Seeds for Life in Zambia

The rainy season has now come to an end and no rain is expected to fall until November. In the past month The Butterfly Tree four drilled boreholes at Simukombo, James Sichetema and Mabwe Schools, and Mukuni Village. The first school proved to be challenging due to it being a sandy area. Water was eventually found at the second site, just as the sun was setting, at 60 metres. The borehole for Mukuni Village with an excess of 8,000 people will help to alleviate the water shortages in Namyola section.

During the dry season when water supplies become challenging, we aim to install more boreholes for schools and communities. Six schools that were given solar-powered water reticulation systems, complete with storage tanks, are producing food for their sustainable feeding programmes, after The Butterfly Tree donated vegetable seeds.

We continue to provide bags of ground maize to the orphans and children on our sponsorship programme. The rains this year were poor in the Southern Province and sadly many crops perished.

Three of the women’s projects, are progressing well. ‘Mangoes of Hope’ will provide 200 women in Musokotwane with a sustainable income-generating enterprise. Mango produce, including dried mango, juice and jam will be sold commercially. When mangoes are not in season tomatoes will be grown. ‘Hope for a Better Future’ is in the final stage of development for 200 women in Sekute to rear chickens and grow vegetables. The beekeepers in Muyunda, a project we initiated for 200 women, have started producing honey.

Each of these women's projects included a workshop, storeroom, borehole, solar-powered water system and toilets. These will eventually provide an inclome for the women to support their families and comunities.

Links:

• The Butterfly Tree Water Projects

As always there is a need for boreholes. Last year we were fortunate to have been awarded a substantial grant. This enabled us to install boreholes in remote areas where the communities relay on drawing drinking water from streams and rivers. The rainy season ended in April, therefore we will shortly resume this vital programme and add the remainder of the boreholes from the grant aid as well as others.

Boreholes not only provide safe drinking water they are invaluable for school feeding prgrammes. Schools are requested to grow vegetables and crops to support the programme but this is difficult when they do not have access to water on site. Many still rely on drawing water from rivers and streams, this can be dangerous as crocodiles can be found lurking the reeds, it is also time consuming and lessons the learning time.

To further improve the education facilities The Butterfly Tree installs complete solar-powered water reticulation systems with submersible pumps and storage tanks. These are invaluable during the dry season, which lasts from May until November. 

We donated seeds to 20 schools to support their feeding programmes, these incuded maize, sorghum, rape and cabbage seeds. Children get essential nutrients from the dark green vegetables.

During the past year we regularly donated bags of ground maize to orphans and vulnerable children on our orphan support programme. Many of the children are living with elderly grandparents and have no means of income. 

Whether your donation helps our water or food projects we would like to express our gratidute for your ongoing support. One of our donors recently ran the London Vitality 10k race on May 2nd to raise money for a borehole for Haboomba, which will supply 1,558 people with safe clean water.

Links:

• The Butterfly Tree Food Projects