Community: Zambia
Our Arthur Cox Zambia Project continues to work in partnership with trusted NGO partners and local community groups to support grass roots initiatives identified and implemented by the communities in which we work.
As a result of the Arthur Cox Zambia Project:
children, along with the wider community of 4,900 people, will benefit from 3 new classroom blocks under construction in Hakalinda, Munyona Central and Kayola West (constructed with the support of Arthur Cox)
people now directly benefit from a solar-powered health clinic in Kandelamuna (nearest health clinic previously 17km away)
of rice and 3,000kg of ground nuts were produced as part of the 2024/2025 harvest in Kalundu and Manyemwe
Following a COVID-enforced hiatus, our Arthur Cox trainees returned to Zambia in August 2024 for the first time since 2019, where they worked alongside the community to build a new 1x3 classroom block and 1x2 teacher housing in the rural village of Hakalinda.
In May 2025, to mark the 60th anniversary of the death of Arthur Cox, a small delegation of partners from the firm travelled to Zambia to trace the history of the Arthur Cox Zambia Project from its beginnings in 2008 to date. The group visited the villages of Mwandi, Masese and Kandelamuna in Western Province, before travelling to Chikuni to see the work of the trainees since 2014 and, in particular, the new 1x3 classroom in Hakalinda, which is nearing completion. The group also visited two proposed locations for new classroom blocks in Munyona Central and Kayola West.
In 2025/2026, following consultation with the Jesuit Mission Office in Chikuni and meetings with the local communities, fundraising efforts will go towards funding two 1x2 classroom blocks in both Munyona Central (where the existing 1x2 block constructed in 2016 with the help of Arthur Cox trainees has reached capacity) and Kayola West, as well as a solar borehole in Munyona Central. These structures will directly benefit 615 children enrolled in these schools, but also the wider population of 4,900 people. Further details on these current projects are outlined below.
In August 2025, 19 trainees from the Arthur Cox Dublin office and 1 trainee from the Belfast office will camp in the village of Kayola West and work alongside the community to construct the 1x2 classroom block (where classes are currently being held in a small church structure with no roof).
We are pleased to report that fundraising initiatives here at the firm this year have continued to be very successful, enabling the continuation of projects on the ground in Zambia. Through various fundraising initiatives involving the whole firm, over €43,400 has been raised this year. We are grateful to the firm’s staff who fully get behind these fundraising and volunteering initiatives to support the continued success of the programme.
Church building currently being used as a temporary classroom in Kayola West, May 2025
Watch our video below to learn more about the history of our Zambia Project:
Food and Water Security
MWANDI REGION
The Loanja Rice Growers Company (LRG) was founded in 2019 as part of our Arthur Cox Zambia Project with the aim of addressing food insecurity in the southwest region of Zambia. The LRG operates akin to a cooperative between participating farmers in the region under the guidance of agronomist and project facilitator, Mr Henry Ngimbu, and the local offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, with the support of the District Commissioner, Mrs Kabika, as well as the traditional leadership. Rice farming in the Mwandi district, especially around the Loanja plains, expanded from 100kg of surplus rice purchased by LRG from farmers in 2016 to more than 500 metric tonnes purchased by LRG from farmers in 2023. The cooperative works by selling seed to farmers, providing the means to process the harvested crop, acts as a guaranteed buyer for farmers and then sells the processed rice through shops in local communities – i.e. farm to store.
Unfortunately the drought and national emergency in early 2024 had a devastating effect on the rice crop. Following consultation with local communities, Mr Ngimbu and the Mwandi Council Water Development Department, funds were provided in early 2024 to upgrade three existing hand pump boreholes to solar boreholes at Masese Agricultural Camp, Sibeso village and Silayi village, and install a further three new solar boreholes at Manyemwe, Kandelemuna and Kalundu villages. These initiatives are all now in place and directly benefit 8,400 people (increasing to 25,000 people in three years). These efforts also target the devastating effects of drought by providing a means to irrigate crops and scale up productivity and yield by 50% or more. In addition to the immeasurable benefit of water security within a community, the boreholes also have positive knock-on effects on school attendance, with more children able to attend school rather than fetch water.
