Alison Butler and Eoin Breathnach have written the article below about their trip to Zambia this summer.

In October 2025, we were given an amazing opportunity to travel to Zambia with 15 other members of Cuala GAA as part of the Nsobe School Project. We knew it would be a special experience, but we never expected it to have such a big impact on all of us.

The trip was about much more than the work we would do at the school. It was about meeting people, learning about a completely different culture and becoming part of a community. We spent months fundraising, from cake sales to bucket shaking, and everyone put in a huge effort. Our fundraising was specifically to kit out a science lab with the equipment needed for the school to offer science subjects.

In June 2026, we travelled to Zambia. After a long journey through Stockholm and Addis Ababa, we finally arrived at Nsobe. From the moment we arrived, we received an incredibly warm welcome from the camp staff and the local community.

We also had the chance to visit local villages, meet families and really dive into Zambian culture with both feet, with dancing and lots and lots of singing. We tried traditional food and learned about everyday life. It made us realise how much we can learn from people whose lives can be very different to our own.

A huge part of our time in Zambia was spent working at the school. We helped make bricks, paint and refurbish some of the existing facilities, and build teacher accommodation. We also ran PE classes and worked with the younger children on their English and Maths. The heat made the work challenging, but seeing the progress each day was very rewarding.

As the trip came to an end, we had a final celebration with the school. We performed music and danced together. Saying goodbye was difficult because of the friendships we had made with the students, staff and wider community.

Looking back, Zambia taught us that people can come from completely different backgrounds and still have so much in common. We came home with friendships, memories and a different way of looking at the world. Zambia will always have a very special place in our hearts, and we hope one day we can return to see our friends again.

We could not have made the trip or achieved what we did without the support of Cuala GAA, our families, friends and everyone who contributed to the fundraising. A special thank you also goes to the Cuala Coiste, including Aisling Fay and Deirdre Ní Fhloinn, who, together with Kevin Spain, helped make this experience possible. And a very special thank you to Fiona Tomlinson, Founder of the Nsobe School Project and Overall Legend, for everything she did for us and for the community. You allowed us to live our Cuala values in a very special way, and we will always be grateful for that.

To next year’s Cuala for Zambia group, we wish you the very best of luck. Throw yourselves into every part of the experience, enjoy the friendships you make and make the most of every day. It really is a life-changing experience, and we hope it means as much to you as it has to us.

Ní neart go cur le chéile.