CBC first became involved in the Total Immersion Zambia Project in 2003.  The project involves sending a number of teachers and Fifth Year pupils to Zambia, every second year, to live for three weeks with a community of Christian Brothers.  During this period, the groups work in orphanages and schools, visit hospitals and hospices and experience normal life in the Third World.  On their return, the pupils pass on their experiences to their fellow pupils, by giving talks and presentations to the various classes throughout the school, in both the Preparatory and Secondary Schools.

Money raised through fundraising helps to assist the Christian Brothers to maintain and expand on their work in Zambia. They currently have a number of projects in operation such as the following:

WaSH Programme: A Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme for 9 schools (mostly rural) in the Mufulira area. This programme facilitates the installation of proper shower and toilet facilities at schools. Many students, especially girls, were leaving school at an early age, as it was felt that the provision of such facilities would encourage more students to stay in school. The scheme had been trialed in Mopena and proved to be a success and was extended to 8 other schools.

Edmund Rice Village: A shelter for 45 elderly people near Murundu village. Unfortunately, there is a large generation gap in rural Zambia, with the very young being orphaned or cared by grandparents. Zambia has one of the world’s most devasting HIV and AIDS epidemics, with one in seven adults in the country living with HIV. Life expectancy in the Mufulira area is 38 years. The shelter provides a home for the elderly in Murundu who cannot look after themsleves and do not have any family who can support them.

Murundu Development Centre: Providing and developing training Centres for those who have left school early to train in skills such as Metalwork, Carpentry, Building, Agriculture and Tailoring. Murundu is a large rural village some 15km from Mufulira with a population of some 12,000 people, many of whom are very poor.

The Tipperary Fields: Approximately 70 acres of land administered by the Brothers are used to grow maize during the rainy season and vegetables (under irrigation) during the dry season. The maize is grown as part of the Brothers’ Feeding Programme. This programme feeds approximately 200 families who otherwise would not have access to this food.