Report from World Wise Fair

Last Friday, the 22nd of January 2010, Amnesty International had the great privilege of being invited to the WorldWise Forum: The Partnership Journey, held in Croke Park, Dublin.

Over 400 students and 50 teachers from Secondary Schools across Ireland attended.

The school partnership programme partners Irish schools with schools from another part of the world, in the hope that both groups of students can develop and grow through an increased understanding of one another.

It was a great pleasure to be there, not only to talk to teachers and students about the work that we do, but more importantly to see the inspiring stands created by the students who have partner schools all over the world: from India to the Philippines, from Kenya to Malawi and South Africa.

It was humbling to say the least. To see the cultural exchange was inspiring. Many of the schools had visited their partner schools, and were full of news about the lives of their counterpart classmates, and the world which they inhabit. We even learnt that there was no panic over the lack of hair straighteners when one Donegal girls' school visited Kenya: they had no mirrors to notice!

There were exotic smells, and even a taste of Indian spices. We heard African songs, and were in for a visual treat as many of the students wore the traditional clothing of their ‘adopted’ countries.

The guest speaker who opened the day’s proceedings was the Kenyan Ambassador to Ireland, Catherine Muigai Mwangi. She spoke with great pride about the fact that the country with the most partner schools in the exhibition was Kenya, and revealed the fact that like so many of the students taking part, she too was a Loreto girl.

Released aid worker Sharon Cummins was also present during the day, and we learned how she got interested in aid work through her initial interest in the plight of the Jews during World War II. Her first job in the sector was volunteering in the Goal offices, taking credit card donations after the Asian Tsunami on St. Stephen's Day 2004.

She spoke about her time in Sudan, and about how different life was there: very little contact with family and friends, and no beloved pint on a Friday night.

It was an honour to be invited, and we were struck by the words of one of the programme’s founders: "it all started because we had an idea".