Norfolk tour of African Christian choir cancelled 

Norfolk-founded charity AFRICA has regrettably announced that the eagerly-awaited UK tour of the Africa With Love children's choir - which included several Norfolk venues - has been cancelled due to visa problems.
 

The Charity A.F.R.I.C.A. informs everyone that the Africa with Love Children's Choir and Performing Arts group tour had to be cancelled at the last minute, due to the Visa office in Pretoria not informing the choir that their visas had not be issued. 

Rosemary Willard, who heads up the charity explained, "Every time the choir in Uganda contacted the office they were informed that their passports were on the way up to Kampala. It got right to the day that the choir - a group of 20 orphan and destitute children and 5 staff-  travelled to Kampala that they were informed that their passports were on their way to them the very day they were due to be at the airport ready for the flight on September 19."  
 
"The courier arrived at 7pm where our staff were waiting at the offices to receive the passports for the children only to find when they opened the packet that all visas had been refused.  You can imagine the sadness and further rejection these children felt at this decision."
 
On making enquiries, it was discovered that the visas were refused because the children did not have two parents to sign their letter. The children are all orphans and most of their parents died from AIDS. The choir has travelled to the UK in previous years and all the paperwork had been completed and visas were previously granted.

Rosemary continued, "It seems that the Visa Officer had taken no notice of any paperwork that was supplied to him; all churches had given a letter of invitation saying the children had been invited to their church to perform and schools around the areas were also having an Educational Day with the children.  Hundreds of children around the Norwich area, plus the UK as the choir was going to be on a 1 month visit had been let down and many tears were shed."
 
"Many churches kept their evenings open and people who had visited the village in Uganda in February this year, were standing in and showing photos and giving a talk to people who still wanted to attend so that funds could be raised and they could make an awareness of the Sponsorship of children that was urgently needed, as the charity had over 300 orphan and destitute children attending their schools in Kyajubira Village who needed sponsorship."

If anyone would like to help financially to help the charity recover the costs of bringing the children to the UK, donations can be made via the charity's website www.africawithlove.co.uk
 
If anyone would like to sponsor a child please contact the A.F.R.I.C.A. Office by email at africacharity@hotmail.co.uk
 
VISIT TO UGANDA - FEBRUARY 2015 - 20 people are booked to travel with the charity on the 5th February for two weeks at a cost of £1,600. If anyone would also like to join the team, please also contact the office for further details.

Pictured above: The choir performing in Uganda