‘Change for the Better’ is how I would describe this year, our most successful to date. We were awarded a substantial number of grants and received an increase in donations, which has enabled us to reach out to more rural schools and communities of the Mukuni Chiefdom of Zambia.
We have been asked many times, why after four years, are we still working in the same Chiefdom. The answer is simple, by doing this we can ‘make a difference’. Spreading ourselves too thinly on the ground would not have such a great impact. Concentrating on a specific area, providing the essentials in life – safe, clean water, feeding programs, improved health and education facilities leads to sustainability. Once this is in place, we can look further afield and spread our ‘wings’ to a new Chiefdom. Funds permitting, we are hoping that this will happen in the forthcoming year, though our base will remain at Mukuni Village.
All our projects have benefitted from these increased funds and many new ones have been introduced. Two additional bore holes have been put in place. Invaluable feeding programs at five more schools have commenced and each school has been given seeds to grow maize to supplement these programs. Vast amounts of stationery have been donated to six new schools in addition to the existing four we continually support. Bicycles have been purchased for pupils travelling long distances to school and donkeys have been offered to provide transport for disabled children. The classroom block and clinic at Katapazi, our biggest project this year, has been completed.
Despite the government’s efforts to curb the HIV/AIDS pandemic there are still far too many African children being orphaned. As always we continually seek new sponsors and many have offered support after visiting Mukuni Village, just seven kilometers from the Victoria Falls. We have put a substantial amount of funding into our health projects; one of the most rewarding, yet humbling results, is to learn that all the babies on our under-fives feeding program (part of our HIV and AIDS Prevention program) have recently been tested free of HIV. Diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria are prevalent in the region; malaria is the biggest killer of man.
Every forty seconds someone dies from malaria. 75% of deaths occur in children under the age of five in sub-Sahara Africa. The Butterfly Tree provides Malaria prevention; mosquito nets, malaria testing kits and educational workshops. This year to mark World Malaria Day we launched our own charity song, ‘Change for the Better’, to increase global awareness and raise funds for the fight against malaria. The song features three Zambian artists and a young woman from Mukuni, who has received sponsorship through The Butterfly Tree. I cannot stress enough how vital this program is. Our latest results have shown, that in areas of net distribution, no new cases of malaria have been reported, however many more areas need help.
Once again we have been able to fund several successful operations and treatment for children and the elderly. Nine community houses have been built for widows with orphans and a number of sustainable projects have been initiated, amongst them are poultry and goat rearing, vegetable growing and sewing.
With your continued support, 2010 is definitely going to be a ‘Change for the Better’.
Read more… Click for 2010 annual report and account
