Dami Im heads to Uganda to meet her sponsor child – Yahoo News Australia

Eurovision runner-up Dami Im was expected to ride her wave of success across Europe following her globally-acclaimed near-win.

Despite her management’s objections, she instead packed her bags, threw on some jeans and headed to the slums of Uganda to meet a very special child.

“So many people I think didn’t want this to happen and advised me against it,” she told Sunday Night.

“They said it’s bad PR if I did this because you should be in Europe and being the queen”

But arriving in Uganda was a bittersweet experience for the Sound of Silence star.

“The first moment that everything just sunk in and when I realised that this is so terrible was when I saw the sewage just running through right next to where the children were playing,” Dami said following her trip.

“The smell was just coming up and um the kids were you know, they were wearing really worn out thongs.”

The slum where Jovia lives supports 19,000 families and the water is polluted due to sewage run-off.

“They are not consumed by sadness, they are full of life and they smile so beautifully and they are full of energy. I found that really, really moving.”

“At times I did feel like crying. Just seeing them and knowing that the kids will be there for their life.”

Dami had begun sponsoring children in poverty before she got her big break in the X Factor Australia and now supports eight around the world.

“I started sponsoring my first child through Compassion when I was at university and I was 17.”

She then encouraged husband Noah to sponsor Sakthivel from India.

After they got married they together sponsored Yann and later came Balkissa, Munusamy, Erandi and Jackson.

Before her opportunity to represent Australia at The Eurovision Song Contest she planned a trip to meet her most recent sponsor child, eight-year-old Jovia.

“I just performed on the biggest, glitziest glamorous stage in the world. I feel like I need this trip to kind of balance me again and get things into perspective.”

“I feel like I need to do this right after I’ve been on this biggest rollercoaster of my life, you know.

With scores of fans now across the globe, Dami was encouraged to commit to sell-out show to capitalize on her success.

But instead she felt just as much joy singing for 200 impoverished children.

“If I don’t remind myself of more important things in the world then I feel like I’m capable of just diving into that world of wanting to get more and achieve more.”

Dami’s performance at Eurovision landed her in second place, following closely behind Ukraine — but for a moment, she believed the impossible could happen.

“The whole of Australia was really excited for me, my team was really excited, my family was there… I was thinking in my head you know like maybe I could win this.”

She decided that if she did take out the world’s biggest singing prize, she would use it as a platform to encourage others to sponsor children.

“I would say as my winner’s speech that I want to dedicate this award to the children in poverty and I’m going to Uganda to see one of my sponsor children.”

“Even though they may still be living in to such unpleasant conditions, when they have education that means they have a future and they can still hope for something better.”

Little Jovia has already decided she would like to be a pilot when she grows up.

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