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ALBION With these upcoming performances in Orleans County, you have an opportunity to be entertained while supporting a good cause.

The Imani Milele Children is a youth choir organization that travels around the U.S. offering traditional Christian Ugandan performances.

The children, ranging from ages 9-20, come to America from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to sing, dance, drum and pray for nine months at a time.

Imani Milele which means eternal faith in Ugandan also serves to better the lives of the children once they return home.

Imani began back in 1989 when Rev. Moses Ssemanda Mbuga was determined to tackle issues Ugandan children face. Back in Uganda, these children have obstacles in their life that people in America dont have. For instance, its not uncommon for these kids to have to walk 2-3 miles each day just for water.

So Mbuga came up with Imani Milele, a compassionate response, according to the choirs website, to what troubles Ugandan Children experience.

And what a response its become.

Imani Milele now has multiple tours going on each coast which means more children are being help through sponsorships.

Sponsorships entail a $35 a monthly gift that will go toward helping a Ugandan child have access to food, water, education and healthcare.

If each child has five people that sponsors them each month, that is enough money for education, to have a roof over their head, healthcare, Imani Touring Director Justin Spencer said, adding the lives these kids live is very eye opening,

In seeing these children perform, however, you might never know that they have struggles to go through back in their home country.

The performances are fast-paced, upbeat, passionate and spiritual, to list a few adjectives Spencer used to describe Imani.

Obviously there is the singing, but the audience will be able to experience Ugandan dancing and drumming among other things.

Its a very high energy performance, he said.

Not only that, the children are excited and happy to be performing all over the country, he added.

As for whats happening locally, there are multiple opportunities to experience Imani.

A tour of 30 kids will be making its way to Orleans County this weekend where they will be staying with host families in the community. The First Baptist Church of Albion will be supplying all of the transportation.

The schedule is as follows:

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 24 at the Canal Village Farmers Market in Medina.

10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (two performances) on June 25 at the Albion First Baptist Church.

6 p.m. on June 26 at the Hoag Library in Albion.

All shows are free of charge but donations are accepted. There also will be the opportunity to sponsor a child.

People are in for a really big surprise, Spencer said. These kids are really something.

He added: Its amazing that, not only are we blessing these children but they are blessing us 10-fold.

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