Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern speaks of 'gracious and humbling experience' of meeting sponsored child

Elizabeth McGovern, who is currently appearing in the hit ITV series Downton Abbey as Cora, the Countess of Grantham, met the child she sponsored through World Vision for the first time this week.

"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. There was dancing, music and lots of colourful dress… and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that was so gracious and humbling.”

Travelling on the ferry from the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, there was a very dramatic full moon shining down.

After meeting five-year-old Jestina and visiting her school, McGovern said: “It made me think about the fact that it is the same moon which shines in the UK. Visiting here has given me the sense that anything is possible. The sense that you can make a real difference is reinvigorating.”

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.

"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.”

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.

“Giving to organisations like World Vision was not just about being unselfish. It is actually in our own self interest. Focusing only on defence is not the best way to create a more secure world. If you don’t try to keep the channels of communication open and find common ground and simply leave people to live lives trapped in a cycle of poverty, you create your future enemy” said McGovern.

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.”

Watch Elizabeth McGovern on Daybreak.

Find out how sponsorship can help bring lasting change to a child living in poverty.