Working with African Children's Choir

I've been part of an enthusiastic audience several times at African Children's Choir performances in the States, but I'm only now realizing that those concerts are just the tip of the iceberg. The choirs' tours in America and Europe are a great vehicle to promote cultural awareness and understanding, but perhaps more importantly, they fund an array of services to additional needy African children who will never see the inside of a tour bus.

4-23-2007

We spent several days last week with Heather Lytle and Tamsin Scurfield, directors of the Tonga Music For Life program in Nkomazi, South Africa, and their seven young-adult team members. This group works with 400 at-risk children weekly through local schools (besides current choir members who live in this area). School officials have selected the 50 most-vulnerable children from among their students. MFL's team divides in half and visits two schools daily to present an after-school program for these children, working with a total of eight schools every week. Besides learning song and dance numbers to perform locally, they also are taught life skills involving teamwork and their value in God's eyes.

The choir itself provides amazing opportunities for a few talented African children. But its influence extends much wider into the community. Music for Life provides clothing and monthly food parcels, as well as linking the sick with medical care. A garden project is benefitting children at a local primary school, and two houses are being built for needy families. Earlier this month MFL held a workshop to train school teachers in dealing with children in emotional trauma.

Music for Life is a relatively new program in Nkomazi, which means that Tamsin and Heather are breaking ground in the community in many ways. During our days with them, we saw that their job does not confine itself neatly to eight-hour days. The genuine spiritual vitality in these two, and also in their young-adult staff members, is refreshing and inspiring to see. There is a heartfelt desire among them to not only draw their strength from God, but to communicate the Way, the Truth and the Life to the children with whom they are working. Pray for these "aunties" and "uncles" as they serve those who are near to God's heart. ---Regina