The Watoto Children's Choir is a group of African children's choirs based in Kampala, Uganda, at Watoto Church. They tour internationally. Each choir is composed of about eighteen to twenty-two children from Uganda. Their tours raise money as well as awareness for the Watoto orphanages in Kampala.
âÂÂWatotoâ means "Children" in Swahili. The choir is made up of children who have lost one or both parents, often as a result of AIDS. Watoto operates six choirs, which tour Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. The choirs travel with a team of adult chaperones who look after the children and also manage the day-to-day logistics of the tour on the road. The choir has toured Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China.
Their âÂÂConcerts of Hopeâ are a blend of African rhythms, contemporary gospel music, creative dance and story-telling. They have released several albums including âÂÂMambo Number 5âÂÂ, âÂÂBeautiful Africaâ and âÂÂWhat Is LoveâÂÂ. Their latest album "Wherever You Will Goâ features live music played throughout the concerts on most of the tours.
The Watoto Children's Choirs have performed with award-winning artists including Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton and Martin Smith. They have also been invited to the UK Houses of Parliament, the Canadian and Australian Parliaments as well as the White House.