A new interactive CD-Rom for children was launched last week by the Minister for Education and Science, Micheal Martin. It is intended to raise funds for Trocaire. The pack, entitled Rafiki (which is the Swahili word for friend), has been developed in response to the revised primary school curriculum and the curriculum in Northern Ireland. It is targeted at children aged between 8 and 12 years of age and it has been developed with input from teachers, children and educationalists. Trocaire worked in partnership with Tallaght Institute of Technology in developing Rafiki, which teaches children about the wider world and their rights and responsibilities as global citizens.

It's already been given the thumbs-up by primary teachers who have already used it. Kevin McLaughlin, a teacher in San Carlo National School in Leixlip, Co Kildare, says it's "an invaluable resource which will help children see the links, similarities and differences between their lives and the lives of others".

Robbie O'Leary, a teacher from Killinarden in Tallaght, Dublin, says it "deserves a place in every primary school". It is available in Easons and a number of other outlets and it costs £29.99