Westmeath schools shine bright at Our World Awards

Three Westmeath Schools have made their mark at the 2025 Irish Aid Our World Awards, as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of the awards.

The programme works in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and has seen thousands of students aim to create a fairer and more sustainable world.

Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD expressed his delight at the number of schools taking part in this year’s awards.

“International development has a positive impact on the lives of people who are trying to survive hunger, poverty, inequality, climate crises, natural disasters, political instability and conflict.

This is why the Our World Awards are so important, to increase awareness of global issues in schools and highlight how we all have a part to play in helping to make the world a better place, by sparking creativity and critical thinking and building empathy, awareness, and a sense of global responsibility.”

County Westmeath was well represented this year with three primary schools submitting thoughtful, creative, and action-driven entries to the Our World Awards from Irish Aid.

At Mullingar Educate Together NS, 6th class pupils created detailed posters and timelines about Irish Aid’s work and also surveyed the Global Goals.

The results were impressive—every pupil could identify the SDGs, and they tackled big concepts like poverty, climate change, and gender equality with maturity and insight.

6th class pupils at St Clare’s NS, Tubberclare got a head start on their project when they welcomed the Our World Awards film crew in February. Despite a packed schedule that included their Confirmation ceremony and a musical performance in the same fortnight, the pupils gave a warm welcome and shared their powerful entry.

Their original song, “Now It’s Up to Us,” was a key part of their submission—and you can see their video on the Our World Awards website https://ourworldawards.ie/learning-in-action/.

5th-class pupils at Athlone Mixed School produced a professional and well-researched presentation about the work of Irish Aid around the world. Their clarity of understanding and quality of work stood out as a real strength.