A CHOIR of orphans and vulnerable children from Uganda came to sing at Christ Church in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday (May 20).
The Watoto Children’s Choir from the east African country are touring the UK with their Signs & Wonders show, a Christian celebration about the ‘joy of salvation’.
The choir is comprised of 18 children and 10 adults. Each child has suffered the loss of one or both parents and now lives in a Watoto ‘village’.
These are run by Kampala Pentecostal Church in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.
James Skinner, the choir’s Creative Director, says: “This production challenges preconceived ideas about miracles. It demonstrates that each of our daily lives are signs and wonders of God’s work in us.
“We see this through the innocence of the child telling of their transformation from their dark past to the light that God has shown upon them.”
The choir has been touring every year since 1994, with the current incarnation visiting six continents.
The organisation started with one house in Kampala, where eight orphans and a widow were given the opportunity to become a new family.
Watoto has now provided residential care for over 4,000 children, with some 3,000 currently involved in the programme.
Robert Ddamuliram and his brother were brought to Watoto following the deaths of both their parents.
They were placed in a new family with a Watoto ‘mother’ and received education and healthcare and a loving home.
The 12-year-old, who wants to be a pilot when he grows up, says: “I love touring in Signs & Wonders, because I know that I am changing people’s lives.”
The experience of travelling helps the children to develop confidence while broadening their world view.
They are seen as representatives of ‘millions of other African children who have experienced the same suffering’.
