Elizabeth McGovern Describes Seeing World Vision's Work in Sierra Leone

Elizabeth McGovern, who is currently appearing in the hit ITV series Downton Abbey as Cora, the Countess of Grantham, appears in the Sunday Telegraph today. She describes her first meeting with the child she sponsors through World Vision.

"I was quite nervous as we approached the village in Sierra Leone where Jestina lives,” she said, “We had travelled such a long way, by plane, boat and then road in a journey lasting nearly two days.
“But I can really say it has been one of the most incredible days of my whole life. A really thrilling ride. We had the most incredible welcome from the village.”

Now that her own children are nearly grown up, McGovern said she feels the time is right for her to make a long term commitment to World Vision – not just as a sponsor, but as an ambassador. "I have gotten to the age where I've realised that nothing good ever happens quickly. World Vision works in these communities for the long term. When you sponsor a child it is not just about giving, but giving with a dimension of commitment.”

As McGovern says in the video shot during her recent trip to Sierra Leone: "I've seen the child who's benefiting, I've seen the schools, I've seen the health centres, I've seen the communities and it's working. This is a group of people who really know what they're doing.”

McGovern feels that many people are put off giving to charity because they fear the money will not really get to the people who need it most.

“I used to feel that way myself to some extent. But coming to Sierra Leone and seeing how amazingly well-organised the work is, I want to reassure people that their money will make a difference.”

She met several community health workers who were trained by World Vision to visit the homes of expectant mothers and make sure that serious conditions were picked up early enough to ensure that the women received proper treatment. Local people described how the number of women dying in childbirth had fallen noticeably since the community health workers arrived.

Asked what she would say to people who have become cynical about celebrities visiting poor countries, McGovern said:  "I think fame is a mixed blessing and a lot of people find it very difficult. On the other hand it is an incredible privilege and for me not to take advantage of it, even in a small way, to try to make the world a better place would be very wrong. I wouldn’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I had not done something.”

One of the people quoted in the Sunday Telegraph article, a driver in Sierra Leone, does not accurately represent the way that World Vision works. World Vision is a Christian organisation and proud of it. But we don’t proselytise and in fact have very strict policies that prohibit seeking to induce people of other faiths into converting to Christianity.

The driver is quoted as saying that ‘Christianity is our goal’. In fact, Christianity is our foundation and motivation, not our goal. Our goal is to bring real hope to millions of children in the world’s hardest places, to create a world where each child is loved, protected and cared for, and enjoys good health and an education.   We work with all people to do this regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity or gender.