Safe Water for Schools in Zambia

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

I am currently in Zambia visiting The Butterfly Tree projects. The temperature is 38 degrees and rising as the rainy season approaches. Not a drop of rain has fallen for almost six months and the earth is parched, the rivers are low and the streams have run dry. Earlier in the week, accompanied by Mupotola, the secretary to The Butterfly Tree in Zambia, I drove to the Nyawa Chiefdom. The village we were aiming for was Muchimbale, 100 kilometers to Zimba then a further 36 kilometers into the bush.

Dry stream – Nyawa Chiefdom

Muchimbale has a small community school where children previously had to walk 5 kilometers every day to fetch water, which took 3 hours out of their time table. Thanks to a generous donor the school now has its own bore hole and it certainly was a joyful sight to see the children pumping and drinking safe clean water. In addition this donor has funded two double latrines for the pupils. In the same Chiefdom we have installed a bore hole at Kauwe Basic School through Just a Drop’s donor Epsom College. A third bore hole has been donated by Attraction Tickets Direct. Unfortunately, as yet, we have not been able to source water at Kanimbwa School. Such are the challenges when working in these remote communities.

New bore hole and hand pump – Muchimbale Community School

Heading towards the Botswana border I drove with Martin, our ground operation’s manager, to Mambova to check on the women’s shelter we have constructed at the clinic. This is for women who live in outreach villages to come and stay at the clinic prior to labour, ensuring a much safer place to deliver infants. After donating some bandages and dressing, which I gave to the resident nurse, I drove to River View Basic School where we recently completed a special education unit, kindly donated by the employees at ENRC Marketing AG, Zurich. This will open at the start of the new school year in January when thirty children, who had previously never attended school, can be taught by trained government teachers. In the meantime mainstream pupils are using it to prepare for examinations as their existing classroom is a tent.

New special education classroom for in January 2014 – River View Basic School

With only one week left before I fly back to the UK much has still to be done. The official opening of the new clinic at Mahalulu, the orphan sponsorship to update, mosquito nets to distribute thanks to Saga’s support to our malaria prevention programme and text books to buy. Most schools lack text books with some classes having only one to share among 60 pupils. At times the need is so overwhelming, but the progress we are making in the Kazungula District is considerable. During a recent survey on the Mukuni Chiefdom made possible by USAID and Share, The Butterfly Tree came out on top as the best contributor! Our work has now spread to the Chiefdoms of Musokotwane, Nyawa and Sikute.

Charity Newsletter – July 2013

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

After a somewhat challenging year I am pleased to report on the completion of several projects that will benefit the orphans and rural communities. All of them are hugely beneficial, but none more so than those providing improved water and health facilities. Two new bore holes have been added at Kauwe and Muchambila schools in the Nyawe Chiefdom. A generous donation was received from Epsom College for the Kauwe bore hole as well as two latrines and a sluice for Mukuni Health Centre. Attraction Tickets Direct has donated a bore hole at Kaminbwa school and two double latrines at Kamwi school. These were initiated through Just a Drop, one of our partner organisations.

Charity Newsletter – new latrines for Mukuni Health Centre

The new health centre at Mahalulu in the Mukuni Chiefdom is now complete. The government had taken three years to construct a clinic building in this outreach area – in just over a year we have added a maternity clinic, a women’s shelter, three medical staff houses and latrines in addition to a bore hole. This was achieved through a significant grant from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission. The facility will cater for people who previously had to walk over thirty kilometres to reach the nearest health centre. A further women’s shelter has been added to Mambova Clinic in the Sikute Chiefdom using generous funding from The Besom.

Three staff houses for Mahalulu Health Centre

Patients come to the clinics with numerous illnesses including HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases besides burns, snake bites and anti-natal and post natal clinics. In addition to skilled staff local people are trained to assist with childbirth and home care. The HIV and AIDS statistics in the area are the highest in the nation, with as many as 30% of the population being infected with the HIV virus. Livingstone is a border town and the capital of tourism. I was horrified to learn that one of my team had overheard some European female students saying that they only come to Africa for sex! Using funding from Brady Italia we are increasing the number of educational workshops on HIV and AIDS prevention and teenage pregnancies, but it appears the visitors also need to be educated!

Mother and infant receiving post-natal care at Mukuni Health Centre

A new Special Education unit at River View School has just been completed thanks to substantial funding from ENRC Marketing employees in Zurich. A further unit, funded by Saga, is currently being constructed at Katapazi Basic School. The BFSS 1×2 classroom block is in full use and a school shop will shortly be built with the assistance of students from Thomas Mills High School in Suffolk who have paid for the building materials. Some of these projects are two hundred kilometres from our base at Mukuni and up to sixty kilometres off road. All kind of problems arose, including poor access, vehicles getting stuck, dry bore holes and increase in fuel costs. Mupotola, Martin and Presley, three of The Butterfly Tree volunteers in Zambia, deserve most of the credit for their hard work, sheer determination and dedication in helping these vulnerable communities.

