In January 1966 two Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sister Agnes Hunt and Sister Odile O'Mahony, left Ferrybank, Waterford at the invitation of Bishop James Corboy of the Diocese of Monze, Zambia to open a boarding school for girls. Later that year with the help of two more sisters who joined them they opened a school in Chivuna, a rural area of the diocese. The school flourished and became known as one of the top academic schools in Zambia. Presently, it has 650 students mostly boarders who come from rural areas with little transportation. The sisters were also involved in the Chivuna Rural Health Clinic. The clinic was eventually handed over to the Holy Spirit Sisters, a native congregation trained by the RSHM.

Today the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Zambia minister to the physically and mentally disabled and those with HIV/AIDS. They are also involved in pastoral ministry in Choma.

Sister Edna O'Connor teaching catechism at Choma, Zambia, 1999

An RSHM novitiate in Chinoyi, Zimbabwe, has enabled both Zambian and Zimbabwean women to become members of the community and to participate in the work of the RSHM in Africa.

Left to right: Sisters Catherine Chitali and Kathleen Murphy in Chivuna, Zambia, 2003

Sister Marilyn Ficht with children in Chivuna, Zambia, 2003