We are already into our second week of concerts. It has been a fabulous couple of weeks, with so much excitement for the choir. They have been experiencing so many firsts, with a new highlight today of seeing snow for the first time ever!!
We have been blown away by your support. Please do come out and see us in venue near you. We have all of our dates on the website: https://www.abaana.org/what-we-do/new-life-choir/choir-dates or see below for the rest of our February schedule.
We have so much to update you on. The children arrived safely into the UK on Tuesday. They flew through Manchester airport and what a day they had!! The flight times had been changed, so it meant there was a 13 hour layover in the airport and we were concerned about how long of a day it would be for them! We got in touch with the airport, and they were fantastic!! Tina and her community engagement team took such good care of them along with the Care Team at the airport (George and David headed that up). They made sure the kids were warm enough, they got them some outdoor coats, brought them to the Hilton and fed them. They then took them to the education centre where they had a great time.
We were so thankful the children were being looked after, and they were able to perform some of their songs in the airport terminal as a small thanks to the airport. The children ended up having an amazing day, and were safely brought to their gate for the flight to Belfast. More on that later…
Our CEO and founder, Scott, recently gave the children in the New Life Choir sandwiches to try for the first time ever! Have a wee look at the video on social media below to see what they thought of them!
This time in two weeks, our lovely choir will be arriving into Northern Ireland to begin their preparation for the tour. We are so excited for our very first concert with them.
We have all of the confirmed tour dates on our website, so have a look to see if they are coming to a venue near you, https://www.abaana.org/choirdates and stay tuned on our social media for more updates.
We have released our first promotional video. Stay tuned for more information on dates/concerts near you!
There is something really beautiful to see Choir 1 and Choir 2 taking the new Choir 3 children under their wings.
Some missed their parents a lot, having never been away from home before, so hearing their voices on the phone during a call home was a special moment!
Having a soda during a birthday celebration was a highlight, and some children enjoyed having a doll or teddy of their own for the first time. Week 2 of training was a success, and the children are learning the songs really well.
As 25 children settle into week one of the camp, we get to see them experience so many different cultures/practices for the first time. They all had their first meal together, and later on in the week even got to try spaghetti! It went down a treat. There will be so many new exciting flavours for them to try.
They were taught how to brush their teeth, use the toilet and how to say thank you. When they arrive, they have no other clothes so they are given new pyjamas! One girl couldn’t wait until the evening to get them on, she went running down the hall to get changed right away and wouldn’t change out of them!! There has been so much excitement this week.
Some of our older sponsor children have been able to help out, which is incredible. So we have Isaac helping with some healthcare and check ups.
We are so excited for 2024 to see the return of the New Life Choir. The prep is now well underway, so stay tuned here for more information over the next few months.
This is a flashback to May, when the New Irish Arts and David Walker started recording the new tracks. Big thanks to them for all their hard work!!
For more information on how you can get involved with the choir, just visit http://www.abaana.org/choir.
The fun is continuing in Uganda for the New Life Choir kids! All 20 children have been back at the guest house for another four weeks of camp and training. It was such an enjoyable time for them as they got to know each other, learnt the songs and dances and became better friends! Their English has really started to improve, and they are getting used to many of the experiences they will have on tour -what an exciting day the children had when they got to taste cereal for the first time! Delicious. The children have also really enjoyed having devotional time with the Abaana Uganda staff. Here they get to lead the praise and worship time which they love!
The girls of the choir were fortunate to each receive a doll that had been donated – and they LOVE them. They play with them all day long, brush their hair, brush their teeth(!) and even sleep with them at night time. The girls love them so much that even the boys have been asking for dolls of their own!
During their second week at camp, the choir were visited by the Umoja team from Northern Ireland who enjoyed watching the singing and dancing – they even brought the children some new clothes! The children were also visited by a tailor who took their measurements for their new uniforms. The children received their uniforms the following week and they all look very smart in the beautiful, bright colours.
The kids are still getting used to a lot of the modern technology at the guest house that they have never seen before. Priscilla was even heard running to Auntie Sarah shouting, “Auntie! Auntie! Your phone is crying!”
The children were so excited to go back to school, so that they could tell all their friends about everything they have learnt at choir camp. Each child was gifted some school materials and they also received some snacks and toiletries to take with them. They all were so glad to receive a new pair of school shoes, something that many of the children have never had before.
We are so excited for the children as they prepare to journey to the UK early next year. For more information on how to bring the New Life Choir to your home or school, check out our website at: www.abaana.org
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