Posted by in News.


An innovative Galway based website that promotes learning and revision for students outside the classroom has been nominated for a prestigious national web design award.

Created by Kieran Coleman and Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa, www.thebigtest.ie has been short-listed as a finalist in this year’s 2012 Eircom sponsored Golden Spider Awards competition.

thebigtest.ie not only helps students to fine tune their general knowledge and revise for their exams, it also helps them to give something back to some of the poorest people in the world.

The Galway based site has teamed up with Irish based development agency Self Help Africa, and thanks to sponsorship support from two companies Galvin for Men and Irish College Coláiste Lurgan it has received is contributing funds to the work of Self Help Africa for every correctly answered question that is processed.

Self Help Africa’s Galway based campaigner Ronan Scully says that the site is a ‘win win’ for everyone, as it both tests a student’s general knowledge,and also gives them an incentive to get the right answers.

Self Help Africa began collaborating with Dr. Coleman on thebigtest.ie project over a year ago, and will be joining with him to formally launch the new site following some fine tuning, in the New Year.

The founders are thrilled that the site had been nominated for a Golden Spider, and added that the recognition would be a great boost for thebigtest.ie as they begin to roll it out at schools and businesses across the country.

The winners of this year’s Golden Spider awards will be named at a reception at Dublin’s Convention Centre on Thursday, November 1st next.

Thebigtest.ie has been short-listed in this year’s category for Charitable and Non-Profit Organisations at the annual showcase.

Dr Coleman, who is a member of staff at Galway University Hospital, said that he was delighted to have teamed up with Ronan Scully and Self Help Africa on the project, as the website could now not just help students with their studies, but would also help to raise vital funds for the charity at the same time.

‘We have received the backing of two major sponsors and a number of other companies, and because of that are able to reward students for every correct answer that they make on the website’, he explained.

‘This reward comes in the form of a donation—every time the student answers a question correctly an advertiser on the website donates the cost of one maize seed to Self Help Africa.’

Ronan Scully said that Self Help Africa was thrilled to be associated with thebigtest.ie, as the organisation also had a remit to reach out to students in the classrooms of Ireland, and explain to them the issues of global justice, equality and poverty affecting people around the world.

‘In this day and age you need to be clever and innovative to get the attention of young people, and there is no better way to do that than through a website that is fun to use, helps them to learn, and also rewards their knowledge’.

‘We will all be rooting for thebigtest.ie when the awards are announced in Dublin at the beginning of next month,’ he added.

Self Help Africa works with rural communities across sub-Sahara Africa, helping poor households to grow more food, and earn a better living from their land. The organisation is the official charity of the Irish Farmers Association.

To find out more visit www.thebigtest.ie, or www.selfhelpafrica.org.