Mupotola driving through the bush to reach Sibbulo Village

As always it was great to meet up with the orphans. Many of them participated in the Kazungula District schools’ events, with Mukuni hosting it at the new Music Centre, donated by MUSIC EARTH RISE. Mukuni won the best choir, poetry and traditional dancing competitions and went on to compete in the Southern Province finals where they came runners up in all categories. I managed to catch up with the Kamwi twins who lost their mother in childbirth, both are happy and healthy and will be three years old in October. Sadly more children have been orphaned and need our support. Today I was delighted to hear that the Mukuni Village Fund in Australia has agreed to sponsor fifty orphans for a further year. Many thanks to all our donors, most especially to Midge Steuber, Thore Larsgard and Black and White Accounting – each of them are supporting ten orphans.

Jane with Vincent and Elvis, the Kamwi twins

If you would like to sponsor an orphan please contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk and for daily updates you can follow us on Facebook. Without your support none of these developments could have been achieved.

Jane Kaye-Bailey

Healthcare for Children

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

One of the most difficult decisions I have to make when I am in Zambia is to prioritise when it comes to funding treatment for sick children. Such is the demand that it is impossible to help every one of them. Over the years the charity has assisted as many children as possible, some through the under fives’ feeding program, other more serious cases with operations and medical treatment. The number of beneficiaries has increased in the past two years thanks to regular donations from Brady Italia.

Healthcare for children: Under-fives’ feeding program, Mukuni Village

The rural Health Centres we support at Mukuni, Katapazi and Nsongwe deal with general practice. The clinical workers examine patients suffering from common colds to full blown diseases such malaria, TB and HIV and AIDS. Most households cannot afford to keep a paracetamol or bandage at hand. The clinical staff are well trained but facilities and medical supplies are basic. The Butterfly Tree supports a number of health projects at Mukuni, which include helping sick and under-nourished children. It is heartbreaking to learn that children have been waiting several years to have a spleen or bladder operation or in need of physiotherapy. In addition we provide support for orphaned babies and an under-fives’ feeding program.

Orphaned baby cared for by a community member & supported by the charity

The nearest hospital to these clinics is Livingstone, some 16 kilometres from Mukuni Village, which has a new paediatric ward. The surgical ward in the general hospital is where I have taken a number of young children to seek further examinations. One such case was a little boy who had a swelling on his eye, thought to be a tumour. The doctor told me that he would have to perform a biopsy. I was horrified to learn that the results can take between three to six months as there is only one pathology laboratory in the entire nation with a population of 13 million. Fortunately for Jordan his eye swelling was caused by a piece of wire embedded in his eyelid and not a tumour as first thought.

Jordan in Livingstone General Hospital

Most families have no money for transport to get to hospital, the charity provides these funds whenever possible. Even more challenging is when a patient is referred to Lusaka Hospital, which is over 500 kilometres from Livingstone. Currently we are funding five children for on going treatment and seven infants who are orphaned or under weight. Global Partners for Health has generously supported this program. In addition we provide funds for malaria and HIV and AIDS prevention. To further assist these vulnerable children the Inner Wheel Club of Solihull knits beautiful blankets and babies clothes.

World Malaria Day 2013

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

‘Despite recent progress, about half the world’s population still lives in malaria risk areas and malaria remains a leading cause of death amongst young children‘.

Every 60 seconds a child dies from malaria
Globally malaria is the biggest killer of man
86% of people who die from malaria are children under 5 mostly in sub-Sahara Africa
660 000 estimated malaria deaths globally
219 million malaria cases worldwide

World Malaria Day: Prevention is the only way to save precious lives

Malaria disease caused by P.falciparum may result in death within hours or a few days of infection. Most at risk are those with a low immunity such as children, pregnant women, people with HIV and AIDS and travelers with little or no malaria protection. It can also result in the miscarriage of pregnant women, low birth-weight infants, developmental disabilities and other complications. Until there is a cure, malaria prevention is the only way to save lives. In developing countries like Zambia using impregnated mosquito nets is essential. Sadly there are insufficient government supplies to reach everyone.

This net found in Kamwi Village was full of holes and shared between four children

The Butterfly Tree’s malaria prevention program provides mosquito nets, malaria testing kits and educational workshops. One of our major donors Saga Charitable Trust, has donated enough funds for every household in the Mukuni Chiefdom to each have three nets. The result is that there are no new cases of malaria where nets are being used. This year we have also distributed nets to four clinics in the Sekute Chiefdom, many of the villages are close to the Zambezi River, a breeding ground for mosquito. These were generously donated by Grant and Marilee Gibson of Canada. Though malaria can easily be treated far too often people have to walk over 30 kilometres to seek treatment due to the lack of rural clinics.

