With the information evening on the Cuala 4 Zambia TY Trip 2026 taking place on Sunday 14th, we thought it was timely to ask Fiona Tomlinson, Director of Nsobe Schools, to remind us of the mission and history of Nsobe School, and the ongoing impact of the partnership with Cuala GAA on its development.
Cuala GAA & Nsobe Schools for the Community:
Building Futures Together
Deep in the heart of Zambia, Nsobe Schools for the Community began in 2009 with just 16 children in a garden, answering a critical need for a community to access formerly-out-of-reach education.Today Nsobe educates over 600 disadvantaged children from surrounding remote rural villages. Nsobe is more than a school — it is a place of hope, offering not just academics but also care, daily nutrition, Safe Houses for at-risk girls, guidance, leadership training, and a pathway into tertiary education. Its students carry literacy, opportunity, and transformation back to their villages.
Into this story of growth and impact stepped Cuala GAA. Cuala TY’s started visiting Nsobe in 2016, initially as part of Habitat for Humanity trips. What began as a weekend break on Habitat building trips has blossomed into deep and mutually beneficial partnership.
From 2023 onwards, more than 50 Cuala teenagers plus 15 supporting parents have given of themselves and their summer to volunteer directly at Nsobe Schools, bringing energy, hard work, hurling and joy. Alongside the TYs, over 60 adult volunteers from Cuala and its wider circle have journeyed to Nsobe since 2018. Theses visits have left a legacy not only in bricks and mortar, building critically needed school infrastructure, but in solidarity and friendships that crosses nations.
Nsobe School has been transformed by the work of Cuala hearts and hands. In the past Nsobe struggled to attract and retain quality teachers because of their remote rural location and no available houses for rent; to date 6 teacher houses have been built by Cuala. In 2024 Cuala TY’s built a ‘Safe House’ providing 20 vulnerable at-risk girls with a home to stay in, and a nurturing environment offering them safety, stability, and protection from early marriage, abuse, and exploitation, giving them nutritional support, guidance and mentorship and the freedom to focus on their education and gain control over their futures. Cuala TY’s of 2025 built 2 Secondary Science Labs, which will pave the way for Nsobe to offer A-level sciences and equip Nsobe students to enter medical and scientific fields. Cuala have also built 3 other classrooms for Nsobe, and, as a result of the Cuala connection, 2 classrooms are currently being built at Nsobe’s closest neighbouring school, Mpendeni, to relieve severe overcrowding as formerly this school only had 2 make-shift classrooms for over 400 pupils.
Cuala’s impactful contribution has gone beyond buildings. Cuala members introduced and support the Dermot Earley Foroige Leadership for Life Programme, now in its 4th running year at Nsobe – empowering the youth of Nsobe to make positive life choices, be the change their communities need and become leaders of integrity. Cuala members recognise and value the heartbeat of Nsobe: the committed, dedicated teachers, and have addressed Nsobe’s greatest need by funding teacher’s salaries, ensuring stability, excellence, care and role models in classrooms. Cuala members have stepped in to sponsor students into tertiary education, opening doors that would otherwise remain firmly closed to disadvantaged rural Zambian youth. Each graduate supported is not just one life changed, but the beginning of a ripple effect transforming families and whole communities.
The focus of the annual Cuala GAA TY visits is a peer group cultural immersion, creating a vibrant space for teen interaction and mutual learning between the Cuala and Nsobe Buddies. Students from Zambia and Ireland gain valuable exposure to each other’s cultures and perspectives, celebrating their heritage while embracing diversity. Through shared experiences and sport, they build friendships and networks across borders, strengthening their understanding of global citizenship, discovering that while cultures may differ, our shared humanity unites us all. Cuala TY’s are impacted by their Nsobe visit; with their hearts opened with gratitude sparked for their own lives of privilege, touched by the joy, contentment and belonging that they find in the dances, faith, songs and laugher of the children of Nsobe in spite of lives of hardship, and a stronger connection with their travelling Cuala friends from 2 weeks of phone-free time, campsite and bonfire stories, walking, talking, swimming and African adventure.
The Cuala GAA Nsobe partnership is the power of a shared vision showing, that when communities reach across borders with love and courage, lives are uplifted, hope is restored, and futures are built.
Yours,
Fiona Tomlinson
Founder and Director Nsobe Community School.
If you would like further information please Kevin Spain in Cuala kevin@coachkevin.ie or FionaTomlinson the school director in Zambia fionatomlinson74@gmail.com
Best of luck to the TY students who left for Zambia last week as part of the Cuala4Zambia project at Nsobe School. With thanks to all involved in supporting the group in the lead up to their departure. They are already hard at work, stay tuned for more updates on their progress over the next few weeks and on their return.
