Located in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, welcome to the Little Sisters of St. Francis house, known as Our Lady of the Angels Convent. This convent is situated in the Presidential Initiative Housing (P.H.I.) area, along the Great East Road. The property was purchased in 2003 by our late Sister Charles Luwanga Lungu, who was the congregation leader at the time, along with her team members.
The primary purpose of acquiring this house was to address the urgent need for accommodation for the Sisters in Lusaka. This would provide shelter for those visiting the city for official business or studies. Additionally, having our own property in Lusaka allowed us to expand our mission and charism beyond the Livingstone Diocese, where our congregation was founded. Despite the small size of the plot (15 by 40 meters), this little house has served as a vital base for our work.
and discovered many poor and vulnerable children in need of education. Sensing this pastoral need, they opened a baby class school within the same year they purchased the house in 2003.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, the Sisters had to share their living room with the children. This meant that during the day, their living room served as a classroom, and by evening, it reverted to a living and dining area. The house had only one toilet, which was shared with the children, creating significant challenges. This situation continued for about a year until the small plot was expanded, allowing for the construction of a small school block with classes running from baby class to Grade 6.
Over the years, we worked to renovate and expand the small house school in P.H.I, aiming to accommodate approximately 50 to 60 children.
The Children of St. Francis School in P.H.I now has the capacity to enroll up to 80 students, offering classes from baby class to Grade 6. Our school serves children aged 2 to 16 years, providing a supportive daytime learning environment.
The number of children enrolling at our school, the Little Children of St. Francis, has increased year by year, surpassing the capacity of our available classrooms. In response, the Sisters began searching for a larger plot of land to build a school that could accommodate all grades from baby class to Grade 12.
Fortunately, a kind Catholic lady named Eunice Lumbia offered to sell us her land, which includes an old building in need of extensive renovations. This property is located in Ibex Hills, and the Sisters have named the upcoming school Marimba Sisters Convent School. The land spans approximately 5 hectares, providing ample space for our expanding needs.
Due to the limited land space at Little Children of St. Francis School in P.H.I, we are seeking to acquire land for purchase or rental at Ibex Hill. However, we regret to inform you that the payment of 5 million Kwacha (ZMW) for the land has not yet been made to the owner.
The due date for this payment was June 1, 2024, and the agreement allowed for payment in installments over one year. Currently, the owner is expecting the full payment at once due to fluctuations in the Zambian Kwacha. Alternatively, the payment could be made in two installments: half of the amount within six months and the remaining balance after that period.
