They are too young to drive, vote or even call themselves teenagers, but a group of sixth-class students at CBC Junior School in Monkstown, Co Dublin have raised €30,000 for children in need around the world.
The boys, aged between 11 and 12, have worked all year on fundraising projects as part of the Children Helping Children project, created 12 years ago by teacher Ken King.
They concluded their fundraising efforts last Friday with an exhibition of food and games.
All the proceeds go to children's charities ranging from the local (the Monkstown Summer Project and the Irish Red Cross) to the international (the Chernobyl Children's Project and the Zambia Project).
According to Mr King, the community service work helps the boys in his class as much as the children who receive their hard-earned donations.
"The boys are very young, and this is a huge confidence-building exercise for them, especially for some of the boys who struggle academically," he said.
The project, which has raised nearly €200,000 since it began, has attracted prominent supporters, including Minister for Education Mary Hanafin and Ali Hewson, wife of U2's Bono.