancies and alcohol and drug abuse. Two of them are now main members of The Butterfly Tree team.
Help us to provide maize and mosquito nets for orphans this holiday season! 100% will go to the cause.
Please use either of these links if you would like to make a donation:
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12 STORIES OF HOPE – DAY 2

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N’GANDU SCHOOL
Since the school first opened in 1947, it had seen very limited development due to a lack of resources and funding. We recognized a need in this community and set to work. Children of N’gandu like the boys pictured here require proper facilities while at school. The organization added 1×3 and two 1×2 classroom blocks as well as three houses for teachers. To further improve facilities and sanitation, a borehole, toilets and a water reticulation system were put in. Having access to safe, clean water for drinking and to provide a sustainable feeding programme for pupils making it easier for students to learn.
Most of the orphans attending the school are being sponsored by The Butterfly Tree. When Johanne and Austin, from the remote village of Chibule, passed for Mukuni high school for three years they walked ten miles, each way, every day to better their education. Currently, both of them are studying to become teachers at a university in Lusaka.
Help us do more good this holiday season!
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12 STORIES OF HOPE – CHRISTMAS 2020

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With all the sadness and distress caused as a result of COVID-19, I would like to bring you some positive news. Despite everything that 2020 has thrown at us, The Butterfly Tree continues to serve those most in need in Zambia and has been able to implement new projects, deliver vital services, and distribute food to orphans and vulnerable people suffering from food shortages.

CHILDREN FROM MUSOKOTWANE VILLAGE

The combination of the tremendous support we have received from existing and new donors, and the dedication and commitment of our wonderful team of local volunteers has produced an entire new health post and staff house at Bunsanga, extensive expansion at River View and Musotowane Schools. In addition, we have installed boreholes for 7 schools and communities, and six solar-powered water reticulation systems for school production units, and two community projects for 400 women.

Malimba, Chilaba, Moomba, Siamasimbi, Ndele and Chuunga. Moomba Chiefdom has also been supplied with insecticidal coating and larvicide. Orphans, widows, and the elderly have received new homes and hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children have been sponsored at schools, colleges, and universities.

This holiday season we’re excited to kick off “12 Stories of Hope” – 12 days of fundraising to provide rural communities in Zambia with much-needed resources of ground maize and mosquito nets. We aim to address food security needs of families and help to save children’s lives from malaria. Each day we will share an impactful story from a local community in Zambia along with ways you can give back during this season of gratitude. 100% of all donations will go directly to the cause.

DAY 1 

Welcome to the River View School! Prior to expansion, the school had limited facilities and classroom space for 700 pupils from early learning to grade 9. Conditions made it difficult to teach students and limited the student enrollment size. Starting work in 2015, we were able to add 1×4 and 1×2 classroom blocks, a science lab, two boarding houses and a special education unit. Additionally, we created a borehole to gain access to safe water to build toilets, a water reticulation system and a school kitchen. We continue to support this amazing community and have added a satellite school with a 1×3 classroom block just this year. With these improvements, the student population has more than doubled in size to 1,500 pupils.

RIVER VIEW SCHOOL HAS AN ENROLMENT OF 1,500 PUPILS

Head Teacher, Rev. Presley Mulenga shares “Many children now have access to secondary education, the literacy levels have increased, pass rate is high and orphans and vulnerable children are being sponsored.”
Click the link to donate to 12 Stories of Hope to help communities like the River View School: https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/20638 or https://donate.kindlink.com/the-butterfly-tree/1598.
  • A donation of $25 / £19 covers the cost of 4 bags of maize or 3 mosquito nets. 
  • A donation of $50 / £38 covers the cost of 8 bags of maize or 6 mosquito nets.
  • A donation of $100 / £75 covers the cost of 16 bags of maize or 12 mosquito nets. 

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The Butterfly Tree Annual Report and Accounts 2019-2020

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I am pleased to present to you our Annual Report and Accounts, covering the period from the 1st April 2019 to the 31st March 2020. The full report with pictures of our many benefiaries, and accounts can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Throughout the year only 2.64% of total expenditure was spent on expenses, therefore 97.36% went to charitable causes.

Chairman’s Report 

In our 2018-19 Annual Report I stated that the year was one of the best we have ever had. Little did I know that 2019-20, though the most challenging of all years, surpassed anything we have ever done before. The funding we received doubled any previous year thanks to increased donations from both existing and new supporters, and a substantial grant award. More new schools and clinics have been developed, additional boreholes in remote areas have been installed, many more orphans have been supported both at school and college, and for the first time the charity responded to a widespread food crisis to alleviate severe hunger.