Jacob (left) delivers nets to Mandea Rural Health Centre in the Sikute Chiefdom

Our team in Zambia have recently identified an area in the Nyawa Chiefdom. Kauwe Health Centre report on average of six new cases of malaria a week, this is particularly high. In Mukuni and Sekute the numbers have dropped to between two and three cases per month. We are appealing for funds to purchase 3300 impregnated mosquito nets to cover a population of 8000. Each net costs just £5 ($8). If you would like to make a donation it could save a child’s life.

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.

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

HIV and AIDS Prevention

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

Virtually all the work of The Butterfly Tree revolves around the HIV and AIDS orphans. At Mukuni Village almost 50% of the school children have lost one or more parent putting a huge burden on elderly grandparents and guardians and its the same story in every village. We believe that the only way to make the change is to target the younger generation and teach them all about HIV and AIDS prevention. Last year we were delighted to welcome Mutsa Marau to our team as a volunteer from London. Mutsa has a BA in Anthropoly and Socialogy, a MBA in International Business Practice and is a trained youth worker. She has written her own HIV and AIDS prevention program to train peer educators amongst school children, for the past four and a half months has worked with pupils at Mukuni.

HIV and AIDS Prevention Co-ordinator – Mutsa Murau

Now these dedicated young people are ready to ‘spread the word’ and are reaching out to other rural schools. They are educating their peers on the dangers of HIV, how to prevent it, the importance of voluntary testing and how to live with it if you are unfortunate to have been born with the virus. Other issues include teenage pregnancy and other sexually transmitted diseases and surrounding issues. With our support their aim is to reach out to all the schools we are involved with and beyond. Several of these educators are from The Butterfly Tree orphan sponsorship program and it is wonderful to see the progress they have made as individuals and a group.

Natasha – Peer Educator and orphan sponsored by The Butterfly Tree

Another volunteer, Brendan Poynton, is currently raising funds to build a Music Centre at Mukuni. This will give these vulnerable HIV and AIDS orphans an opportunity to hold concerts and social activities to raise funds and awareness to help the fight against this devastating disease. Through several fundraising events Brendan has almost reached his target and has

now organised a charity auction, through MUSIC EARTH RISE, to complete his task. There are some amazing lots including a guitar signed by Eric Clapton and a print signed by Ronnie Wood. If you would like to bid for any of the items please use the following click on Music Earth Rise Auction.

World AIDS Day 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

Today marks World AIDS Day. Over 30 million people have died from AIDS related causes. An estimated 33 million are living with HIV. 2.9 million of these are children. Around 68% of from sub-Sahara Africa. Zambia has the seventh highest prevalence in the world. Today gives the opportunity to unite in the fight against HIV and to commemorate the people who have died from this devastating disease.

World AIDS Day – young Mukuni girl free of HIV

For the past five years The Butterfly Tree funds several HIV projects in the Mukuni Chiefdom of Zambia. These include orphan sponsorship, educational workshops and voluntary testing, treatment for the sick and an under-fives’ feeding programme to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Formula is provided to replace breast milk in HIV positive mothers. Since its conception in 2007 every infant accepted on our program has been tested negative. Due to high costs of powdered milk we have initiated a goats’ milk project to supplement the programme, with the aim of making it sustainable.

Mutsa Marau with a Mukuni baby

This year we have intoduced a new project thanks to Mutsa Marau, a young volunteer from London, who at our own cost, has been working in Mukuni Village for the past three months. Her HIV prevention programme to train peer educators amongst the school pupils has been a huge success. Having spent her time training these young educators, assisted by Margaret Mulenga, they are now targeting outreach villages to ‘spread the word’. Today to mark the occassion 15 members, between the ages of 14 and 20 years, will be performing at the Chief ‘s Palace as part of Mukuni Villages’ activities to mark World AIDS Day. The groups performance will include poetry reading along with the presentation of art pieces explaining how every one of them can help the prevalance of HIV in their community get to zero.

Peer educators in HIV prevention including sponsored orphans

From the 5th – 9th December all donations to The Butterfly Tree have a chance to be doubled if made through our partners, the Big Give, during their Christmas Challenge week. To participate and help to give these young AIDS orphans a chance please donate to our programme through the Big Give website.

