POSTED February 28, 2020
TSN’s James Duthie shares his first impressions of Ethiopia
Watch the sportscaster and children we help share their dreams, then tell us yours for the chance to win a trip to see a community where we work
James Duthie, TSN sportscaster and Children Believe ambassador, recently visited our programs in Ethiopia with his daughter, Gracie, and he’s sharing that experience with others through a video diary.
“I just think it’s really important to care about things outside your borders,” he says, while being driven through rural Ethiopia. “I want to show the rest of Canada, you know, how different it is here, and how difficult it is for the children to grow up here, because they don’t have very much.”
Children Believe (formerly Christian Children’s Fund of Canada) has been working in Ethiopia for more than 30 years, and James and his daughter had a chance to visit communities where we work and see the positive change he’s helping make as a child sponsor.
Watch the vlog below for the first of three instalments of Duthie’s diaries from Ethiopia.
Duthie Diary 01: First impressions of Ethiopia
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James Duthie:
My very first time ever in Africa. First time in Ethiopia, a place I’ve always wanted to go to my whole life — not really knowing much about Africa, and just knowing what I’ve seen in TV, books and movies, and I’m just so excited to be here.
I grew up middle-class — [in an] Ottawa suburb — not wanting for anything, and my kids have had the same upbringing in Ontario.
There’s a reason Canada’s always voted one of the best places to live; we have almost everything.
And I think we all need to remind ourselves that the rest of the world’s not necessarily like this.
With Children Believe, I’ve tried to take all three of my kids, and Gracie’s the last one, on one of these trips, to show them exactly that, to say: ‘OK, you need to see this to have perspective on life.’
With my first two children, we were in South America — Paraguay and Nicaragua — I think it really changed them at 16 years old, even.
It left a real lasting impression on how a lot of these children have nothing at all, certainly compared to what we have in Canada, and, yet, they still find happiness, which I think is an amazing thing.
So I just think it’s really important to care about things outside your borders. There’s such a mix of emotions, and I want to show the rest of Canada, that you know this is how different it is here, and how difficult it is for the children to grow up here, because they don’t have very much. We’re not going to sugarcoat anything, we’re just going to go into these schools in these villages and show you exactly what it’s like to live in Ethiopia and what Children Believe does to try to improve the lives of the children here.
ABOUT CHILDREN BELIEVE:
Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.