The Saugeen Times

African children bring energy and enthusiasm to concert in Kincardine
By Liz Dadson

A&E

The Watoto Children's Choir smiles and sings for a packed auditorium in Kincardine

The energy and excitement vibrated from the stage where 18 children and four adults sang and danced for the crowd that filled the Kincardine Hall at the Davidson Centre Friday night.

They make up the Watoto Children's Choir and they were brought here by the Kincardine Pentecostal Church in an effort to support the ministry that saves orphaned children in Uganda, East Africa.

Since 1994, Watoto Children's Choirs have toured internationally, spreading a message of hope for Africa's children. The choir presents Watoto's vision and mission through music and dance - an energetic fusion of contemporary gospel and traditional African rhythm.

The children, who are part of the choirs, have all suffered the heart-wrenching loss of one parent or both through disease and war in their country. They sing in thanks to Jesus for giving them hope. The 'Concerts of Hope' are a colourful and lively demonstration of the life-changing love of God, experienced by the children of Watoto.

In Africa, there are 60 million orphaned and vulnerable children. Watoto is a holistic program, targeted toward meeting the essential needs of parentless children. Its purpose is to provide spiritual, physical, education and emotional care for every child so that each one will become a responsible Christian and productive citizen of Uganda. The goal is to care for 10,000 children.

Watoto Children's Villages are a haven of security, peace, learning, meaning and spiritual vitality. Children between the ages of two and 12 are accepted into these villages where they are cared for by a house mother and live with seven other siblings. They attend school and receive a quality education. A community centre for school assemblies, community functions and church services is also a part of the village. A clinic is established to provide adequate health care. These villages have been established around Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

In 2007, Watoto founders Gary and Marilyn Skinner of Kampala Pentecostal Church planted a church in Gulu in the north of Uganda. For more than 20 years, this area has been under the rebel oppression of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). Child soldiers have been abducted and turned into weapons of terror against their own families and communities.

In recent times, peace talks have been under way, but many of these children are left with nowhere to turn. Watoto Gulu's goal is to rehabilitate these child soldiers through the holistic child care program. Beyond these children's brutal past, lies a future of hope.

Baby Watoto, "The Bulrushes," was opened early in 2007 to give loving care to abandoned and rejected babies - from preemies to toddlers. Many have been found on rubbish heaps, in trash cans or abandoned in hospitals and police stations. They are brought to their new home where they find acceptance and unconditional love. When these babies are old enough to enter a Watoto Children's Village, they continue their journey to become Uganda's next generation of leaders.

The children in the choir Friday night in Kincardine said they want to become teachers, pastors, pilots, fashion designers - leaders of their country. The collection taken during the concert goes directly to the work of Watoto Villages. The money from the sale of authentic African crafts, before and after the concert, goes to help defray the choir's travelling expenses.