Projects for 2021
The projects that we have planned for this year are very much a continuation of those we worked on last year.
The Maternity Unit
The scope of the Maternity Unit project in Tshimbundu grew following a visit by a Canadian supporter of Butoke to the DRC last February. We concluded that the project would be more sustainable and effective if a building were purpose built for the Maternity Unit. We and Butoke’s Canadian supporters have raised the necessary funds for that. We should particularly mention the Methodist Women in Britain who have donated £2500 towards the cost of equipping the clinic.
The beginning of the building work was delayed by COVID-19 and by Butoke’s desire to see all the work on the school building it has funded in Tshimbundu complete before the work on the Maternity Unit began. This reflected an agreement with the local community: finish all the work on the primary school and then we will provide the funds to build the Maternity Unit.
We hope that the work on the Maternity Unit will certainly begin and perhaps will also be completed in 2021.
the Justice Project
As our 2020 annual newsletter explains, Butoke helped seven girls and women who had been attacked in 2020. The funds earmarked for this project are now running low, but we hope to raise further funds to enable Butoke to continue this work in 2021. Butoke also plans to carry out educational work in the communities it serves in relation to the rights of women and girls.
2020 Christmas cards
We are again selling Christmas cards to raise funds for Butoke. As ever, the trustees pay for the Christmas cards to be printed so 100% of the sale price goes to Butoke. The cards are £4 for a pack of ten (including envelopes) plus postage. To order, please email paulevans@blueyonder.co.uk.
The cards have “Season’s greetings” written inside. Alternatively, we also have some with no inscription inside to be used as greetings cards throughout the year.
We also have stocks of our cards from previous years available:
Projects for 2020
We are trying to help Butoke with two different projects this year. The first is to open a small maternity unit in Tshimbundu. This was prompted by Butoke’s director, Dr Jean Lumbala, twice having to deliver babies in makeshift surroundings after the expectant mothers failed to make it in time to Butoke’s main clinic. We need to raise about £3500 to provide the necessary equipment for the unit.
The second is a “Justice Project”: Butoke has in the past worked to enforce the legal rights of rape survivors, widows, orphans and those accuse of witchcraft. Dr Jean has often involved himself as an informal arbitrator and legal assistance has been provided for those most in need of it. However Butoke currently has no funds to pay for legal assistance (which costs $150 to $200 per case). In addition, Butoke would like to train a network of volunteers who will gather information about rapes and other crimes to reduce the tendency of local communities to brush them under the carpet. Butoke would also like to use the same volunteers to raised awareness in local communities of how the legal rights of women, widows and orphans should be respected.
There is no fixed budget for this project at the moment. Even a relatively small amount of money would enable the programme of legal assistance to be reinstated.
Buy our Christmas cards!
It’s that time of year, nearly… We have two different packs of Christmas cards on sale this year. A pack of 10 (5 of each card) is £3.50. Email your orders to paulevans@blueyonder.co.uk
and also:
UPDATE: the sale of Christmas cards raised just under £900. Thank you to all who contributed. To anyone who wants to stock up early, we have plenty left. Email Paul on paulevans@blueyonder.co.uk.
Paul’s half marathons
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.
Christmas cards
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.
You can make a difference
A man was walking along the beach after a storm and, much as is reported in today’s press, he saw many starfish. Away in the distance the man noticed boy walking along and every so often bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.
As the boy drew closer the man asked him what he was doing. The boy said “I am throwing starfish into the sea. They’ve been washed onto the beach and can’t return to the sea by themselves; if they stay here they’ll die.”
The man replied “There are thousands and thousands of starfish on this beach. You really won’t be able to make much of a difference.”
As the boy picked up another starfish and threw back into the sea, he smiled “I made a difference to this one!”
There are many versions of this tale, just as there are many people around the world who need help. Sometimes it seems overwhelming; you might wonder if it is worth helping at all.
We can tell you that it is worth helping. If you could make even a small donation to help others it makes a difference, and 100% of any donation given to the Friends of Butoke Charity goes to Butoke as the running costs of the Charity are covered by the trustees.
Click here to find out how you can help.
The warm glow of giving
Did you know that making a donation to charity can make you feel happier?
Research has shown a “warm glow” in the reward centre of the brain when you give to charity. It’s the same part of the brain that’s turned on when we eat chocolate or take part in other pleasurable activities. In actual fact there is more “warm glow” when we donate money than we receive an equivalent amount.
If you ask the brain – giving is better than receiving!
Could you make a donation now?
100% of the money given to the Friends of Butoke Charity goes to Butoke as the running costs of the Charity are covered by the trustees.
Christmas cards
We have beautifully designed Christmas cards available to raise funds for Butoke.
They come in packs of 10. Each pack has 5 red and 5 green cards.
We are selling the cards at just £5 per pack (including envelopes) plus whatever kind of postage you would like. To order please email Paul Evans
Best wishes, Paul
This week is World Water Week #WWWeek
In 2014 Butoke capped 6 springs which now provide access to clean drinking water for around 80,000 people. The Friends of Butoke is very grateful to the clean drinking water project funded by The Kitchen Table Charities Trust who provided The Friends of Butoke with a grant of £10,000 to make this possible.
Capping a spring ensures clean drinking water by preventing the water source being contaminated by animal and human waste. The health benefits are huge: child mortality in the population served by springs previously capped by Butoke has fallen very substantially (by about one third) because there has been a large reduction in the number of cases of diarrhoea. In addition, the local population generally drink insufficient water because of the difficulty in obtaining it and the fear of diarrhoea. Higher clean water consumption has resulted in improved health, for example, fewer kidney infections. Access to clean water is essential
More support
One of our trustees, Paul, ran the Yorkshire marathon in 2017 and raised an amazing £2,400 for The Friends of Butoke Charity. Thank you to those of you who donated.
The Friends of Butoke Charity 