Our World Irish Aid Awards - Finalists Announced
19/1/12Pupils from eleven primary schools in Waterford, Donegal, Offaly, Wicklow, Monaghan, Sligo and Dublin have been shortlisted as finalists for the seventh annual 'Our World Irish Aid Awards'.
The pupils will showcase their winning projects at a special awards ceremony in Dublin Castle on February 21st. The Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, will present the overall winners with an Our World Irish Aid Awards trophy, while the other ten finalists will receive Awards of Excellence.
More than 9,000 children from 450 primary schools across Ireland participated in this year’s Awards, submitting a host of creative projects with the theme ‘Caring for the Planet, Feeding Our World’.
The annual Our World Irish Aid Awards is designed to foster a greater understanding of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and Irish Aid’s work in developing countries among primary school pupils.
With the help of their teachers, pupils explore the day-to-day challenges faced by children in developing countries. Based on their findings, the pupils create multi-media projects, using art, drama, writing, poetry, film or music.
Minister Costello paid tribute to the pupils for their research and creativity:
“I would like to congratulate the eleven schools which have been chosen as finalists. The entries are of an exceptionally high standard and showcase the inventiveness and creativity of the pupils involved.
"It is heartening to see that Irish children are so interested in the lives of people in developing countries and I am very impressed by their ideas for how we can promote a more just and equal world.
"I am delighted that the Our World Irish Aid Awards has grown in popularity each year, with more than 9,000 children now involved. Congratulations to all the pupils and teachers who worked so hard on these very impressive projects.”
The Our World Irish Aid Awards ceremony in Dublin Castle on 21 February, 2012, will be hosted by RTÉ Presenter, Rob Ross.
The winning entries are as follows:
School: Christ Church National School, Waterford
Project: In an Age of Plenty, Why are so Many Hungry?
School: Ray National School, Donegal
Project: Environmental Sustainability
School: Scoil Naisiunta Naomh Philomena, Offaly
Project: Ethiopia and Climate Change = A Global Challenge
School: Sacred Heart National School, Aughrim, Wicklow
Project: Don’t Stop Believing
School: St Mary's Boys National School, Monaghan
Project: Our World - Our Choices Matter
School: Scoil Naisiunta Naomh Eoin, Offaly
Project: Caring for and Sharing our World
School: Scoil Naisiunta Padraig Naofa, Dublin
Project: Caring for the Planet, Feeding our World
School: Scoil Naomh Fionan, Donegal
Project: Ar Scath a Cheile a Mhaireann na Daoine
School: Our Lady of Mercy National School, Sligo
Project: Our World - The Journey
School: Castleblaney Central, Monaghan
Project: Climate Change and Food Poverty
School: Our Lady of Apostles, Clonburris National School, Dublin
Project: Our World, Our Choice
19 January 2012
For more information on the Our World awards, contact Ciara O'Connor on 01 5224800 or visit http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/ourworld/our-awards.html. For further media information, contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 01-4082653.
Note to Editors
- At the core of the Our World Irish Aid Awards are the eight Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed in September 2000 by the United Nations.
- The theme of this year’s Awards is “Caring for the Planet, Feeding Our World”, and young people are invited to explore the links between the environment (Goal 7) and global poverty and hunger (Goal 1)
The 8 Millennium Development Goals aim to:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development