Get Involved

Sponsor an Orphan
Fundraise
Donate Online
Volunteer

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education

Working in the Kazungula District of Southern Province The Butterfly Tree is building sustainable schools, advancing education and offering hope to thousands of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.

“Education is the key”

Without it there is no way these needy young people, who have been deeply affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic, can move forward. Sadly, the education in rural villages is inadequate. Shortage of facilities, distance to travel to the nearest school, poverty, and lack of safe water and food are common place. For the past fourteen years we have built new schools, enabling children to go to school for the very first time, added classrooms and teacher’s houses to existing schools, installed boreholes and latrines, and provided seeds for sustainable feeding programmes. Most recently, we are providing schools with solar powered water reticulation systems for food production. The aim is for the schools to grow enough food to for their pupils with surplus being sold to the communities. Prophets from this will be used to support orphans and to purchase educational supplies.

See How We Have Benefited Education So Far

Our Impact

The areas we cover are mainly in the Mukuni, Musokotwane, Sekute, Nyawa and Moomba Chiefdom of the Kazungula District, as well as Livingstone, Zimba and Kalomo Districts. Most of the villages are remote and some become inaccessible during the rainy season from November to March. Once we have built a school we hand it over to the Ministry of Education in order for them to provide the necessary trained teachers. In 2022 the Zambian government abolished school fees in primary and secondary schools, which was applauded by everyone. However, money is needed for uniforms, shoes, school bags and books, and is only affordable if your parents have an income. When you are an orphan it is virtually impossible to find the money to go to school. That is why The Butterfly Tree initiated an orphan sponsorship programme, which has enabled hundreds of children to receive an education, from pre-school through to completing high school, and offers sponsorship for further education.

We have supported over 30 students at college and university – courses have included teacher’s training, computing, agriculture, bio-medicine and hotel management. Some students have taken skilled-based courses such as building, plumbing, electrics and tailoring. From 2006 – 2015 we funded a pre-school at Mukuni Village, which was attended daily by over 230 children and another at Machenje Village. In 2014 the government incorporated pre-schools within the curriculum. In February 2015 we handed these pre-schools over to the Ministry of Education.

Prior to The Butterfly Tree’s involvement there were no facilities for children needing special education in these remote villages. In 2010 we added a unit to Mukuni Basic School, the first in Zambia. In 2013 one to Riverview school, and in 2014 two further units were opened at Katapazi and Simango schools. Between 2015-16 we funded a substantial amount of educational development. These include the addition of 6 classrooms, 2 teacher’s houses, bore holes and latrines at N’gandu School, two classroom blocks, a teacher’s house and latrines for Sinsimuku.

We have constructed eight entire new community and primary schools at Matengu, Silelo, Malima, N’dele, Sibbulo, Bunsanga, Muyunda, Malombe, Katubya, Simukumbwa, Namachele, Chabalanda. Many more schools have been advanced. There were no secondary schools in the area, and the majority of pupils could not afford to go to boarding school once they had completed grades seven and nine. We opened Mukuni Secondary School in 2007, and added four boarding shelters, which accommodate 75 pupils from outreach villages. We subsequently developed a high school and Riverview and Nguba and added in substantial amount in infrastructure to Musokotwane secondary and a science laboratory for Nyawa.

Action over the years

A 1×4 classrom block for River View, enabled the establishment to be upgrade to a high school. A 1×2 classroom block was constructed for Bunsanga. A classroom block and latrines were added to Chaba School, which resulted in the school being upgraded to junior secondary.

A science lab for River View School was completed, and another lab was built for Nyawa Secondary School. In addition classroom blocks were funded for Kauwe and Singwamba schools, as well as teachers’ houses for Muchambila and Bunsanga. Sifteen students attend further education.

Classroom blocks were completed at River View, Kawewa and Muyunda Schools, and the science laboratory at Nyawa. A pre-school was completed at Nakawa. Mukuni received a fourth boarding house and River View School had two new boarding schools.

A new satellite school in Kazungula has been completed to take the overflow from River View, which now has 1,600 pupils and for children who have never been to school. Musakotwane Secondary School will have extensive expansion with funding in place for a new 1×3 classroom block, two boarding houses and four latrines. 20 schools are to be given help to create gradens for sustainable feeding programmes and five more schools will receive boreholes. More orphans are being sponsored.

Muyunda Community School teacher’s house added to the classroom built in 2019 and one at Muchimbila School. Musokotwane Secondary School expansion is complete and will accommodate extra pupils from outreach villages. An additional classroom block for N’guba Secondary School classroom has opened, a classroom block has been added to Kamwi Junior School and one is under construction at Sicifulo Junior Secondary School. A further 11 students are attending college and five are being sponsored at university in addition to over 200 orphans and vulnerable children being sponsored at school. Textbooks have been donated to 26 schools.

Two teacher’s house at Musokotwane were construction. A classroom at Mukuni Primary. A substantial amount of textbooks were donated. In addition to the sponsorship of orphans 30 pupils were sponsored to go to college on the following courses: Bio-medicine, nursing (2), Accountancy (2), Engineering, Teaching, Journalism, Forward and Clearing, Catering, Hotel Management and Building.

Construction of a 1×2 classroom block at Malombe community school, a 1×3 classroom block at Katubya community school and and a 1×3 classroom block at Musokotwane secondary school. A substantial distribution of textbooks took place. Funding in place for two more classroom blocks for Nguba and Bbombe Lyangoma schools. Continued sponsorship of university and college students, and additional orphans and vulnerable children sponsored to go to school.

Development of a new secondary school at Nguba in Kazungula District and two new community schools for Simukumbwa and Namachele in Kalomo District.

Further development completed at Musokotwane, Riverview and Nguba secondary schools and Simukumbwa community school. An initiative to ‘Improve Education for Young People with Special Needs’ was completed in the Kazungula and Kalomo District. 14 pupils from Mukuni Secondary school and 5 from Riverview secondary school completed their education.

Construction of a 1×2 classroom block for children with special needs and a further 1×2 for the mainstream pupils at Mukwela Primary School. Their pupil enrolment is 1,267. More orphans sponsored in January for the start of the new school year. Further development at Simukumbwa school with the addition of a head teacher’s house and school vegetable garden. Kamwi primary school also has a new vegetable garden.