October 2011 Newsletter

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

During my recent visit to Zambia the nation’s general elections took place. With a change of government it is believed that Michael Sata, the new President, will increase aid to deprived areas and stamp out corruption. Although I never involve the charity in political matters, measures to improve health and education sectors need to be addressed. In the past five years I have seen a reduction in funding for both rural schools and clinics, which have to rely more than ever on international aid for development. I came across a woman who had walked 37 kilometers, taking 13 hours, to reach Mukuni maternity clinic from Chuunga – she was nine months pregnant.

WOMAN WALKS 37KM TO NEAREST HEALTH CLINIC IN MUKUNI VILLAGE

TEACHER’S HOUSE IN MALIMA, ZAMBIA

Thanks to substantial grant aid from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission we are in the final stages of completing three new rural schools. The villages of Silelo and Matengu in the Musokotwane Chiefdom had to rely on unskilled teachers operating in mud hut structers. It was amazing to see the transformation, each school has three classrooms, two teachers’ houses and latrines. The community participation had been impressive and once approved these schools expect to open in January 2012. A third school at Malima, in the Mukuni Chiefom, has been given the same funding with the addition of a bore hole.

New school for Silelo, Zambia

Silelo – old community school, Zambia

The highlight of my entire trip was to see the Kamwi twins, who lost their mother and sister during childbirth. Vincent and Elvis celebrated their first birthday this month. Last October, when I first set eyes on them, I feared they would not survive; they each weighed just over one kilo. At barely two weeks old they were sent to a remote village, after being discharged from hospital because they could offer them only water. I could not refuse to support to these helpless infants. For twelve months the charity has provided formula, clothing and blankets and all their requirements, while their grandmother has lovingly nurtured them. They have been tested free of HIV and both are happy and healthy and are testament to the vital role we play in these vulnerable communities.

Vincent showing us his standing skills

Elvis with his grandmother

October sees the start of the rains and many mud huts cannot stand up to the deluge. This is particularly hard for old people supporting orphans. In the past few months we have build an additional nine homes. Two of them have been donated by one of the volunteers, James Ashley, who helped construct the houses. Five of them were funded by ENRC marketing who have also funded a teacher’s house, HIV and AIDS prevention projects and the under five’s feeding program, which has also received support from Brady Italia. One home was donated by LSR Rotary Club, one by Aurora and the other through the Cyclothon Challenge.

New house for widow with orphans

Under-fives’ feeding programme

I had the pleasure of working with a number of volunteers, Casey Short and Margaret Bax, from Oregon, returned for a third year to continue the goat’s milk project. Mutsa Marau, a young lady from London, is spending four months at Mukuni teaching peer education in HIV and AIDS prevention. Petteri Alppi a former UCL student from Finland has documented the work of The Butterfly Tree in addition to writing a much needed Maths and English Revision guide. Claire Richardson and Hannah Lainton spent time teaching business skills to women’s groups. I have been so impressed with their hard work and dedication and thank them for helping us to make a difference.

Education for Zambia

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Jane Kaye-Bailey

On Saturday I will be flying out to Zambia for what I am hoping will be a very rewarding trip. The three schools that we are currently building in the villages of Matengu and Silelo in the Musokatwane Chiefdom and Malima in the Mukuni Chiefdom should be completed by the end of October. A teachers’ house at Mukuni is also under construction as well as five community houses for widows and orphans. We have a number of volunteers who are helping to improve the Maths and English standards at Mukuni Basic School, others are assisting with the HIV and AIDS prevention projects and teaching business skills to groups of women. We are very grateful to all of them for giving up their time to volunteer for The Butterfly Tree.

Education for Zambia – New school for pupils at Matengu to open shortly

In addition to our on going sponsors the Barrington Educational Initiative, a Swiss based private charitable endeavour, has offered to support our work. We have also recently partnered with and Travelers Gift Vacations, a tour operator that provides luxury and purpose travel. A philanthropic traveler has a chance to get involved with charitable work in one of the developing countries they are visiting. The longer I work with the charity the more I realise there is a great need for collaboration amongst small charities operating in Zambia. If we endeavour to work with other organisations together we can make a bigger impact, create transparency and help to alleviate corruption. One of our new partners is Global Partners for Health, a US based charity also working in Zambia, who aim to provide vital medical supplies for our clinics.

Health education – young women from Kamwi Village gives birth to seventh child

Tomorrow our own cycling team, The Flying Butts, will be competing in a cycle challenge at Brands Hatch. The CyclothonUK event has some thirty teams involved in the challenge to raise funds for charities. One of our volunteers, Oscar Miyanda of Basement Entertainment, is providing the music to spur the teams on. So far we have raised almost £2000 all of which will go towards our orphan programmes in Zambia. We wish Mike Kaye, Nigel Birch, Jake Wilson-Gunn and James Blackburn every success and thank them for giving up their valuable time to take part. If you would like to sponsor the team this can be done either on our website or through Just Giving, no deductions will be made.