JANE WITH VOLUNTEERS EDWIN, PETER, NATASHA, DENNIS AND JAFTER

The worse drought in Zambia for thirty years resulted in dry rivers and streams, and withered crops, leading to famine in some areas. For many years I have worked with communities effected by malaria, HIV and AIDS, but meeting distraught parents who were unable to feed their children was absolutely heart breaking. Thanks to the tremendous response from our donors, grant aid, and fundraising efforts, we supplied ground maize, the staple diet of Zambians, to people in Nyawa, Mukuni, Musokowane and Sekute Chiefdoms. Over 10,000 households were helped and the supply chain continued for an entire year. I am told by our team in Zambia that we saved many lives.

EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF OCTOBER 2019 – MAMBOVA VILLAGE

I have been totally overwhelmed by the tremendous support we received and the efforts made by fundraisers. These include a Great South Run participant who raised money for a borehole, a mother who donated a borehole for her daughter’s first birthday, Inner Wheel and Rotary Clubs raising money for malaria prevention, and a young man who while walking from Porto in Portugal to Santiago in Spain raised funds and awareness of malaria. Churches and schools held fundraisers for education projects, and for bags of maize for the food crisis.

MARTIN WHILE WALKING FROM SPAIN TO PORTUGAL RAISED FUNDS FOR MALARIA PREVENTION

The picture of the young lady on the front cover of the Annual Report is one of the three girls who inspired the founding of The Butterfly Tree. I met Esnart in 2006 when I first visited Mukuni Village. She and her two friends showed me inside their home and it was evident that they lived in extreme poverty. Having sponsored Esnart for the past fourteen years, she completed Mukuni High School, where she was head girl, in December 2019. She gained good results and now aims to train with the Zambian police force.

ANGELA, ESNART AND CYNTHIA WHO INSPIRED THE FOUNDING OF THE CHARITY – MARCH 2006

Education is the key in helping orphans and vulnerable children to overcome poverty in rural areas, where children, especially girls, need to be empowered. This helps them to avoid early marriages and pregnancies. We received a substantial amount of support to enable us to develop and expand schools for children who would not have been able to access education due to distance. River View Secondary School is now our flagship school, after constructing a 1×4 classroom block, science lab, and, most recently, a 1×2 classroom block and two boarding shelters. Due to the location of the school, near to the town of Kazungula, places are in high demand and by the end of 2019 it had an intake of almost 1,600 pupils. A new satellite school has been built to take pupils who were unable to attend and to reduce the class numbers at River View. Kawewa Junior School, also in Sekute Chiefdom, received a 1 x 2 classroom block, desks and toilets.

OUR FLAGSHIP SCHOOL – RIVER VIEW SECONDARY

We continue to sponsor as many orphans as funds permit, in five schools. In addition, seven students are currently attending universities and colleges. Topics include bio-medicine, teaching, journalism and information technology. One student graduated as a teacher this year. Two of our former sponsored orphans are now on The Butterfly Tree team and five others are earning an income building our schools, clinics and houses.

MAFIAN WAS SPONSORED AT SCHOOL AND COLLEGE EARNS AN INCOME BUILDING HOUSES

As always we endeavour to drill boreholes for schools and communities, though water projects almost always come with challenges. Unfortunately, most of the drilling companies will not attempt to go to remote areas where the tracks are uneven and sandy. There is also the risk of hitting dry boreholes. Sadly, after three attempts, no water could be found in Dundumwezi area. However, five were drilled successfully before the rains came with eight more to follow after the rainy season.

BOREHOLE AND HANDPUMP – SENKOBO VILLAGE 2019

Boreholes are not only vital for safe drinking, but in times of drought they are life-saving. During the 2019 drought where streams and, in some areas, rivers, were completely dry, people were travelling up to twenty six kilometres to fetch water. The substantial grant award we received will provide five boreholes for schools, one for a community, and five water systems for school food production units. The new government directive is that all schools must now provide sustainable school gardens to support feeding programmes.

FOOD PRODUCTION UNITS – 10 SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE BOREHOLES AND WATER SYSTEMS

When I visit Zambia it is always so rewarding to see the developments taking shape. A new maternity ward and women’s shelter was added to Simonga Rural Health Centre and I had the pleasure of taking 150 delegates from Blooms the Chemist, Australia, to visit the new buildings which they had funded. It always has more impact when donors can actually see what they have funded, as was the case with the three Belgian lawyers who spent several days with us after raising money for boreholes and food security.

NEW MATERNITY WARD AND WOMEN’S SHELTER – SIMONGA RURAL HEALTH POST

Malaria is still one of the biggest challenges but our mosquito nets for schools is proving to substantially reduce the number of new cases of malaria. Children over the age of five often get left out as priority is given to under-fives. Working with the Ministry of Health helps us to locate areas of high malaria prevalence. We also applied insecticide coating and larvicide in Moomba, Nyawa and Mukuni Chiefdom.

