Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, travelled to Romania with the World Animal Protection, and worked with Avon to highlight domestic abuse across the United Kingdom. Now the 36-year-old is taking on an even bigger challenge, launching a brand new charity single in order to unite children from all around the world.
Alesha Dixon at the launch of new charity single We are the Children United
"Children are so helpless and they need our support, and they need a voice," Alesha told HELLO! Online at the launch of the new single. "And through this song and through Children Foundation, the charity they are launching, this is what is going to give them a voice."
She said: "Anything that involves music I think is the best healing, it’s powerful, and it’s a great way to immediately get a message out there, and get straight to the heart of it."
Alesha is known for speaking out about what she calls a moral responsibility to use her fame for good. When asked why is this so important to her she states: "It's about lots of people doing their bit and that adds to the bigger picture. And so with something like this, as simple as it is to go into a recording studio and sing a song, it will have a big impact. And so it just resonates with me on an emotional level more than anything.
© Photo: RexAnthea Turner, Alesha Dixon, Andrea McLean and editor of First News, Nicky Cox
"Someone asked me earlier if becoming a mum means I want to get more involved with children's charities, and the answer is no, because even before having my little girl I was involved with children's charities."
Alesha welcomed her daughter Azura Sienna in October 2013 - the little girl is her first child with partner Azuka Ononye.
She continued: "This is our job, to protect them, and if you have a compassionate heart, it's very easy to make decisions like this because I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I ignored all the requests I get to be involved with so many different charities."
One of the Millennium Development Goals made by the United Nations in 2000 was to see all children in education by 2015, but as revealed by First News, the UK's only newspaper for young people who count the Duchess of Cornwall as a patron, 58 million children are still out of school around the world.
© Photo: RexAlesha Dixon and editor of First News, Nicky Cox
When asked what the biggest issue facing children is in 2015, Alesha says: "I think there are so many children in so many different pockets of the world that are vulnerable, whether it’s abuse, or through diseases, or whatever it might be, they just need support and need help.
"Whether it’s financial or whether its love, they need to grow up in a world where they can feel supported, loved, and protected. And I think it's our job as the adults to protect them. And most of us protect the people close to us, and I think sometimes we have to look wider.
"Look what small things we can do that are going to be impactful in somebody else’s life, in a way that you would never know you could help them... So like I said, when I was asked to do it, it was a no-brainer, how do you say no to something like this?"
In partnership with Save The Children, Children United has been founded by First News, Achievement for All and Skoolbo. We are the Children United is out now.
