London express…

I had the pleasure of meeting the Global Children’s Panel on Monday – and what a fantastic bunch of young people!

As a volunteer for the Global Children’s Panel week in London, I was helping to show the young people around London. Following a slightly scary rush-hour tube journey to Waterloo, we enjoyed a 45 minute flight on the London Eye where we were all overwhelmed by the breathtaking panoramic view of London at night. I can safely say I have never seen a more snappy happy lot in my life, the cameras never stopped flashing. My colleague Lucy, who was also helping out came up to me staggering and said, “Too…many…flashes, my eyes can’t cope!”

The passion and commitment of all the young people on the panel is truly inspiring. They have such focus and dedication, and the knowledge and authority with which they speak on international development issues is mind-blowing.

It was especially great to meet to Dominic, 16, and Polite, 13, who are both from South Africa as I’m originally from Lesotho in Southern Africa. Over dinner at Pizza Express, Dominic and I had a fascinating conversation covering South African politics, the issues of teenage pregnancy and xenophobia and the economic crisis in Zimbabwe. I was astounded by his current affairs knowledge. It was an honour to meet Dominic and I felt really proud. South Africa is a booming economy with great opportunity and talent, and with young people like Dominic, I know there is going to be dramatic change for children in the world in the very near future.