African Children’s Concert: A Stirring Experience

Following the intermission, the song, Homeland was sung by the choir. An original piece from the musical, Prince Of Africa, this song was especially written for the choir and was performed twice during the concert. The choir ended their repertoire with a gospel rendition of This Little Light of Mine, while flags of all African countries hung at the back of the stage.

Three former members of the choir shared their experiences of touring with the choir when they were younger. They spoke of how touring around the world and the education they were provided with, made an impact on their lives. Today, they work in their countries as professionals (one works as a journalist, the other a lawyer and the last member as an accountant). Their positive stories began with the vision of one man who has continued to work tirelessly to bring hope and a brighter future for Africa’s children.

Ray Barnett worked as a human rights activist during the early 1980s and it was on a trip to Uganda that he was inspired to do something for the thousands of orphans starving to death.

“I thought, ‘If we could take a group of these beautiful children to the West, that would surely raise money to help their country,’” recalls Ray.

Today, the “Journey of Hope” tour is hoping to raise $1.1 million by the first quarter of 2008. The goal is to create a bigger African Children’s Choir (ACC) Academy in order to meet the growing demands of children needing a place to receive a quality education. The ACC Academy will serve 400 children and will include a school, living quarters, athletic fields and much more. Currently, the organization has been providing education in a five-story building originally built to serve 50 children. However, the residence now houses 100 children and is forced to turn hundreds away. With the realization that quality education is rare within Uganda, it is the organization’s mission to provide an educational facility to realize the dream of helping Africa’s most vulnerable population.