Project No. 47/2025
Completion of the Sacred Heart Mission School
Ikelenge (Zambia)
The Conventual Franciscan Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia has proposed Educational Project No. 47/2025,entitled “Completion of the Sacred Heart Mission School – Ikelenge,” which calls for the completion of the school facilities of the Sacred Heart Mission School, commonly known as the Ikelenge School. It is located in the rural district of Ikelenge in northwestern Zambia.
The Ikelenge district is located approximately 922 km [573 mi.] from Lusaka the capital city of Zambia and is known as the area where several tributaries that feed the Zambezi River—one of the major rivers of the African continent—originate. The Ikelenge district has an estimated population of about 45,000 people. They are predominantly members of the Lunda people, a Bantu-speaking community that relies largely on subsistence agriculture, particularly cassava cultivation, and livestock ranching. The Ikelenge district is one of the least developed areas in Zambia. It has a high percentage of families living in conditions of extreme poverty.
The mission hosts four private schools for basic education, including one run directly by the friars, while the Sakeji Mission (a historic Protestant mission with a long tradition of educational institutions) is the only private institution offering Christian-inspired secondary education. The two public schools in the area—the Ikelenge Day Secondary School (a state-run, daytime secondary school) and the Ikelenge Boarding Secondary School (a state-run boarding school at the secondary school level)—are severely overcrowded, with student-to-teacher ratios in some cases reaching 80:1. This situation negatively impacts the quality of teaching and contributes to widening inequality in access to education.
The construction of the Sacred Heart Mission School was initially supported by the Ruckstuhl Foundation in September of 2018, and construction began in August of 2019. However, the project experienced significant delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and to administrative changes following the postponement of the 2020 Provincial Chapter. Despite these challenges, enrollment began in 2021 with forty students and four teachers, growing quickly to 215 students and twelve teachers.
During the same period, construction resumed and advanced to the point that the school structure was roofed, plastered, and fitted with doors and window frames. In 2022, the project faced another setback due to administrative management issues. Afterwards, the religious Province resumed direct responsibility for the project, with the aim of bringing it to completion.
The project involves completing a school block consisting of seven classrooms, a teaching staff office, and a principal’s office, on approximately 10.5 hectares [26 acres] of land owned by the Province. Essential work still awaits completion, including internal work such as floor screeds, glazing, window sills, painting, decoration, and carpentry, and external work such as drainage systems, outside wall plastering, masonry and concrete work, the construction of restrooms with a septic tank and sanitation facilities, as well as the installation of electrical systems, a water distribution system, and the drilling of a well.
Once completed, the school will provide an adequate and dignified environment for secondary education, making a concrete contribution to reducing overcrowding in existing schools and ensuring access to quality Catholic education in the Ikelenge district.
Project Information
- Conventual Franciscan Jurisdiction: Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia
- Country: Zambia
- Location: Ikelenge
- Type of Project: Education Project
- Date of Proposal: 2025
- Direct Project Coordinator:
-
- Friar Luke Katongo CHILAMBWE
- Email: ofmconvzm@gmail.com
- Total Project Cost: €17,392.43
- Local Contributions
- €3,500.00
- Contribution requested:
- €13,892.43
- Funding Status:
- Project funded by Caritas Sant’Antonio ETS [Third Sector Entity] (€14,000)
How to Support the Project
You can support Project No. 47/2025 by making a financial contribution, indicating the project number and title in the payment description.
- Account Holder: CURIA GENERALIZIA DEI FRATI MINORI CONVENTUALI
- Bank: UniCredit S.p.A.
- IBAN: IT66B0200805074000005259514
- BIC / SWIFT: UNCRITM1Y82
- Payment Description: Project No. 47/2025 – Completion of the Sacred Heart Mission School – Ikelenge (Zambia)
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