Update March 2009 Ethiopia, Compassion and more on the new record.

I just got back from one of the most amazing weeks of my life so far! I had the opportunity to visit Ethiopia with Compassion UK alongside J John and several other of his associates from around the UK.  For those of you who don't know anything about this charity, Compassion works through local churches overseas to release children from economic, social, physical and spiritual poverty. Though child sponsorship, many hundreds of children, and families have their lives transformed. I cannot express enough how powerful an experience this trip was. As someone who perhaps has a tendency to look for problems and holes in sponsorship programmes and development strategies, I have come away convinced that this charity truly makes an incredible difference! I sponsored a little boy called Samuel, who is just 3 years of age and lives with his mother and four other brothers.  Because of sponsorship Samuel will always have health checks, treatment for any health issues, clothes, shoes on his feet, nutritional care, spiritual care and schooling. These are basic rights that every child should have, and if I can just spare less that £20 a month (1 trip to Starbuck's each week) someone else gets their human right!