The 40-year-old father-of-four was asked to speak at the United Nations in New York yesterday, on the subject of disadvantaged children, and his emotional speech moved all those in attendance.
Drawing inspiration from his own personal experiences in the Philippines, where he visited after the 2013 typhoon, David fought back tears as he shared the story of a little girl who drowned after she was swept out of her father’s arms.
Recalling little Viana’s story, David grew understandably emotional, admitting: “That story will never leave me.”
David, who visited the country in his role as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, explained: “On the night the typhoon hit, the family were on their roof trying to protect themselves. The mother – tired, scared, exhausted – said to the father, ‘Can you please take Viana?’, so the father did. He had Venus and Viana in his arms. Unfortunately, the father was knocked off the roof by one of the waves. He woke up six hours later holding one of the girls.”
After clearing his throat and composing himself, David continued: “A day-and-a-half later, unfortunately, Viana was found face-down and, unfortunately, she had died. This was one of the most devastating stories I heard.”
David’s speech formed part of the launch event of Voices of Youth, a global community of youth bloggers offering up the opportunity to learn about developmental issues.
What a truly devastating story. We hope that David’s contribution to this most important work will help families in need, going forward.
