Project No. 41/2025
St. Joseph Postulancy House:
Solar Energy Project (Ndola, Zambia)
The Conventual Franciscan Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia has proposed Formational-Ecological Project No. 41/2025, which calls for the construction of a solar energy system for the St. Joseph Postulancy House to ensure a stable supply of electricity in order to support daily life and formation in the community.
The St. Joseph Postulancy House is found in the Lufwanyama District of Zambia’s Copperbelt Province and is an integral part of the St. Joseph Mission, a vibrant pastoral and agricultural center which includes a friary, a parish church with thirty-six outstation chapels, a retreat house for spiritual renewal, as well as various productive activities such as pig and poultry farming, horticulture, and fish ponds. The Lufwanyama District is approximately 130 km [81 mi.] from Ndola, the provincial capital, and approximately 455 km [283 mi.] from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It borders the districts of Kalulushi, Kitwe, Masaiti, Mpongwe, Luanshya, Mushindamo, and Chingola.
The Postulancy House currently houses twenty-one postulants, twelve in their first year and nine in their second year. Among them, there are three young men from Malawi and one from Angola. All of Zambia is experiencing a severe energy crisis, primarily due to the prolonged drought that has drastically reduced hydroelectric production, the main source of national energy. Electricity rationing has thus become a daily reality, with outages often lasting more than eight hours a day, seriously compromising the house’s formational, communal, and operational activities.
To address this situation, the friars propose installing a solar energy system complete with storage batteries. This project will provide clean, reliable energy 24/7, ensure the continuity of essential formation programs, reduce dependence on the unstable electricity grid, and concretely promote a culture of sustainability and ecological responsibility.
Project Information
- Conventual Franciscan Jurisdiction: Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia
- Country: Zambia
- Location: Ndola (Lufwanyama District)
- Type of Project: Formational-Ecological Project
- Date of Proposal: 2025
- Direct Project Coordinator:
- Friar Luke Katongo CHILAMBWE
- Email: ofmconvzm@gmail.com
- Total Project Cost: € 9,922.22
- Funding Status: Project fully funded thanks to contributions from the Custody of Austria-Switzerland (€5,000.00) and the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy) of the Conventual Franciscan Friars, together with Missioni Francescane Emilia-Romagna ETS (Third Sector Entity) (€4,930.00).
Projects Office
Project Update
Formational-Ecological Project No. 41/2025 concluded on January 21, 2026, with the installation of the solar energy system.