In 2025/2026, plans are underway, in conjunction with the office of the District Commissioner, to re-purpose four hand pump boreholes in the following communities: Katema village, Lipumpu, Mwanamatuku primary school and Likomba village. All of these communities currently rely on a man-made well for water, and this water is often dirty and used by livestock. This is due, in part, to the installation of the solar borehole in Kalundu in 2024 (as outlined above). 53,750kg (53.75 tonnes) of rice were produced by 168 farmer households, and 3,000kg (3 tonnes) of groundnuts, in the villages of Kalundu and Manyemwe as part of the 2024/2025 harvest.
In 2025/2026, plans are underway, in conjunction with the office of the District Commissioner, to re-purpose four hand pump boreholes in the following communities: Katema village, Lipumpu, Mwanamatuku primary school and Likomba village (all of which communities currently rely on a man-made well for water, such that the water is often dirty and used by livestock). Mr Ngimbu and the LRG are, in addition, exploring the potential for alternative crop training to be provided to LRG farmers, as well as a shelter for the rice crop at Kalundu and an investment in a machine to convert groundnuts to peanut butter for onward sale.
Rice fields in Kalundu
Solar borehole in Kandelamuna
CHIKUNI REGION
Water security is also a key focus for the project in the Chikuni region of Zambia. Each of the six schools funded by our Zambia Project have the benefit of hand-pump boreholes. Recognising the key role that water access plays in ensuring food supply and energy so that school children can focus on learning and expanding their future opportunities, upgrading the existing hand pump boreholes to solar boreholes in each of these communities has been one of the recent focuses of the Zambia Project in Chikuni and will continue to be an area of focus going forward.
In light of this, our project assisted with the installation of a solar borehole at Hakalinda village in 2024 and a further recent installation of a solar borehole in June 2025 at Munyona Central. This will have the added benefit of ensuring that the bricks for the expansion of the Munyona Central school can be prepared on-site, which will also reduce the construction costs. The roll-out of solar boreholes to the remaining Arthur Cox-funded schools will be a focus for 2026–2027. We anticipate being able to support one borehole per year at a minimum.
Education
Our Arthur Cox Zambia Project has partnered with the Chikuni Jesuit mission since 2014 on a community schools programme, which provides primary education to those who do not have adequate access to State facilities across 17 different communities in the region. Of the 17 community schools, our trainees have helped to build six in Chipembele, Namakube, Hakalinda, Munyona Central, Kanchomba, and Sintemba.
Across these six schools, enrolment has increased from 852 students (prior to the completion of a classroom block) to 1,744 students at present. This marks a 49% increase in enrolment following the construction of the permanent classroom blocks funded by the project. Students attending community schools often outperform their peers in fee-paying government schools, with the effect that students in fee-paying schools have even transferred to community schools.
As a testament to the success of these community schools and the dedicated teachers and community mentors that work in them, pupil numbers in schools which our trainees have assisted with have increased significantly in recent years. Enrolment numbers in Hakalinda, being the location of the first community school that Arthur Cox trainees helped to build in 2014, increased to 230 in 2024 (from 172 in 2023). This expansion required three additional classrooms, which is a testament to its success. As a result, the construction of a 1x3 classroom block was the focus of the trainee trip in August 2024. In addition, while teachers in the community schools were once unqualified volunteers, there are also now two government-funded, fully qualified teachers in the Hakalinda primary school, together with three volunteer mentors. As the provision of teacher housing facilities is key to the retention of government-funded teachers, trainee-raised funds have also been used to build a 1x2 teachers’ house, which is due to be completed this year.
Given the extremely low reserves of food within the community due to the drought in recent years, our Zambia Project has supported the provision of meals for community volunteers who assisted with the construction efforts in Hakalinda. This was identified by our partners on the ground in Chikuni as a key additional resource to ensure community buy-in given the impact of the drought this year. Additional support will continue to be provided in years where the need arises.
The Zambia Project will direct its 2025 funding within the Chikuni region towards critical infrastructure and educational development in the new community of Kayola West as well as in Munyona Central, where the trainees previously built a 1x2 classroom block in 2016. These initiatives aim to improve access to clean water, expand educational capacity, and support community-led development through sustainable and inclusive practices.
