WE FEEL like we're still catching our breath a couple of months after returning from two weeks of fun and hard work in Uganda.
Fun certainly wasn't the first concept that occurred to choir leader Kate Swadling, of Lawson, and Elaine Cameron, Lizzy Oakes and me, all from Hazelbrook, as we were planning our journey.
Uganda is a country in the tropical heart of Africa whose people are striving to emerge from poverty and to put past decades of war and genocide behind them.
Seeing people live in extreme poverty was upsetting, but constant hugs and high-fives and lively, joyous music astonished and encouraged us and our 44 fellow travellers from around Australia.
''The children and young Ugandans embraced us with their hearts and souls,'' Mrs Oakes said. ''The smiles and hugs were endless. We learnt so much from the Ugandans: how they can manage with very little, how they have joy despite their hardship in life.''
We were travelling with the charity Kwaya Australia and Choir of Hard Knocks founder Jonathon Welch to perform with the African Children's Choir. We also ran music and craft workshops and helped with renovations in schools that educate some of the neediest children in the world.
Since 1984 the African Children's Choir has been taking boys and girls on overseas concert tours. As the children show the world their talent, this charity shows them a world of possibilities beyond the poverty, disease and violence they might otherwise be trapped in.
Communities in the Blue Mountains could play a part in this sharing of cultures next month, when some of these children come to perform with Crowd Around and students from Korowal School, Hazelbrook, (see story below) and to experience the lifestyle in Australia, Ms Swadling said.
''An African volunteer in his early 20s, Danny, told us he and his friends were never the same after touring the world as children,'' she said. ''It's an incredible opportunity. Without it, these kids might know nothing apart from struggling to survive in a slum or remote village.''
When they return to Uganda, they go to the African Children's Choir Primary Boarding School, on the shore of Lake Victoria in Entebbe.
Their school day goes from 8.30am to 4.30pm; the 12- to 14-year-olds keep going an hour longer. This is after getting up before dawn to clean their dormitories and wash their own clothes by hand. And their school of 150 pupils gets some of the best academic results in the country.
A visit to the family of a boy at this school was one of the most profound experiences Ms Swadling had in Uganda.
''When I asked his father how he felt about his son being in the choir, he replied that it was like a dream for his family,'' she said. ''He could hardly believe the opportunity and good fortune they'd been given. The sentiments were echoed by other families Kwaya members visited.''
When the students graduate from primary school at 14, the African Children's Choir sponsors them through high school, which is simply too expensive for many Ugandan families.
''It was such a pleasure to see children at the African Children's Choir school who are happy, knowing that they'll be able to study right through to university,'' Ms Swadling said. ''The atmosphere was of a loving and extremely large family.''
This loving atmosphere amid such poverty made the time in Uganda a more uplifting experience for us Australians than we could have ever imagined.
''I happened to mention to a 14-year-old prefect at the African Children's Choir school that it was my son's birthday on the day,'' Mrs Oakes said. ''The next day she gave me a card that she had specially made for him. What a lovely gift!''
We encountered that kind of warmth everywhere we went. The welcome we received at Grace Fellowship Primary school, in a crowded slum in the capital, Kampala, virtually bowled us over.
This evangelical Christian school educates up to 400 children, whatever their faith.
Many might wake up not knowing whether they'll eat that day; some live on the street. Their tiny classrooms are dark and humid. The floors are compressed, dusty earth or chipped, worn concrete. The blackboards have huge chunks broken off.
When we were led in, the cheering sounded like you'd hear in any Australian school at playtime, but these kids have virtually nothing to call their own. We were amazed that they could be so happy. It was a contagious, unforgettable happiness and we all got caught up in it.
''They were so keen to learn, too,'' Ms Swadling said. “I'd never met children with so much energy, so much cheerfulness and so much discipline - all at the same time. And these are just about the poorest kids on the planet.''
There was no shielding of the Kwaya travellers from this poverty; it was impossible to forget the struggles of the warm, joyful, strong but gentle people we met.
On her last day in Uganda, Ms Cameron visited the family of a young girl from the African Children's Choir school.
''Her mother lived in a concrete box, three by three metres,'' she said, ''with a tin roof, no windows or insulation, no floor covering, no running water. The room was dark and swarming with mosquitoes.''
The girl's oldest brother, aged 11, had malaria, and an 18-month-old was showing symptoms of the disease.
''The mother welcomed us so graciously and thanked us for the support that contributes to her daughter's education,'' Ms Cameron said. ''It was a sad note to end my time in Uganda with but one that makes me want to reach out and share as much as I can to help.''
Learning this lesson was what this journey was all about.
''Having seen it with our own eyes, we know how much this work is needed,'' Ms Swadling said. ''And we now know that giving money to a cause like this is not just a handout; it's helping people who are working extremely hard to help themselves.''
It was natural to wonder what all this had to do with life here in the Blue Mountains.
When we got home, we could turn on a tap and get safe drinking water. We could flick a switch and be guaranteed light or heat.
We work hard for what we have in Australia but the people we met in Africa work hard, too. And their kids didn't get to choose what kind of economy they were born into.
We can see vividly how lucky we are in a country like Australia and, like Elaine said, now we want to share that as much as we can.
PERFORMING in Entebbe with talented youngsters from the African Children's Choir was a highlight of the Crowd Around singers' tour of Uganda with Kwaya Australia.
Children from the choir have performed for the Queen and Nelson Mandela. Their fans include TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres and Hollywood star Matt Damon.
Blue Mountains residents will have the chance to see a group from the African Children's Choir at Blackheath Community Centre on Thursday, August 15, 6.45pm-9pm, supported by students from Korowal School, Hazelbrook, and Crowd Around Community Choir. Tickets: $180 for groups of 10, adults $22, children/concession $15, families $50.
The children and their carers will teach African drumming, dance and song at a public workshop in Korowal School Hall on Wednesday, August 14, 7pm-9pm. Tickets: $150 for groups of 10, adults $18, children/concession $12.
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