Children's choir blends voices to help orphans in Uganda

A tiny voice escaped the lips of the young singer, who seemed almost nervous about being center-stage.

But the powerful, controlled echo provided by 16 other choir members emboldened her.

Together, the group energized about 100 listeners, young and old, Tuesday at Interfaith Community Care's Peoria Adult Day Center.

The songs and lively dances were performed by the Mwamba Children's Choir from Uganda, a country in eastern Africa.

"God created music for every human being," said Stephen Sekitende, international director for I Am Children's Family, a Christian-based group that sponsors the children's choir. The group is working to improve the future for orphaned youth in Uganda.

"Everybody loves music, so we thought music would be a good tool and be a good platform to bring awareness to the rest of the world," Sekitende said.

Dorothy Krempl of Sun City, a missionary who has helped sponsor and care for the children in the choir during their stay in Arizona, said she was inspired by the positive outlook of the group.

"These kids ... their joy and enthusiasm, they're fun to be with," she said. "They just love the Lord and they love to sing. Wherever we take them, they're just singing and having fun."

The Mwamba Children's Choir visited the Peoria center near the end of a three-month tour to raise money through donations and CD sales for a project that will benefit the predominantly orphaned youth in Uganda's capital city, Kampala. The project will include primary and secondary schools, a hospital, sports facilities and a center for vocational training.

"The project is so big that we're doing it in phases, and we've started with the primary school. The primary school is going to cost us almost $700,000," Sekitende said. "But we're not going to wait until we've got (the complete funds), we're going to start with what we have. We want to acquire more land where we're going to put the schools. The money we have raised at the moment, we are going to purchase more land."

Organizers said the community they envision will allow children a safe place to grow up alongside those who care for them.

I Am Children's Family was established in 1998 to fight local hunger. Since then, the organization has expanded from about 30 children for whom Sekitende's father, a pastor who founded the program, provided food.

"We've got 200 children at the moment," Sekitende said. "We help those orphans, we help those with single parents, and we help those with two parents (who) are jobless."

Almost 50 of the 200 children in the program belong to the choir. Of that group, 17 were selected for the tour. The group practiced its song and dance routines for about four months before the tour began in September.

"The children pick it up so easily," Sekitende said. "That's the best part about teaching the children."

And the experience seems to be beneficial all around, judging by the expressions, excitement and enthusiasm of the singers, who range in age from 6 to 15.

"Being in the choir is so good to me because I learn more things. When I came in the choir I didn't know how to dance, but now I can dance," said Anita Agaba, 15, after an invigorating performance of several Christmas carols, hymns and worship songs performed in the up-tempo style of traditional African music.

Agaba said she enjoyed visiting the various stops along the tour, which included Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and Washington, but said she has had the most fun the last few weeks in Arizona.

"My favorite place is Arizona. The weather is similar to the type we have in Uganda," she said.

For information about the Mwamba Children's Choir or to make a donation, visit www.iamchildrensfamily.org or e-mail Sekitende at sekitende@yahoo.co.uk. To purchase a CD from the choir, visit www.mooto.org.