In Munyona Central two key projects have been approved. First, the installation of a solar-powered borehole will provide a reliable and accessible water source for both irrigation and school use. This system, powered by solar panels and equipped with a battery and water tank, will significantly reduce the physical burden on women and girls who traditionally operate manual pumps. Second, funding will support the construction of an additional 1x2 classroom block to alleviate severe overcrowding. The existing school, built in 2016 with support from Arthur Cox trainees, currently serves 249 students with only six educators (three government-funded teachers and three volunteers). The community has already laid the foundation for the new block using proceeds from a cabbage-growing initiative, demonstrating strong local commitment and reducing overall project costs.
In Kayola West, a new community where a need has been identified in conjunction with our partners in Chikuni, our Zambia Project will fund the construction of a new 1x2 classroom block to replace the current makeshift facility housed in a church building. The community has proactively prepared building materials, including 12,000 bricks and large quantities of sand and stone. The school, which recently came under the Taonga Office’s oversight, currently serves 166 students up to Grade 3 and aspires to expand to Grade 7. Notably, the Taonga community schools have gained a reputation for outperforming formal government schools, thanks to more consistent teaching and better supervision.
Together, these projects represent a total investment of approximately K1.56 million (c. €52,463). They reflect a continued commitment to sustainable development, community empowerment, and educational equity in Zambia’s underserved regions.
Pictured: New 1x3 classroom block alongside existing 1x2 classroom (built in 2014) in Hakalinda
“This system, powered by solar panels and equipped with a battery and water tank, will significantly reduce the physical burden on women and girls who traditionally operate manual pumps.”
Pictured: Arthur Cox trainees who travelled to Zambia in August 2024
“Together, these projects represent a total investment of approximately €52,463.”
Health
Healthcare in Zambia has always been a key area of focus for the project since 2008, with the renovation of a rural medical clinic in the village of Masese, which provides services to a population of 5,700 people. We installed a borehole water supply and running water, and also built a seven-bed maternity ward. The Masese Clinic was officially handed over to the Department of Health in 2014, although we continue to annually review and provide support to the clinic for repairs and provision of medicines. In early 2023, the clinic underwent a full refurbishment with the benefit of local government funding, which is a testament to the success of the project’s core pillar of community ownership.
In early 2024 the Mwandi Mission Hospital achieved Level 2 status from the Zambian government. This expands its catchment area from 40,000 to 200,000 people. The accreditation will see six consultants assigned to the hospital upon receipt of funding from the Ministry for Finance. A new diagnostic centre has been constructed, and the aim is to provide more specialised and improved care to the community without the need to refer patients elsewhere. An oxygen plant and associated infrastructure were constructed in 2022 at Mwandi Hospital to supply piped oxygen to patients. We funded the oxygen manifold, which provides the interface between the oxygen plant and distribution infrastructure. In 2025 Mwandi Hospital opened a one-stop centre and a safe refuge for victims of domestic violence, with access to doctors, the church and the police, under one roof. Our Zambia Project work in Mwandi is supported by our partners, Keith and Ida Waddell, who assist us in identifying funding opportunities and providing updates.
In early 2025 the project donated funds to replace the lithium battery for the solar panels on the Masese maternity ward. However, in April 2025, we received the very welcome news that the clinic would soon be connected to the electricity grid by the government. It was agreed therefore, in conjunction with the local community, that the lithium solar battery would be repurposed and used for an even more remote health clinic, located in the village of Kandelamuna. The official community handover of the solar battery took place in early May 2025, along with representatives from the Department of Health, the District Commissioner’s office, HRH Senior Chief Ananganga’s headmen and Arthur Cox.
The introduction of solar power will be transformative to the local community of c. 2,000 people in Kandelamuna as, up until now, two community health workers attended to patients in the clinic at night using just the lights from their mobile phones, and the nearest clinic with power was 17km away. The community and the Department of Health are currently considering other upgrades that may benefit the Kandelamuna clinic, and it is envisaged that the Arthur Cox Zambia Project may be in a position to assist with the funding of these upgrades.
“In 2025, Mwandi Hospital opened a one-stop centre and a safe refuge for victims of domestic violence, with access to doctors, the church and the police under one roof.”
“The introduction of solar power will be transformative to the local community of circa 2,000 people in Kandelamuna. Up to now, two community health workers attended to patients in the clinic at night using just lights from their mobile phone, and the nearest clinic with power was 17km away.”