{"id":93499,"date":"2026-02-06T12:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/progetto-n-47-2025-completamento-della-scuola\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:58:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:58:23","slug":"progetto-n-47-2025-completamento-della-scuola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/progetto-n-47-2025-completamento-della-scuola\/","title":{"rendered":"Project No. 47\/2025 \u2013 Completion of the School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Project No. 47\/2025
\nCompletion of the Sacred Heart Mission School
\nIkelenge (Zambia)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Conventual Franciscan Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia has proposed Educational Project No. 47\/2025,<\/strong>entitled \u201cCompletion of the Sacred Heart Mission School \u2013 Ikelenge,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014one of the major rivers of the African continent\u2014originate. 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.
\nThe 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\u2014the 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)\u2014are 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.
\nThe 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.
\nDuring 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.
\nThe project involves completing a school block consisting of seven classrooms, a teaching staff office, and a principal\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Project Information<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n