Watoto Children’s Choir Performs at Australia Zoo and Experiences Iconic Australian Wildlife
By Jill Dando News
The internationally renowned Watoto Children’s Choir, currently on the last leg of their 2024 Australian tour, made a special stop at Australia Zoo where they not only performed, but had the incredible opportunity to live out a dream—spending time with some of Australia’s most beloved native animals.
Before they captivated the crowd with their vibrant, hope-filled music and dance, the children got up close and personal with iconic Australian wildlife. For many, special memories were created as they met koalas, fed the kangaroos at Roo Heaven and enjoyed Steve Irwin’s Original Croc Show.
“I am so excited to pat a Kangaroo.” said Elsie Tendo, one of the Choir’s younger performers who was abandoned as a baby and rescued by Watoto.
The Watoto Children’s Choir is made up of 11 adults and 12 children from Uganda, aged between ten and fourteen, who have experienced tremendous hardship, many having lost one or both parents.
Through the transformative work of Watoto, they’ve been given the opportunity to grow in a loving, family-based environment, while also sharing their message of hope and faith globally.
The Choir’s performance at Australia Zoo is part of a broader mission to spread awareness about the work of Watoto and the life-changing impact the organization has on vulnerable children and women in Uganda and South Sudan.
Australia Zoo, known for its passionate wildlife conservation efforts, was thrilled to host the Watoto Choir, adding to their memorable experience Down Under.
Terri Irwin said,
"We are incredibly proud to have welcomed the Watoto Children's Choir for a heartwarming performance at Australia Zoo. Their uplifting show inspired us all and created a truly magical experience.”
"We love connecting our guests with wildlife, and it is very meaningful to host an organisation like Watoto who are making a significant impact in people’s lives,”
ABOUT WATOTO:
Watoto is a family made up of people from all over the world who are working together to ensure the forgotten have a place to belong. In 1984, in a time of civil war, Watoto planted a local church in Kampala, Uganda to speak hope and life to the nation.
Since then, Watoto has rescued thousands of orphaned and abandoned babies and children, placing them in loving families. They’ve equipped and empowered vulnerable women in their neighbourhood and sent over 100 children’s choirs across six continents.
Over the past 3 decades, the choirs have met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, performed for the President of the United States, and visited almost every major parliament in the world.
As Watoto comes alongside the most vulnerable, it works to give each child and woman a chance at a better future—a future full of promise. Over the past four decades, the challenges facing Africa have changed, but Watoto’s vision remains the same—Watoto is committed to celebrating our faith and caring for community.
