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For four and a half years, Emma Bunton has been friends with 13-year old
Jyotsna Akter, a girl from Bangladesh.
Through the charity World Vision, which has just launched a new recruitment
campaign, Emma gives money each month to help support Jyotsna, her family,
and the community she lives in. And though the two have never met, Emma and
Jyotsna have steadily built a firm friendship. Emma says:
My mum saw the World Vision advert in a magazine. In Jyotsna's
first letter she thanked me for being her sponsor and told me that it meant
she was able to go to school. I was so moved to receive her picture. I took
one look at the beautiful smile on her face, proudly posing for the
photograph, and a real lump rose in my throat.
I love getting her letters every few months, she always tells me things
like the latest marks she got at school. It sounds stupid but it really
makes me proud of her.
I don't think she knows anything about the Spice Girls. I've sent her some
pictures, just snaps of me at home or with the dogs. I just want her to see
me as me - a friend from England.
Our worlds are so different. I remember clearly how I was at 13. I wasn't
interested in boys, I was very much a girlie girl. I had a close group of
friends but we'd always be falling in and out of favour with each other.
It's so petty compared to what Jyotsna has to go through.
I also remember starting my period aged 13, which is quite young. My mum
told me, `You're a young lady now' and I thought, `Not yet, wait a minute!'
It was a very strange time for me and I hope that in the future Jyotsna will
be able to talk to me about stuff like that - and ask me anything if she
needs to.
Their unique friendship has taught Emma not to take life for granted:
At the end of last year, Jyotsna sent me a letter which made me burst into
tears. "I'd been working all hours, I had PMT and so when Mum rang I was
ratty and snapped, `I'm too tired to speak now.'
But Mum told me to listen for a minute, and she started reading out the
letter from Jyotsna - about how she was working hard and looking after her
brother. It really put everything into perspective, and I suddenly felt very
ashamed.
As someone who adores children, Emma's happiest moment was when she became
an aunty for the first time last November:
My younger brother PJ, who's 22, has a gorgeous baby boy called Alfie, and
from the moment he was born I had this total, unconditional love for him.
I'd planned to return for the birth, but Alfie was two days early. I was so
upset I couldn't be there as I was working in Copenhagen.
I had interviews all day but I kept my mobile phone on and my mum would
ring every five minutes with the latest labour update!
Even though me
and Jade have been together for a
while, we're not ready for that yet. We haven't talked about getting engaged
or anything.
Mel (B) often goes to the gym
in the evenings, so she'll leave Phoenix with me and I'll get her ready for
bed. She calls me Amma, she can't yet say Emma, and when I ask how much she
loves me she sweetly replies, `Too much'.
I don't often get to see Brooklyn, Victoria and David's little boy, because
he lives further away. He's growing up so fast!
Despite having her own successful singing career, Emma misses performing
with the other girls, and is adamant that they WILL sing together in the
future:
One of my fondest memories is being on tour together. We'd get room service
and have a pillow fight. But we're still in regular contact, texting and
calling each other.
Mel C is one of my neighbours, so she'll pop over and bring a bottle of
wine. My girlfriends are very important to me. My house is crammed with
pictures of them all, and among all those is Jyotsna - because she's my
friend too, now.
Emma's awesome!
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