Changing the lives of African children one concert at a time

The African Children’s Choir has performed in front of presidents, heads of state, and even the Queen of England for her Diamond Jubilee. The group has sung alongside Paul McCartney, Keith Urban and Mariah Carey.

Now the 18-member choir will perform in Puyallup at Immanuel Lutheran Church as part of its 10-month tour.

The children come from Uganda, where there are hundreds of thousands of children without an education, something choir organizers are trying to combat.

“We sponsor those in the choir through University level (of education),” said choir manager Tina Sipp. “We see a 180-degree change in their future.”

The children perform four shows per week, where donations are collected to support the children in the choir and their education, as well as children in 35 educational programs back in Uganda.

“We support 7,000 to 8,000 children’s education through the donations we collect while on tour,” Sipp said.

The choir is comprised of 18 children; 11 boys and seven girls. While on tour, the 18 kids finish a school year, allowing them to continue their education with the help of chaperones from the U.S. and Uganda. In addition, the children are in four host families’ homes per week, allowing them to see and experience things they never dreamed of.

“The churches we perform at are really amazing,” Sipp said. “They provide meals and housing, and the children get to do a lot of fun things while they’re there.”

For Immanuel Lutheran’s seven host families, they will be able to experience African culture without needing to leave Puyallup.

“It’s important for our kids and adults in our church to experience different cultures,” said Amy Schweim, head of Children & Community Outreach Ministry for the church.

The African Children’s Choir will perform at the 8 and 10 a.m. services April 17 at the church located at 720 W. Main Avenue. At each service, the children will perform for 45 minutes, with the majority of the service dedicated to the Children’s Choir.

“We’re really excited to have them,” Schweim said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Changing the lives of African children one concert at a time."