Portsmouth resident travels to Ethiopia

Southsea resident Simon Beck has just returned from Ethiopia where he witnessed first-hand the effects of child development charity, Compassion UK.

 “I have been supported and encouraged a lot over the last few years, including by friends of Ethiopian origin. Their acceptance of me has inspired me and lifted me during dark times. I felt compelled to visit their home country, which they so obviously loved. I decided to contact Compassion to arrange to visit one of their projects while I was in Ethiopia.” Simon shares.

The visit was hosted by local Ethiopian Compassion staff who took Simon to the Compassion projects in the area.  “From the moment we met he talked of the work being done throughout Ethiopia, how Compassion was making a difference. His joy was infectious. At the end of the visit, as we drove back to Addis Ababa, he took my hand and said, “I was one of those children, I had a sponsor until I finished high school. Now I work with Compassion in Ethiopia, giving back what was given to me.”

Working in partnership with the local church, Compassion seeks out the most vulnerable children and, with the support of individual sponsors, provides them with the means to break the cycle of poverty and create a viable future.

“It was one of the most humbling and rewarding trips of my life. To see people who have nothing and yet are so much more content than I is a lesson to me. Each time I met face to face with true poverty there was somebody there, challenging it, trying to make the country a better place for the children to grow up in.” Simon reflects.

For more information, photographs and interviews contact Ella Dickinson on 07840 203332.