My name is Chishimba Yvette Mulenga and I am a Legal Practitioner from Lusaka, Zambia. I am currently studying for an LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law at the University College Cork. Outside of academics, I love exploring new places, reading and listening to music.

Before coming to Ireland for my studies, I was the Secretary of the International Relations and Scholarships Committee of the prestigious Law Association of Zambia (LAZ). My tenure will end in April 2026 and it has been an exciting role because it enabled me to maintain networks and support initiatives between my Association and other stakeholders around the world. Having previously held roles in the protection and promotion of human rights and litigation, being a link between people from various walks of life has always been central to me.

In the 2023/2024 farming season, my country experienced a severe drought which led to our President declaring it a national disaster in the first quarter of 2024. This was more than a headline for me. It was a turning point that strengthened my conviction that the law can be a powerful tool for environmental protection and disaster risk management. I saw the negative consequences of that drought and really wanted to play my part, even in small ways, in averting future environmental harm. I was convinced that tackling environmental challenges requires not just local solutions but advanced expertise and that was what made me choose to study this course.

Being an Ireland Fellow has benefitted me in so many ways. Not only have I gained academic exposure, I have also broadened my perspective on cultural differences, improved my ability to operate in settings with people from diverse backgrounds and strengthened my social network. The Cultural Immersion Weekend we had in September 2025 was a huge highlight for me because it gave me an opportunity to connect with my peers and mentors and just exchange notes. I owe a lasting debt of gratitude to the Government of Ireland for this.

The peak of my learnings in my course is in relation to disaster risk management. Before I started my programme, my focus was always reactionary. I wanted to help in finding solutions after disaster happens. However, I have now learnt that it is more important to build resilience, realising that things like droughts, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters will always happen. I have learnt that it is more essential to be prepared for these occurrences than to start seeking solutions after they happen. This will influence my contribution to how my country formulates its policies regarding the environment, going forward.

Adjusting to life in Ireland has been relatively easy. The most impressive thing about this country is that systems work. Whenever I have had a challenge of any sort, I haven’t had to wait for unreasonable periods of time for it to be sorted. It is most impressive how everyone respects things like time-keeping and differences in opinion. The lecturers are very accommodative and helpful. The library is well organised and relatively easy to navigate, both physically and on the website. Adjusting has been easy because the country has very functional systems.

The biggest difference I have noted between Zambia and Ireland is the weather. I always joke with the people back home that I sometimes experience all seasons in one day. Sometimes the sun is still up and bright by 8pm and other times, it is completely dark before 5pm. That is very fascinating for me.

My favourite part of the Fellowship has been visiting new places. Seeing the picturesque scenery from the Powerscourt Gardens in Dublin to the fishing town of Cobh has been a dream-come true for me. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and definitely recommend other people from my country to participate in the Ireland Fellows Programme. The development achieved is more than just personal and goes beyond academics. It leads to critical thinking and equips Fellows with the necessary tools to be able to sit at any decision-making table around the world.

The only advice I have for candidates who wish to apply for the Programme is that they should be authentic and true to themselves. They should ask themselves how the Fellowship will better their broader communities and research widely before making the application. At the interview stage, they should not just regurgitate what they think the interviewers want to hear but speak honestly about their beliefs and aspirations.