Lemar with Lidet and Belay, typical of the twins helped by the Gemini Trust. Photo: Richard Smith/The Sunday Magazine/Christian Aid
'It was amazing to see how the money people give to Christian Aid here can be used in a country like Ethiopia.'

Singer Lemar talks about his visit to Ethiopia to learn about the work of Christian Aid partner, the Gemini Trust.

Some things stay with you a long time after they’ve happened.

Going to Ethiopia last September with Christian Aid was one of those experiences.

From the first five minutes when I walked through the gates of the Gemini Trust (the partner Christian Aid supports), two five-year-old twins, Lidet and Belay ran up to me with pink roses.

Women don’t normally give me that kind of treatment! They were full of such character, I couldn’t help but smile as I spoke to them.

They’re just two of the many school kids being helped by the Gemini Trust, which does some amazing work. They do so many different things – from providing text books for school kids to helping mothers of twins (hence the name) earn a wage.

Baskets

I was even shown how to weave baskets during my time at the Trust, and bought some of the great T-shirts and bags they make, for my mates back in north London.

The most memorable encounter I had in Addis was with a woman called Misrak, who had lost children from malnutrition. She was eight months pregnant when her husband died.

She had four kids, owed rent money to her landlord, her place didn’t even have a window, and there was certainly no heating or electricity. The Gemini Trust bought her a mattress and helped her with the rent.

There were other stories of extreme poverty like this, where the Gemini Trust had enabled people to help themselves. It was amazing to see how the money people give to Christian Aid here can be used in a country like Ethiopia.

Most of all, though, some of the most vital work that the Gemini Trust undertake is in HIV education. Ethiopia has one of the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rates. More than one million children in the country have lost their parents to the virus.

Although the subject matter is upsetting, the work I saw was really inspiring. I met a HIV-positive woman who was being helped by the Gemini Trust with treatment and counselling.

Education

Part of the work of the Adugna dance troupe is to educate other kids about HIV through urban dance and music. Its members performed four routines for me, and they even especially choreographed a new routine to Soulman, a song from my second album.

It was a big surprise. The kids I spoke to told me that dancing is a very important way of getting them off the streets, and it gives them a point of focus.

On my return, I was happy to be involved in a documentary for Radio 1xtra about my trip, for World AIDS Day.

This year, on World AIDS Day, I will be remembering the work of the Gemini Trust and the people I met in Ethiopia. They are just a fraction of all the people in the world living with HIV – sadly, there are millions more.

But I know that, with a little education, support and help from projects like the Trust, people are being allowed to get back on their feet and help themselves. That gives me great hope for the future.

• Flesh of our flesh - worship resource for World AIDS Day
• HIV/AIDS index