Tullamore school to embark on fifth Zambia trip as part of immersion project

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Killina Presentation secondary school in Tullamore are preparing to embark on their fifth trip to Zambia as part of the Zambia Immersion Project.

Killina’s Zambia Immersion Program was first set up in 2014, with the first student trip taking place in June 2015.

The initiative was set up with the help and support of the Presentation Sisters Global Education Experience.

Through the Presentation sisters, links were established with Mahilo Primary, a school outside the town of Kaoma in the western province of Zambia.

In June 2025, the school will have ten students and three teachers travelling to the country.

The trip follows roughly the same itinerary each year, connecting with Mahilo School and the various projects we have established links with over the years.

"The group spends about a week in Kaoma, visiting Mahilo school each day. There, our students demonstrate and teach the Zambian students Irish language, songs, dance and music. The Zambian students then reciprocate, sharing their language and dance with us. We also bring educational supplies to the school when we travel and make a donation to the school.

"Previous monies donated have been used to build toilets, buy educational resources and replace desks and chairs damaged when the roof was blown off a building during a storm," said Killina Presentation teacher, Maureen Connaghan.

It is a packed schedule for the staff and the students of the Tullamore school, as they make stops at multiple schools across the country.

"We visit the Presentation School in Kaoma, which was set up initially many years ago by Sister Mary Moloney (Vianney), and is now run by a Zambian Presentation Sister, Sr. Irene. It is both primary and secondary now.

"In Kaoma we work with St. Martins Parish church who, with the help of groups such as the Friends of Nano, support the more vulnerable members of their community. We bring children’s clothes for Friends of Nano to distribute and also bring baby clothes for Sr. Mbololua to bring to the hospital.

"We then travel further west to Mongu. Here we visit the Cheshire Home for the physically disabled. Set up by the Sr. Cathy and Sr. Stella, Cheshire Home provides accommodation, education and medical aid for children who can’t afford or access care in their own communities. Whilst in Mongu, we stay in accommodation built by the Presentation Sisters. The Liseli Lodge accommodation and restaurant is used to fund the Cheshire Home. As much as possible we try to stay and eat in places that support Presentation projects and the local communities."

The students are already starting the fundraising campaign, their first big event being ‘Zoom to Zambia’ taking place in the Bridge Centre, Tullamore on December 28.

To donate, go to: https://gofund.me/d24b7f44