Tony Cummings reports on the life-changing ministry behind the WATOTO CHILDREN'S CHOIR

Watoto Children's Choir

The Watoto Children's Choir have been entrancing audiences at they toured the UK. Their effervescent music and dancing have ensured that they have become unofficial ambassadors for the nation of Uganda and their mesmerising performances which blend native African rhythms, contemporary gospel songs and ethnic dance have seen them perform in such diverse places as the US National Prayer Breakfast at the White House, the Australian Parliament, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Hillsong Conference as well as countless churches and theatres. Down the years they have recorded several albums including 'Dancing In The House Of The Lord' (2002), 'Live In LA' (2003), 'Ana Meremata' (2009) and 'Beautiful Africa: A New Generation' (2011).

The word "watoto" means "children" in the Swahili language and the choir is made up of children who have lost one or both parents to the AIDS epidemic or to war. They are based in Watoto Church (formerly known as Kampala Pentecostal Church) in Kampala and the choir's founder is Gary Skinner. On the Watoto website he recounts the choir's origins. "In 1988, in a town called Rakai, I was confronted by a naked reality that I could not ignore. Eight years earlier my family and I had moved to Uganda - a country famous for violence and poverty. In Kampala, Uganda's battered capital, we planted a church that we believed God would use to restore hope to the city and the nation. Uganda's people had endured so much. Corrupt and oppressive rulers had waged ruthless wars against the people and when they were done with their slaughter, nearly one million were left dead.

"I was taken to visit a 79 year old widow. She had mothered seven children. As we walked through the banana groves behind her small hut, she began to point out the graves of her husband and six of her children. AIDS had killed them all. He last surviving child - a daughter - was dying of the same disease. I was reminded of the verse in James 1:27 that says, 'Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphan and the widow in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.' My visit with this woman in a simple Ugandan village stirred me to the core of my being and became one of the defining moments of my life. Watoto Child Care Ministries was birthed out of our local church, Watoto Church, in 1994 as a result."

Stephen, who helps take care of the choir during their lengthy overseas tours, filled in some of the detail. "We have 22 children - 11 boys and 11 girls - between the ages of six to 16. We also have 10 adults. We train for five months and tour for six months. We do have an office in Dagenham that contacts people and churches, and they do our bookings before the choir comes on the road. This tour, the weather has been horrible, but the people are very warm."

The talented singers and dancers audiences see on stage is only a small part of what Watoto is doing. Stephen explained, "It's a holistic childcare programme out of our church in Uganda. At Watoto we exist to rescue a child, to raise them up as leaders so they can help rebuild not just Uganda but the entire continent of Africa. Currently, we're caring for 2,500 children in one of our three villages. The fourth village is a smaller community, which is a retirement centre for the mothers who have moved on from Watoto. The villages are modelled after a typical African village, but at Watoto, Jesus is the centre of everything we do. We do not force him down the throats of the children. We have many children who still have their Muslim names: we welcome them, we love them, and we pray for them. At the right time, they give their lives to Jesus. He does the work in their lives that nobody else can do. He gives them hope, and meaning, and dignity, and worth."

To reinforce Stephen's words, 10 year old Gerald spoke on Cross Rhythms radio about his experiences. "My father was a drunkard who always fought with my mother, causing her so much pain. Because of this, we had to beg for food from our neighbours. One day, she went looking for money and came back late and was killed by my father. I was very angry with my father, wishing that he only loved my mother. In 2008 I was brought to Watoto along with my four sisters. I love my new Watoto mother, but I really miss my mum. When my new mother got to know my story, she loved me like her own son. On 28th September 2008 she took me to church. Jesus became my very best friend. He healed my angry heart, and I forgave my father of all the pain he caused my family. My new mother visited my father in prison and shared with him about the love of Jesus. He too accepted Jesus' forgiveness. Some people say we don't need Jesus, but I know how he has helped me. I'm a new person today; I love my father. Jesus has protected me, he loves me. Whenever I feel alone, I pray, and I know he hears me."

Another member of the choir is 10 year old Angel. She said, "My mother died shortly after her and my dad separated. My siblings and I went to grandmother. Life was very hard; we never had enough food to eat, except when our grandmother cleaned offices." Today Angel is happy in her new home. Her favourite song is Israel Houghton's "Not Forgotten".

Stephen spoke some more about the Watoto vision. "We are a father's heart ministry, to bridge the gap of a missing dad, because these children need a father figure. So they're assigned to homes, and they help bridge that gap, take times off their busy schedules and be a dad to these children. The ministry is growing and expanding. Our goal is to create capacity for residential care for ten thousand children in Uganda by the year 2023. But the bigger vision is to see one million children rescued all across Africa, and the way that's going to happen is through partnership between 10 thousand churches around the world with 10 thousand churches in Africa. We've been doing conferences whereby pastors, churches come and learn the model of Watoto, and see how they can help solve the HIV crisis - not looking at it as a big problem but as a big opportunity to reach out to the nation with God's healing hands."