More about myself speech addressed to BSc Journalism students{inspired from a newspaper article}

Ladies and gentlemen,

My fellow friends,

Good evening,

           This piece of work that I am going to present to you today is no grandiose one but I do hope that it touches you as much as it has touched mine on remembering the ups and downs of my upbringing. As I stood here in this gloomy room with my heart thumping and all, I just need a few minutes of yours to tell you more about myself and of the article that i’ve chosen...  Let me tell you first of all that I am no blue-blooded silver spooned child; I am just someone simple, from a really caring and over-protective family.  And, indeed I am really fortunate to have grown up into a little healthy and hearty woman. 

           So, taking a special interest in choosing an article that suits me the best was a must...It is an article that was published on 24 December 1992 in “Le Mauricien” in page 3 and the title was “Les fléaux meutriers de l’enfance”. The subject matter dealt with the ever-burning scourge of premature child death and how famine-related diseases such as diarrhea, pneumonia and measles were and still remain a daily ordeal for our African brothers and sisters. I did not choose this article because I was not fed and all in my childhood, in fact I just want to show you ladies and gentlemen how lucky we are to be here. To be here to testify of our existence...An existence that everyone is not gifted with or destined to...

           No other problem can move us more to tears than seeing the corpses of millions and thousands lying alongside the corners of the roads and that of the unbearable images of desolation of these frail people... I’m rather sure that several of you are already asking yourselves why this article was of interest to me... Then let me tell you that on seeing this article I remembered a childhood friend of mine who was just unable to afford to pay the tuition fees and could not even dream of wearing decent clothing and shoes...But she had a dream, a dream like several of you and even me which is that of achieving a pass with flying colours at her CPE exams... And she did. Also, this article requires your attention ladies and gentlemen because when you are having this luxury to lend an ear to my speech, there in Africa every five seconds, one child or the other dies because of famine.

          Thus, though my life has been like a rollercoaster of sorrows and joys, I pray to God for where I am now and implore Him to save those who are in need. I hope that my speech gave you food for thought. Thank you...