Canadian rocker Suzie McNeil has performed for big crowds and famous faces, but during a recent trip to Zambia, McNeil sang for a different audience—one she calls her best crowd yet.
McNeil first came into the public eye as a finalist on the reality show Rock Star: INXS. She has since been making waves in the music industry with her sophomore album Rock-n-Roller, which features the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics theme song “Believe”.
Last month, McNeil travelled with World Vision to Zambia—a country of about 12 million—to learn how impoverished children and families are coping in the global economic slowdown and what Canadians can do to help.
“Yeah, we’re affected by it,” she says, “but they’re so much more affected. Money may be tight, but we can still go out and grab a cheeseburger. They, on the other hand, can’t even get enough to eat. What I discovered is that there’s a whole ecosystem of things, where everything’s tied to everything else. Like, some people had corn crops, but because they had no goats, they had no manure to fertilize them. One thing leads to another.”
In the same way, McNeil says, many children are being denied an education because constant hunger is sapping them of the ability to learn.
“I saw kids who were sitting there like bumps on a log. They had no food, so they had no energy.”
How It Feels to be Hungry
McNeil is encouraging Canadian youth to help their peers overseas by taking part in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine on April 3 and 4. She herself has fond teenage memories of participating in the event, a cross-country fast that raises funds to fight hunger.
“It was fun,” she says. “We had a sleepover where we used to rent tons of movies and just made it into a party. At the same time, though, it also helps kids to look outside of themselves. It makes it real and helps you understand how it feels to be hungry.”
Still, McNeil admits finding it hard to fathom going days without food—as was the norm for Doris, a 12-year-old girl whom she met on her visit.
McNeil decided to sponsor Doris. Before leaving Zambia, she bought the girl and her family rice, oil and fish as a way of thanking them for their hospitality.
“I’ve never felt such pure joy in my entire life,” she says.
“It was so incredibly moving”
Nor will McNeil ever forget the reception she received from her Zambian hosts. “Every time we arrived, we were treated to a song of welcome. Then when we left, they sang a song to say goodbye. It was so incredibly moving; I was glad my sunglasses were on, because I’d be bawling most of the time.”
At a school in the rural Luumbo district, McNeil decided to return the favour by performing songs off her album. The students got into the act, too, singing alongside her on the hits “Let’s Go” and “Believe.”
“It was so adorable,” McNeil says. “They were one of the best crowds I’ve ever played to, without a doubt.” High praise, considering she played for legendary band INXS and as a headliner at the Grey Cup halftime show last year.
Receiving More in Return
McNeil now plans to follow in the footsteps of Jann Arden and Tom Cochrane—who famously penned “Life is a Highway” after travelling to Mozambique with World Vision—by writing a song about her eye-opening visit.
“I saw a lot of success stories,” she says—citing everything from a dance program that educates students on HIV and AIDS prevention to how livestock purchased through the World Vision Christmas Gift Catalogue is providing families with food and a steady source of income.
“It’s easy for all of us to get wrapped up in our own issues,” she notes. “But there’s so much else happening in the world. I feel that whatever you believe in, whether it’s the universe or God, the best way to be thankful is to give back. And in giving back, you still get so much in return.”
You can give back by sponsoring a child.
