Day 22: "Welaba, Uganda"

What other way to end our amazing trip than with a visit to the Source of the Nile (Lake Victoria) and to the African Children's Choir. The African Children's Choir is a large choir made up of children around the age of 7 or 8. Since its inception, the choir has included children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. All of them are victims of extreme poverty. The Choir was founded in 1984 by Ray Barnett. Barnett was travelling in war-torn Uganda when he gave a small boy a ride from his destroyed home to a safer village. During their journey, the child did what he knew how to do best - he sang. That simple song of dignity and hope became the catalyst for a program that has changed the lives of thousands of children. From there the African Children's Choir was born. Rallying support from the west, Barnett conducted the first tour, in 1984. The Choir’s success meant that it was able to provide for many children beyond those in the Choir. Over the next few years, six more children’s homes were established to care for vulnerable children, many of whom had been orphaned during the war. Additionally, the African Children’s Choir established a number of special Literacy Schools in Uganda where hundreds of children learned to read and write and gained confidence and skills that ensured a brighter future. We visited one of these schools and got to interact with the children who are the future of Uganda. They performed for us and we were able to eat lunch with them. It was one of the most rewarding experiences and it took 30 minutes just to say goodbye. We left on a happy note and made our way to the airport. Three absolutely phenomenal weeks well-spent. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Honestly, the blog and pictures don't even do it justice. It is something an individual has to experience to understand.

At the source of the Nile

Such a warm welcome from the African Children's Choir

The African Children's Choir school

Welcome home, Team Uganda! It's bittersweet to be back

We want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who played a roll in our trip to Uganda and thank you to all who stayed up-to-date on our adventures on the blog. We treated almost 500 people and gave oral hygiene instruction to over 1,500. Our donors, family, friends, and UNC faculty made this trip a success. We couldn't have done it without you all. WELABE, WELABE, WELABE.....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!