DISTRIBUTION OF MOSQUITO NETS – KAMWI JUNIOR SCHOOL

As always we continue to source new areas of need, taking an holistic approach and assessing the most essential basic needs – WATER, FOOD, HEALTH AND EDUCATION. Though education is the way forward and can change a person’s life, when people, through no fault of their own, are suffering from severe water and food shortages, it is not a priority. Fundamental needs for survival are paramount.

BOREHOLE AT SIAZIBOLA VILLAGE PROVIDES SAFE CLEAN WATER

I cannot praise enough our incredible team of Trustees and volunteers both in the UK and Zambia. In the UK, Ann Sutton (Treasurer), Miranda de Freston and Jackie Brown have been instrumental in supporting me, and offering their expertise to the Board. David, Carolyn, Valerie and Leah
are our main volunteers who freely give up their time to help with administration, fundraising and safeguarding. All are invaluable. Our oversees volunteers must not be forgotten – Frank Maiolo (US), Marilee Gibson and Katie Kung (Canada).

THE BUTTERFLY TREE NGO TRUSTEES – PRESLEY, MARTIN AND MUPOTOLA IMPLEMENT AND MANAGE OUR PROJECTS

As for our Zambian team, the four Trustees have been with us since 2006 – Mupotola Siloka (Secretary), Presley Mulenga (education), Martin Mushabati (ground operations), Stain Musungaila (malaria and community projects). Volunteers – Sibeso Maseka (Environmental Technician), Natasha Mufuya and Mafian Sitali (orphan sponsorship and community housing), Lloyd Kasela (community projects). I am humbled by the work they have done to implement, monitor and manage the projects on the ground. This past year they were given what seemed to be an impossible task, but they went beyond the call of duty to dleiver emergency food relief, covering a vast area, to prevent a famine.

ZAMBIAN TRUSTEE STAIN MUSUNGAILA – MALARIA PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS

A special thank you to each and every donor that has supported us during this past year. We are especially grateful for the continued support of so many loyal contributors and delighted to welcome new ones who have funded a variety of projects, as well as sponsoring orphans. It is impossible to name everyone, but every donation is equally important to us. Fundraising enables us to sustain the ongoing projects in Zambia, and to initiate new ones with the aim of improvingthe lives of some of the most vulnerable children on the planet.

Once again we are extremely grateful to Grenfell James, Stratford-upon-Avon for freely verifying the charity accounts, which can be viewed on the full Annual Report and Accounts.

Jane Kaye-Bailey

Founder

If you wish for further details about The Butterfly Tree or would like to sign up for our secure newsletter please contact me via email: jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk

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SCHOOLS REOPEN AND MORE ORPHANS SPONSORED

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After months of staying at home due the coronavirus pandemic, with no laptops or computers to access online education, Zambian children are back in school. From June to late August only examination grades were allowed to attend education facilities, but now under strict safety guidelines schools are operating and the children are eager to learn.

1,500 PUPILS BEING TAUGHT AT RIVER VIEW SCHOOL

The Butterfly Tree continues to donate soap, hand sanitising gel and disinfectant to schools and clinics. The Zambian government stated that masks are compulsory, and that parents and guardians must provide them. Though they cost only 30p for many parents this is not possible. After a year of drought, followed by COVID-19, which has resulted in the international tourist industry for Livingstone, Victoria Falls and Kazungula, coming to standstill, poverty levels have increased.

MUKUNI PUPILS BEING TAUGHT OUTSIDE TO ALLOW SPACING IN CLASSROOMS

River View, our flagship school has opened its doors to 1,500 pupils and has been highly commended by the Ministries of Health and Education thanks to our support. The new satellite school, opened this year, has enabled more children to access education in Kazungula. Being close to the border to Botswana this area has a high prevalence of HIV – it is imperative that children are education to prevent them being enticed into prostitution and trafficking. It is hoped that the new bridge linking Zambia to Botswana will prevent truck drivers having to stay overnight in Kazungula.

YOUNG GIRLS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE IF NOT EDUCATED

Hunger continues to be an issue therefore we are providing pupils that are boarding at both River View and Mukuni with food. Throughout this challenging year we have ensured that all orphans and vulnerable children, under The Butterfly Tree sponsorship, receive regular bags of maize. Due to the weak economy we can now purchase a bag of maize for just £6.

GIRLS FROM REMOTE VILLAGES BOARDING AT RIVER VIEW SCHOOL

ORPHAN AT N’GANDU WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER RECEIVES FOOD

I am pleased to say that we are sponsoring more orphans this term, thanks to new sponsors offering support. In addition to Mukuni, children at N’gandu, Kamwi, Ndele, River View and Kazungula Boarding School are being helped. The Mukuni Village Trust, Australia provides funds for 45 children. A further 6 students are being sponsored at universities and colleges and a grant from Theirworld has enabled five girls to do a one-year diploma course in Livingstone. Thousands more vulnerable children are gaining a sound education.

