Watching the Commonwealth Games and seeing the full integration of para-sport has been one of the highlights of this event, what a positive impact it must have had on the competitors. It has also created awareness on how, despite the difficulties, people can successfully manage their disabilities.
The Butterfly Tree supports special education in Zambia and built the first facilities in rural schools. The three classrooms at Mukuni, Katapazi and Simanga provide education for pupils with varying disabilities, which include Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy and intellectual impairement. A further grant from St. James’s Place Foundation has enabled us to purchase education and art materials for the three schools. We also provided funds for the Mukuni special needs pupils to attend an intersport competition, and for their classroom to be repainted.
Under the guidance of Thomas Chanda, Mukuni special education class has continued to offer exceptional tuition for many years. Joseph is just one example to benefit – diagnosed with cerebral palsy, he was unable to walk or speak when I met him in 2012. The charity funded a 12-month physiotherapy course after which his balance improved and he was able to walk. Ten years on Joseph can run, and plays football. He attends the special education class and has come on in leaps and bounds. Having being brought up by his grandparents and living in a small room, Joseph is excited to watch his new home being built.
Since 2006 The Butterfly Tree has sponsored thousands of individual orphans and vulnerable children. Originally starting in Mukuni we have expanded our reach to pupils at Ngandu, Kamwi, Ndele, River View, Musokotwane, Senkobo and Kazungula Boarding schools. Many of these children are living with elderly grandparents, widows, or guardians, often in dilapidated dwellings. I found one girl living with in an open-sided hut with chickens until we built her a new home. A further 8 orphans have recently received new houses with many more on the waiting list!
The schools are currently closed for the month of August though pupils are able to attend The Butterfly Tree’s HIV prevention and Girls’ empowerment workshops. We aim to support more football and netballs teams so that youths can keep occupied during the weekends and holidays, with the aim of preventing HIV, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, and drug and alcohol abuse.
The recently completed science lab and classroom block at Sichifulo, funded in memory of a former volunteer and teacher to Mukuni, will enable more pupils to complete high school education. Two teacher’s houses are currently under construction at Musokotwane High School thanks to a donation from The Murphy Family Foundation, and construction for a new classroom block for Mukuni primary section will shortly commence. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 ‘Quality Education and ‘Why It Matters’ The Butterfly Tree believes that through education poverty can be overcome.
We are so grateful to the many donors who have continued to offer support, especially the Mukuni Village Fund, Australia who support 40 orphans. Many thanks also to all the individual donors, clubs and businesses who have contributed to the continuation of this vital programme as well as our water, health, food security, education and community projects.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
