Irish Aid was proud to present the Education Zone at Africa Day Limerick. This section was comprised of development education organisations and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) that work in African countries. On behalf of the Irish public, Irish Aid supports many of these organisations in delivering their work.
Visitors could come along to find out more about development issues through participating in fun, family-friendly activities: writing a letter to Lesotho; taking part in a jigsaw puzzle competition, or drawing and displaying pictures of your family’s favourite foods. You could do all this and more in the Education Zone...
Action Lesotho highlighted its work on setting up food enterprises at Africa Day Limerick, in particular its work on establishing a maize mill; pig-breeding projects and a community orchard in villages in Lesotho.
The organisation also showcased information on its pen-pal exchange programme between schools in Ireland and schools in Maputsoe, Lesotho, and visitors were invited to write their own letters to recipients in Lesotho. Art activities – including weaving with coloured paper – were also on offer.
Action Lesotho (formerly Twinning the Kingdoms) was founded in 2006. Its mission is to support the Millennium Development Goals in Lesotho. The organisation works closely with Irish Aid. In 2009, for example, founding member of Action Lesotho, photojournalist Eileen O’Leary, received a grant from the Simon Cumbers Media Fund to create an exhibition about disability in Lesotho. This exhibition – ‘Breaking The Barriers’ – is still touring around Ireland, and postcards featuring some of the photographs from the exhibition were available to visitors to Africa Day Limerick.
The Africa Centre attracted many visitors with its jigsaw puzzle competition and African drumming contests. Visitors could challenge themselves in the jigsaw puzzle competition to put African countries in their correct positions on a map of the continent. Small prizes were available for those with the fastest times.
At Africa Day Limerick, the Africa Centre also showcased its ‘Africa Also Smiles’ poster campaign, highlighting issues such as food sovereignty and the Millennium Development Goals.
The Africa Centre was founded in the year 2000 to give a voice to Ireland’s African immigrant community and promote Africans’ active participation in Irish society. The Centre receives funding from Irish Aid, amongst other donors.
Visitors to AkiDwA, the African Women’s Network's stall in the Education Zone could learn more about AkiDwA' s work in Ireland. On hand to talk to members of the public about the organisation's ongoing projects were representatives from AkiDwa. The stall also displayed a range of African arts and crafts.
AkiDwA develops African and migrant women’s capacity for participation and representation in their communities and in decision making structures through training, consultation, focus groups, information provision and research.
AkiDwa's long-term legacy outcome is that the rights of African and migrant woman living in Ireland will be respected and protected.
Meanwhile, visitors to Africa Day Limerick couldsample free Fairtrade finger food courtesy of the Centre for Global Development through Education (CGDE). Representatives of the Centre were also on hand to speak to visitors about their particular areas of expertise: Dr. James Urwick focused on the topic of ‘Educational Challenges in Lesotho: The Mountain Kingdom’, while Dr. Rosarii Griffin, Director of the CGDE, gave insights into Uganda.
The Centre for Global Development through Education was set up in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, in 2008. It is funded by Irish Aid and the Higher Education Authority. The Centre is involved in combating poverty through education, and works primarily in Uganda and Lesotho.
The Ducuum Education Project was also present in the Education Zone at Irish Aid's Africa Day Limerick event. At their stall, visitors could learn more about Ducuum Education Project's work in Ireland and South Sudan. On hand to talk about their work were representatives from the organisation. Visitors could also sample a South Sudanese drink - kedkede - a cold ice tea made with fresh tea leaves, and view a display of wooden animals and other artefacts.
The Ducuum Education Project is an Irish / Sudanese NGO, based in the University of Limerick, which aims to sow the seeds of education in the minds of girls, parents and young adults in areas most affected by high illiteracy rates in Sudan (the word 'Ducuum' in the dinka language refers to a sower of seeds). 
Ducuum is a grass-roots project that works with people across villages and towns in war-affected areas in Sudan. It is currently operating in South Sudan and has its main office in Bor City, Jonglie State. It is supporting the primary and secondary education of young people, who have no access to education. Ducuum helps girls and boys access tertiary level and also supports the education of women, parents, and other adults who missed out on their education.
Ducuum's main objective is to support people in war affected areas of Sudan to rebuild their lives and become economically self-reliant.
Meanwhile, visitors to Doras Luimní´s space in the Education Zone could learn more about Doras Luimní's work in Ireland and view a beatuiful display of African clothing and costumes. There were also hair-braiding demonstrations on offer for visitors having a bad-hair day!
Doras Luimní was founded in 2000. It is an independent non-governmental organisation based in Limerick that supports the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and all migrants. It was founded in 2000.
Its role is to support migrants on a personal level, while engaging in advocacy with them and for their collective interests.
Doras is registered as a company and has charitable status.
A visit to Trócaire’s space in the Education Zone was a must-do for families with children, as the organisation was encouraging visitors to draw pictures of their favourite types of food, and food that their families love to eat, on specially designed plates.
Children were able to share their finished drawings with the rest of the visitors at Africa Day, as the drawings were displayed by Trócaire for the duration of the event. Colourful images of some of the families that Trócaire is working with in Africa were also on display.
Trócaire was established in 1973. It currently works on six main programme areas: Governance and Human Rights; Gender; HIV and AIDS; Sustainable Livelihoods; Emergencies, and Education and Campaigning in Ireland. Trócaire receives significant funding from Irish Aid towards its overseas development work, and the two organisations work closely together.
At Africa Day Limerick, Value Added in Africa were present in the Education Zone to raise awareness of the high quality and rich diversity of food, clothing and beauty products that can be sourced from Africa.
The organisation had an impressive display of produce from Africa, including: teabags; roasted coffee; chocolate; beer; natural beauty products; and even clothing and gift items. All of these items are made by agro-processing in African countries, whereby factories add value to the commodities produced by farmers. Examples of farmer groups that have successfully organised their own processing plants and high-quality products were also showcased.
Value Added in Africa aims to promote sustainable livelihoods in Africa by supporting small and medium African enterprises to find buyers and distributor for their products in Ireland. The organisation operates in sub-Saharan Africa, with a special emphasis on Ireland’s priority aid countries. Its work is supported by Irish Aid.
Chocolate and quiz-lovers were happy with their visits to Voluntary Service International (VSI) in the Education Zone. The organisation had an Africa Picture Food Quiz for children: a large map of Africa was displayed and children could learn about what foods are associated with different African countries, and then test themselves to find these places on the map. Fair Trade produce and chocolate were given as prizes for competitors.
While the children were busy learning about food, adults could take part in a fun quiz identifying African countries; capitals; languages; flags, and even football players.
Also at the VSI space in the Education Zone, a special emphasis was placed on chocolate, looking at cocoa bean production in Ghana and its journey from the fields of Ghana to local shops in Ireland.
There was also an Africa Food and Water Photo Exhibition, with photographs submitted by VSI volunteers in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Ghana.
VSI is the Irish branch of Service Civil International, a worldwide peace movement that began in 1920. The organisation works to promote peace, social justice, sustainable development and intercultural understanding through volunteering abroad and in Ireland. VSI receives an annual grant from Irish Aid towards its Development Education Programme.