Ugandan children's choir sings Oxford's praises

Oxford area churches hosted the Daraja Children’s Choir from Uganda this past week, which participated in several worship services and concerts.
The choir, which was formed in partnership with The 410 Bridge ministry, had its first choir arrive from Africa to the U.S. in 2007. From 2007- 2010, the Daraja Choir has had over 70 Kenyan children sing across the U.S. in four different choirs.
The 410 Bridge partnered with Kaihura, Uganda in 2012 to bring a Christian community initiative to the villages, according to Daraja Children’s Choir. By 2013, the first choir of children from Uganda traveled across the Atlantic to sing in the U.S. for the first time.
The word daraja is a Swahili word meaning “bridge”, said Clinton Hicks, tour leader for Daraja Children’s Choir.
“These kids have the opportunity to be a bridge and be ambassadors, not only to their home community but also to other communities where the 410 Bridge is working,” Hicks said.

He said the organization takes applications from a handful of schools in Kaihura, Uganda.
“After the kids apply, they have to meet criteria based on their educational performance, leadership and character,” Hicks said. “They then audition by singing and dancing.”
Those selected applicants then spend six months traveling in the U.S. to different churches and communities that can accommodate housing for the choir, Hicks said.
“Daraja goes anywhere a church is willing to host us,” he said. “That’s kind of what brings us to the Oxford area.”
The choir was hosted by Oxford First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church Oxford and several others.
In addition to Oxford churches, Lance Reed, owner of Chick-fil-A in Oxford, organized the choir to ride the Double Decker bus and tour the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“To see a stadium like Ole Miss’, is one of the biggest structures [the kids] have seen in their lives,” Hicks said. “It will be something that they remember, something that they will go back to Uganda and talk about, along with saying Hotty Toddy a lot.”

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By Talbert Toole, associate editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at talbert.toole@hottytoddy.com.