On Sunday, September 10, the African Children’s Choir will be performing at the Niverville Community Fellowship at 6:30 p.m. This free evening of music will include traditional songs and gospel favorites sung by 19 children who are touring across Canada.
The African Children’s Choir tours under their parent organization, Music for Life, which has educated approximately 52,000 children and impacted the lives of more than 100,000 people through its relief and development programs. Their goal is to help create new leadership for tomorrow’s Africa by focusing on education. The countries they work in are Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.
“Children only do one tour, around America and Canada, and some choirs tour the United Kingdom as well,” says Lydia Sherwood, who handles public relations for the choir. “After they have toured, they then return home where they attend the African Children’s Choir Primary School. These children’s education will now be paid for until the end of university.”
The ten girls and nine boys, aged from eight to ten years old, travel on a very large bus. They also travel with chaperones whom the children call “auntie” and “uncle.”
“Two [of the chaperones] are from Africa, and they were in the choir when they were younger,” says Sherwood. “We are very blessed to stay with host families who provide us with food and a place to sleep, but [they] also give the children new experiences like swimming and playing with toys.”
The African Children’s Choir is a non-profit humanitarian and relief organization dedicated to helping Africa’s most vulnerable children today so they can help Africa tomorrow.
At the concert, the organization will be accepting freewill offerings to help with their mission.
The choir has had incredible opportunities in the past, including singing alongside artists like Paul McCartney, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, and Michael W. Smith.
“We have not been to Niverville before and we are very excited to be coming to Canada,” says Sherwood. “We hope there may be new types of food for us, and some of the children really want to see their first snowfall!”
Although let us all hope snow doesn’t fall as early as September 10.