ELINA COMPLETED MUKUNI HIGH SCHOOL AND NOW ATTENDS COLLEGE

The Butterfly Tree is currently expanded Musokotwane Secondary School with the addition of a 1×3 classroom block, a science lab, boarding houses, and toilets, generously funded by the Hilary and Neil Murphy Charitable Foundation. A new water system for their garden, will provide a sustainable feeding programme for the school.

NEW SOLAR WATER SYSTEM – MUSOKOTWANE SCHOOL

A further five are being funded from a grant award, which we received from Corteva Agriscience, USA. The grant has also helped with food distribution and the installation of six boreholes. Our aim is to help more schools as the food they provide is often the only meal a child will receive.

BOREHOLE DRILLING – MANGA COMMUNITY SCHOOL, NYAWA

Mindful that the demand for donations is escalating everyway I cannot thank enough everyone of our donors who continue to support The Butterfly Tree and some of Zambia’s 1.2 million orphans. Numerous lives have been transformed and these vulnerable children have hope!

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CLEAN WATER AND SCHOOL FOOD PRODUCTION

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Despite the turmoil surrounding us all, The Butterfly Tree continues to initiate and implement new projects in Zambia. I cannot thank enough all the donors that are supporting us through COVID-19, and the trustees and volunteers working tirelessly to help those who are less fortunate than we are.

CHISE WOMEN TAKING VEGETABLES TO SELL AT A MARKET

Last month we successfully drilled four boreholes for remote schools and communities in Nyawa Chiefdom, with seven more scheduled in the next two weeks. The grant award, received earlier this year from Corteva Agriscience, for our Seeds for Life project listed on GlobalGiving, has given a tremendous boost to our food and water projects. The boreholes will be invaluable for school food production and during periods of drought.

BOREHOLE DRILLING FOR CHILEBE SCHOOL & COMMUNITY

The grant is being used to fund a community borehole for a new rural settlement and five for remote schools, which will enable them to advance their vegetable gardens. In the past the World Food Programme has provided daily meals for Zambian schools. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and now schools must provide their own sustainable feeding programmes, which is difficult as many pupils are unable to pay school fees due to the high poverty levels.

NGANDU SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME

Five secondary schools, that already have boreholes, are to be given submersible water pump systems from the grant award funds. The schools can then water their gardens during the dry season, which lasts from April until November. The aim is to provide sufficient food for the pupils with any surplus vegetables being sold to the community. This will generate an income to support orphans and purchase school supplies. The same grant will also pay for seeds and fertiliser for 30 rural schools, creating further sustainability. A submersible pump and water tank for Bunsanga Health Post are also included in the grant funding.

BUNSANGA HEALTH POST BUILD IN 2020

Development is well underway at Musokotwane Secondary School. A substantial donation for the Hilary and Neil Murphy Charitable Foundation includes the construction of a 1×3 classroom block, a science laboratory, two boarding shelters and toilets, as well as a water system for their school garden. Once complete this school will accommodate over 1,000 pupils.

MUSOKOTWANE SECONDARY SCHOOL EXPANSION WILL PROVIDE IMPROVED FACILITIES

A new directive, which puts a further burden on schools, is that they must provide their own text books. With classes ranging from 50 to 110 pupils I frequently see entire groups sharing as few as two textbooks. Thanks to recent donations five schools are to receive textbooks this month.

NGANDU SCHOOL HAS A SHORTAGE OF TEXT BOOKS

We will shortly be distributing mosquito nets in three schools, where there is a high prelavence of malaria, thanks to a generous donation from Nick Bousliman. According to a study ‘Imperial College London’s Covid-19 Response Team estimates that malaria deaths could more than double in 2020 compared with 2019 if the distribution of 228 million mosquito nets, for sub-Sahara Africa, is disrupted.’ Again we will target Moomba Chiefdom, where we aim to provide a universal coverage, funded by the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs. In addition to mosquito nets insecticidal coating will be applied to each dwelling, and larvicide granules will be placed in ponds and streams to prevent the larvae developing into mosquitos.

PUPILS AT KAMWI JUNIOR SCHOOL RECEIVE MOSQUITO NETS

Food shortages continue to effect communities, such as Mukuni Village, that are dependent on the tourism industry. A successful fundraiser, held by the Choirs of Pembroke College, Cambridge, has provided 1,000 bags of maize. A further 300 bags have been given to the orphans and vulnerable children that are being sponsored by The Butterfly Tree.

1,000 BAGS OF MAIZE FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE – MUKUNI VILLAGE

As always we are mindful of the coronavirus pandemic and will ensure that our volunteers and beneficiaries are being protected and not taking any unnecessary risks. Some of the above photographs were taken prior to COVID-19.

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