Seeds for Life in Zambia

Thank you to all the donors who have supporded our Seeds for Life project in Zambia. I am delighted to say that we have been able to expand our support to more rural schools who get very little help from the outside world. 

The past two years the areas where we work haxe experienced drought, hunger has been common place, especially amongst school children who have to walk long distances to school. The importance of school meals in these outreach communities cannot be underestimated. As long as the school has a source of water maize and other vegetables can be grown to support a feeding program. When we develop or expand a school the first facility we look at is that of water. 

If there is a nearby stream then treddle pumps can be used to pump water to irrigate the gardens. Unfortunately this same water is oftern the only main source of drinking water, hence the high number of cases of diarrhoeal cases in children. This year we have donated four bore holes, also known as wells, to River View, Nguba and Mayala rural schools and Kazungula Boarding School. As a result a further 2,600 children now have access to safe drinking water.

The new school year in Zambia starts in January, which is also the rainy season and a good time to plant seeds for the feeding program. Though each rural school is supposed to be provided with supplies from the World Food Program, this can be inconsistent. At times the schools receive only enough ground maize for one or two terms, leaving a shortfall for the remaining terms. 

By helping the schools to create their own garden they can meet the shortfall and help more vulnerable children. It also creates sustainibility as any surplus food can be sold within the community.

With Christmas now behind us, and the realisation that we have been fortunate enough to celebrate it with traditonal meals such as turkey and all its trimmings, with your donations we can now help those less fortunate than we are.

Links:

• Food Situation in Zambia

School feeding programmes are essential in providing a sustainable meal for orphans and vulnerable children. 

Two months ago The Butterfly Tree leanrt of the Siatali family living in a rural area near the town of Kazungula. A family of six, the four children had never been to school. The father had no employment and could not afford to send his children to school.

This week, after I arrived in Zambia one of my first visits was to the home of this family. The charity had recently agreed to support the older child, a girl aged 16 in education, and provide uniforms for the two boys aged 12 and 13.

Their home consists of two old mud dwellings, one for the parents and youngest child, a girl aged 8 and the other for the three older children. The mother was preparing lunch for the family in a small cooking pot half full of rape, a green nutritious vegetable. There was no ground maize nor beans, the staple food for most Zambians.

The Head Teacher, who accompanied me, explained that the only food they had was a few vegetables, which they grew. Other than that, each evening that the father would walk some distance to the local restaurants and gather left-over food off plastic plates that had been thrown away. The entire scene was pitiful and totally inadequate to support a growing family.

Every year, with the help of your donations, The Butterfly Tree provides seeds and fertilizer to schools with the aim of providing sustainable feeding programs, essential for vulnerable children like the Sitali family.

The three older children now attend River View Junior Secondary School and have settled in well. Every day they walk three miles, each way, to seek their education and the knowledge that they will get at least enjoy one meal a day.

This week I offered the younger child the opportunity to go to the local community school, starting on Monday. To further support the family we are going to give them seeds and fertilizer in time for the forthcoming rains and growing season. This was they can grow maize, dry it for the winter months and seel any surplus to create an income as well as food for themselves.

By the time I left this family I felt so humble, and yet the look of joy and hope in their eyes confirmed how important it is to help those less fortunate than we are.