They flee from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America in fear of their lives. They arrive in Ireland seeking refuge. They are not allowed to work. They have no right to travel, no right to education, no right to training. Before any of these basic rights are available to them, they must be granted formal refugee status and, with it, comes permission to live in the country.

Many asylum-seekers are accused of being bogus. Now, they have taken their plight to schools around the country under a programme organised by Amnesty, Trocaire, Comhlamh, Asylum and the Association of Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Ireland (ARASI).

Their aim is to create awareness of their situation. They discuss with students "all their sufferings due to war and famine, persecution, repression in their homelands and uncertainties amidst their hope for a new life here," says Mohammad Haji, a Somalian asylum-seeker.

Khalid Ibrahim, founder of ARASI, sees school visits as a way to create a positive image. "In the recent past, our presence sparked off controversy," he says. "We were misrepresented by a section of the media as `scroungers, bogus, rapists', lazy people and ne'er-do-wells. This built tension and hostility which has led to racial attacks.

"Irish people need to know that we are able-bodied people fleeing different forms of persecution. We are not allowed to work, study or travel. Nobody would travel thousands of miles, leaving loved ones, to take £68.40 a week or to enjoy the weather."

Apart from human rights abuses and issues surrounding asylum applications, students also learn about asylum-seekers' tradition and culture - and any other issues about which the students may ask.

Describing a recent visit to St Mary's School in Blessington, Co Wicklow, one asylum-seeker who appeared in a traditional African attire during the talk says he never had it so good.

"I spent many hours with the students," he said. "I answered lots of questions which they asked ranging from marriage, the type of family I have, the food I eat and the various animals - lions, elephants and snakes - that exist in my country. They also inquired whether I play soccer, where I learned English, what native languages I speak, the type of music we play and toys African children use.

"I presented instructional material which I brought to the school. They drove a toy van made by African children, sang children's songs and played traditional music. We danced and danced and danced . . ."

At the end of the talk, some pupils had an open debate. They argued that calling their visitor a black man did not reflect his real colour.

One of the pupils, Niamh Staines, agreed. "I think it's horrible to call you a black man," she said. "You should be referred to as a brown man or an African man."

A teacher in the school, Catherine Quirke, told us that "it was brilliant for the students to meet a foreigner. They now see the world as a village with better perception of other people and races of the world."

The pupils of St Mary's have invited him back.

Many non-government organisations, including Amnesty International, Trocaire, Asylum and Comhlamh, have incorporated refugee and asylum studies in their education departments. Robin Hanan, co-ordinator of Comhlamh, says: "Irish people who have been welcomed in almost every country in the Third World have been shocked by some of the public signs of racism in parts of the media and political life.

"We will miss out on an enormous opportunity to learn from the outside world if asylum-seekers are turned down. It's time that we started to see them as a resource for Ireland, not a threat."

Perhaps the situation is beginning to change. There are signs that today's students, who are tomorrow's leaders, strongly support the asylumseekers.

In Drogheda Grammar School recently, teacher Norma McMaster noted that a Leaving Cert class threw its weight behind a black asylumseeker during a talk.

Students in Old Bawn Community School, Tallaght, Dublin, have produced leaflets on the refugee question. One is entitled: Refugees - Myth versus Fact. The myth, it explains, is that "thousands of refugees are flooding into Ireland" The fact is that "Ireland takes in a tiny number of refugees every year. This flood is just a trickle compared to the 22.7 million refugees in the world today."

Politicians have received letters from many students calling for a free, fair and effective procedure in handling asylum applications. Orla O'Sullivan, student and youth officer of Amnesty International, confirms that many letters and postcards have been sent to the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue.

In particular, she mentions "a petition of 91 signatures collected at Amnesty International's 4th Annual Student and Youth Conference in 1997" In it, students appealed to the minister to "take his position seriously" and put in place "procedures that will show Ireland's hospitality to people looking for a safe haven"

Mohammad Haji of ARASI believes that "the concerted efforts of many students have brought recent signs of tolerance for asylum-seekers" He appeals to students all over the country to form solidarity groups in schools and communities.