Written by Maurice Sadlier, Director of Programmes & Policy at World Vision Ireland
Over 15 years ago, a good friend returned to Zambia after a trip home, talking about an organisation doing impressive work under the shadow of Croke Park. The organisation was called Fighting Words. At the time, I hadn’t heard of it. Not long afterwards, some of the Fighting Words team travelled to Lusaka to explore whether their creative writing model could be adapted for use in a development context. A number of those early conversations stayed with me. Even then, it felt like an approach that could translate well into development programming.
After our family moved back to Ireland, my son, who was seven at the time, was one of the lucky children to take part in a creative writing session at a Fighting Words centre in Behan Square. Seeing the model in action reinforced my belief in its value. After seeing the approach at work in North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week, that belief has only strengthened. I am very proud of our partnership with Fighting Words and of the work we have built together.
Fighting Words is a creative writing organisation established in Dublin in 2009 by Roddy Doyle and Seán Love. Its aim is to support children of all ages to develop their writing skills and to gain confidence in their own voices. Through storytelling and creative writing, the approach helps children and young people build resilience, imagination and a sense of agency in shaping their own lives. At its core is a simple idea: everyone has something worth saying, and everyone deserves the space and encouragement to say it.
In 2019, World Vision and Fighting Words worked together to pilot the approach in Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. Over the course of several days, workshops were delivered and feedback gathered from children, facilitators and World Vision colleagues. There was a shared view that the approach not only worked but had clear potential to improve children’s wellbeing in fragile and displacement‑affected settings.
When the Irish Aid–supported EMPOWER! Programme was being designed, we had an opportunity to put that learning into practice. Irish Aid support made it possible not only to adapt the Fighting Words model to fragile contexts but also to invest in locally led delivery across several countries. Over the past three years, working in partnership with Fighting Words, creative writing clubs have been established across Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The results have been consistently encouraging, particularly in contexts where children face ongoing insecurity, disrupted schooling and limited opportunities to express themselves.
Last week in North Kivu, I observed a creative writing session that was every bit as lively and engaging as the one my son attended years earlier in Dublin. Staff from EMPOWER! DRC travelled to Dublin for training in November 2023 and has since received ongoing mentorship from Fighting Words. While adaptations have been necessary, for example, many schools do not have electricity, so screens and printing are not an option, the core methodology remains intact. A flipchart, a chalkboard and lots of imagination are more than sufficient.
During the workshop, children shouted out ideas for the main character, best friends or rafiki, as they say in North Kivu and adversaries. They discussed, voted and co‑created the story together. Every child had a chance to contribute. There was plenty of laughter, debate and excitement as the story and illustrations took shape. The resulting tale followed the adventures of Tembo and Mamba an elephant and a crocodile. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well for the crocodile.
The impact of the session was evident without having to ask. When I spoke with facilitators afterwards, they were clear and consistent in their assessment. The key change they see in children is confidence. Children who participate not only engage actively during the creative writing sessions but also show greater confidence in the classroom and in their wider community life.
The facilitators also spoke about their own growth. This reflects a broader emphasis within Ireland’s overseas development assistance, investing not only in activities but in people. The training, mentorship and responsibility placed in local educators through EMPOWER! are strengthening skills and confidence that will endure beyond the life of the programme.
In 2025 alone, more than 800 creative writing sessions took place in North Kivu. Across the EMPOWER! Programme, we consistently hear the same feedback from teachers, facilitators and communities: children who take part develop greater confidence and become more engaged both in the classroom and in everyday life. This partnership with Fighting Words shows how simple, creative and locally delivered approaches can strengthen children’s wellbeing and participation in some of the most challenging contexts — from Dublin to DRC and far beyond the shadow of Croke Park.
