For the past seven years we have been working in a number of remote villages in the Mukuni Chiefdom. Now we are able to ‘spread our wings’ and reach out to vulnerable children in the Musokotwane and Sekute Chiefdoms, using many of the projects we have developed at Mukuni, as models. Our current projects include an additional 1×2 classroom block at Mukuni Basic School, generously funded by grant aid from The British and Foreign School Society. We have added a boarders’ shelter for girls to match the one built last year for boys, both courtesy of Saga’s Fundraising Challenge. This has made a huge difference to older pupils who were walking up to ten miles each way to be educated.
Education For All: Kamwi children receive a full education
As always our focus is on orphaned and vulnerable children. The Special Education unit at Mukuni Basic School is a great success – the first of its kind in a Zambian rural village. With ongoing support from Fountaindale School, many children with varying disabilities are now receiving a sound education. We aim to use this model to build additional units at other basic schools. In one area of the Sekute Chiefdom we have identified over thirty children who have never received an education due to having no facilities. Now thanks to a generous donation for ENRC Marketing we can add a special education unit to River View School.
The Princess Royal visited the Special Education in September 2012
No real advancement will be made unless we continue to tackle the HIV and AIDS pandemic, which has ravaged the entire nation. We will be funding additional workshops and voluntary testing but our main objective will be to target the school children. This weekend I will be returning to Zambia with Mutsa Marau, who initiated her own project in 2011, entitled ‘Catch Me I’m a Butterfly’. Mutsa teaches Peer Education for HIV Prevention in rural schools. She will be assisted by Tope Medupin; both are funding their own trip and have raised substantial funds for the project.
Mukuni Village HIV/AIDS support group funded by The Butterfly Tree
As always we are committed to providing education in all areas for these vulnerable children. If you would like to sponsor an orphan or fund one of our education programmes please contact jane@thebutterflytree.org.uk
