Author: paulevansbutoke

Paul (one of our trustees) is running two half-marathons this summer to raise money for a vocational education project. Vocational education is particularly attractive to the girls and young women that Butoke works with if it can give them a means of independently earning a living. Since 2017, Butoke has run tailoring courses.

Above there is a picture of Ngalula Hortance, one of Butoke’s tailoring graduates. She was rejected by her family after having a child outside marriage. Butoke took her in and got her on the tailoring course. She graduated and is now able to support herself and her children by her tailoring work.

Butoke needs more sewing machines so it can run more courses and help more women like Ngalula find realistic employment. In the region of the DRC where Butoke operates employment opportunities for women are few and far between. Please would you consider Paul as he runs the Wharfedale and Ilkley half-marathons in June and July? The easiest way to do that is through his justgiving page. If you would like to send money direct to the Charity’s bank account instead, get in touch with Paul (paulevans@blueyonder.co.uk) and he’ll send you the necessary details.

UPDATE: you all sponsored Paul to the tune of £1250, which enabled Butoke to buy six new sewing machines. Thank you.

Following the success of our last sewing machine project (see below), we are trying to raise further funds. See Updates for details of how you can get involved.

The death of Dr de Sweemer last month posed big challenges to Butoke. However Dr Jean Lumbala, its other director,  had been handpicked by Dr de Sweemer as her successor and had run Butoke with her for several years. He was in reality running things as the sole director in 2018 as Cecile’s health deteriorated. In January 2019 he formally took charge.

Butoke is supported by the Friends of Butoke Charity in the UK, a similar charity in the US and also by a network of donors in Canada. In early 2019 we all worked with Dr Jean to help him focus on future plans and to budget for the future. Quite apart from anyting else, Dr de Sweemer’s death represented a significant financial blow to Butoke because she contributed all of her sizeable pensions towards its running costs.

In December 2018 Dr Cecile de Sweemer, who founded Butoke in the early 2000s, died aged 82. She had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for many years. She led an astonishing life of service to the most marginalised members of every society she lived in. Here is a brief biography written by Dr David Gosling:

Empowering the weak and confronting power

We have beautifully designed Christmas cards available to raise funds for Butoke.

Our new designer, Neil Johnson, has kindly produced the great new cards shown below. They come in packs of 10. We are selling the cards at £3 per pack (including envelopes) plus whatever kind of postage you would like.

As shown the cards have different greetings inside. If you don’t express a preference, each pack of ten will have five of each design. If you want all one design or the other, please let us know!

Please help us by buying our cards.

To order please email Paul Evans 

Best wishes, Paul

Butoke desperately needs funds to feed and educate the orphans it cares for who have been evacuated to Kananga. It needs funds to buy food for internally displaced people whom it is trying to help. It needs funds to run its orphanage, clinic and school.

We are grateful for all help.