This year, I knew I wanted to get involved with Red Nose Day. But I decided to take it one step further and join a Comic Relief trip to Liberia in West Africa—a place I had always wanted to visit.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Yet, amidst the hardships, the positivity of the people was truly overwhelming. Everyone wanted to know where we were from and what we were doing there. For a few hours, we sang and clapped together, making it easy to forget about the tough conditions they lived in.

I was amazed by how eager the kids were to learn. They had big dreams for the future and really wanted to be in school. Even though they lived in one of the poorest places on Earth, they refused to let their circumstances hold them back.

When I asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, many said they wanted to be doctors, teachers, or even politicians. You could tell they were serious. They understood the importance of education.

During a break, a little girl named Peaches approached me. Unlike the other children, she wasn’t in a uniform. She shared that her father had died during the Ebola crisis, and now her mother couldn’t afford to send her to school. At just 12 years old, Peaches had been working for over a year to help support her family. Sadly, her story is all too common.

We had a little jam session, and Peaches could really sing! She sang a song that reminded her of her father, and as she did, tears rolled down her cheeks. It was a powerful moment, and I felt the weight of her struggles.

Peaches told me she dreams of being a musician one day, and I truly believe she has the talent to make it happen. But right now, she’s had to drop out of school and work in a dangerous slum to help feed her family.

This is why I’m so grateful for Red Nose Day. In West Point, many children, like Peaches, don’t get to experience a childhood like ours. They face challenges just to survive each day.

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(via Ed Sheeran Instagram , Comic Relief)