IN PICTURES: Laois teens on volunteer mission to Africa

A big group of Portlaoise students took off to Africa recently on a long awaited volunteer mission.

For 16 Portlaoise College students their trip was the culmination of a year of hard work, fundraising and countless meetings. Full story below our gallery of photographs.

The students with four staff members departed on February 28 for Banjul in Gambia, as part of the school's Gambia Partnership Project.  

Over the past year they had to fundraise a substantial amount of money from bake sales, a Christmas Market and auction, student vs-teacher matches, a sponsored walk and other individual events.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, the students were able to provide life-saving medicines, cleaning products and saline solutions to the local medical centre and maternity hospital in Brikama. 

They also spent months preparing lessons, which they put into practice working in a local nursery school and primary school in Brikama, while also delivering much needed educational resources.

Student Oliver, described by Portlaoise College as the “pied-drummer of Portlaoise” enraptured the Gambian scholastic public with his bodhran skills.

All the students also put their practical and artistic skills to work as they decorated and painted a mural for the nursery school students to enjoy.  

The students who were selected following a rigorous interview process were: Jannet Cierocka, Erin Harrison, Alesha Dennehy, Katelyn Thompson, Katelyn Lawlor, Carla Hiluta, Amber Kelly, Katie Carlin, Rebekah Momo, Roisin Hogan, Natasha Hynes, Mikayela Hyland, Oliver Brown-Quail, Fionn McEvoy Mullally, Aidan Donaghy and Brandon Doheny.