Taking a break from her busy schedule just days after releasing her incredible rendition of 'Jolene,' Dami and Noah arrived in India on Saturday 8 March.
Dami and Noah 's first stop was a small village two hours outside of Bangalore to meet 12-year-old Sakthivel, the boy they have sponsored for six yearsâ€"and 250 of his friends at the Compassion centre.
"It was amazing!" says Dami. "Hundreds of children ran to us, trying to shake hands or say 'vanakkam' (hello). Sakthivel was shy at first but it didn't take long for him to warm up. We soon realised he was not just a bright kid … he was a super cool kid! He even danced for usâ€"almost like MJ! He wants to be a policeman but I think he could be a dancer."
According to Dami, this trip is a dream that was years in the making for the couple. "When Noah found Sakthivel's photo on the Compassion website six years ago and started sponsoring him, he said to me, 'One day we should go visit our children together in India.' And now we have!"
After two days with Sakthivel and his family and friends, Dami and Noah headed to Kolkata to meet another special friend: Somoli. Dami was 17 when she began sponsoring Somoli through Compassion Australia. A lot has changed since thenâ€"for both of them.
No longer the little girl from the photo Dami chose, Somoli is now 14, and a confident young woman who has big plans for the future. And no longer the uncertain student dreaming of a sharing her music with the world, Dami is determined to use her voice to help change the world.
Dami became an ambassador for Compassion Australia in December 2013 to highlight the potential in the next generationâ€"no matter where they're born, or what situations they're born intoâ€"and to draw Australia's attention to the plight of children living in poverty worldwide.
As Dami says, "After six years of sponsoring, it's really amazing to realise that someone is actually living at the other endâ€"someone who needed help desperatelyâ€"and that the little things we've been doing have been making a huge difference for their whole family. Considering the life changing impact it has on real people, the money we put into sponsorship is really worth it."
About Dami Im
Dami is a South Korean-born Australian singer and music teacher who won the fifth series of The X-Factor Australia in 2013. She released her winner's single "Alive" and debut album through Sony Music Entertainment Australia, both of which debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and achieved multi platinum sales. The 24-year-old is a committed Christian from Queensland who attends Brisbane Full Gospel Church with her husband, Noah. Dami immigrated to Australia with her family at the age of nine. She studied at the Young Conservatorium of Music, graduated with honours in music from the University of Queensland, and is an accomplished violinist and pianist.
About Compassion Australia
Compassion is Australia's second largest child sponsorship organisation and is part of Compassion International, a global network of both funding countries and 26 developing countries. Together we are a Christian child development and child advocacy ministry working in partnership with local churches to foster the development of over 1.3 million children living in extreme poverty. More than 100,000 of these children are currently supported by over 73,000 Australian sponsors.
For more information, visit www.compassion.com.au
