John Cooper School administrator plays host to Berakhah Children’s Choir from Uganda

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Over the summer, the Berakhah Children’s Choir, based out of Eastern Uganda, toured the United States, sharing their amazing life stories through music, cultural dances, and personal testimonies. One of their stops was here in The Woodlands area, where they performed at several venues.

The community rallied around these children, and multiple families stepped forward to assist the choir in their tour. One family in particular, Gillian Crane, Assistant Head of Upper School for Student Life at The John Cooper School, and her husband Ed Roberson opened their home doors to the choir members and hosted them for their visit for two weeks.

The Berakhah Children’s Choir is a group of Ugandan orphaned and vulnerable children who travel the world to perform music and dance and raise awareness about the challenges faced by children in their communities. The choir is part of the larger Berakhah Childcare organization, which focuses on providing holistic care for these children, including physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational support, as well as shelter, education, and medical care. The organization also aims to empower the children to become future leaders in Uganda. The choir frequently tours, performing in various venues like churches, schools, and community events, both in Uganda and internationally.

As part of her desire to give these children the best American, Texan, and local experience as possible, Gillian talked with Malcolm Williams, the owner of Pirate’s Paradise Grub & Grog restaurant.

“I knew this group, the Berakhah Choir, from them visiting The John Cooper School many times, so my relationship with them was years long. The choir was here in February and they sang at The Woodlands Church and The Village on Woodlands Waterway and other venues, and they volunteered at Project Cure. And they just bring joy to all different places. So when they’re here, different families have been wonderful to host them and restaurants have let them have a delicious meal,” Gillian told Woodlands Online.

She contacted Williams, who immediately invited the members of the choir to come and celebrate his ‘treasure’ of a pirate-themed restaurant. Pirate’s Paradise was inspired by Williams’ son, who tragically lost his life in a fire, and Williams maintains daily operations in honor of his late son. Woodlands Online met Williams, Crane, staff, and choir members at the restaurant.

“Tonight, we’re so lucky that Malcolm has invited them to come and celebrate,” Crane told Woodlands Online. “We’re all part of the same crew in the end, and meeting people from other countries and other walks of life is just what he celebrates here.”

Gillian speaks glowingly of the Berakhah Childcare program.

“I think there are many different places where one can give and support both with time and and financial backing, but what really intrigues me about the orphanage is that their pastor, Paul, was an orphan himself, and when he grew up he decided he wanted to do this for other orphans. So he has really developed a network of people and of people in the Houston area because he has a residence here now. But to bring the kids to America to have different experiences and to fundraise, and also invite people to come and visit him in Uganda, lets everyone involved understand the differences in the countries and understand the love that these kids are willing to share. So it’s really a beautiful organization.”

She also reflected upon the time earlier this year when the choir visited The John Cooper School as part of their ongoing tour.

“When they came to the school, they sang, they performed, and they enjoyed a tour and learned about different ways we teach here. They were even amazed with the small things we take for granted here, like our whiteboards. To see this through their eyes is just an incredible thing.”

Though her life – where most school administrators take a well-deserved summer rest – was filled with teenagers from another hemisphere and culture, Gillian was already feeling a profound sense of loss with the choir members planning to leave and return to Uganda.

“Whenever you part ways, they’ll hug you because they just feel like they know you. They’re grateful for every single thing. You can’t even imagine the troubles they’ve had, from predators and the death of their parents, to their struggles just building wells for water, and the fact that most of them have absolutely nothing. And if you think about the thousands of kids that have come through the orphanage, it's really changing their world, which can turn around and change the world itself.”

Woodlands Online also spoke with Carol Kakai from Bali in Eastern Uganda, a social worker by profession and who has worked as a teacher for the Berakhah Childcare organization since 2017. Carol was enjoying her second trip to the United States.

“I always desired to serve people because I grew up in a home where we had several people who would come in when they were in need. So because of living in that kind of environment, I desired so much to serve people. I left my parents when I was about five years old and started living with other relatives. So because of the different conditions I lived under, I knew that God has a desire for me to love people and to serve them and help whenever I could. Because I thought probably there’s someone out there who probably is going through a certain situation that I also went through.”

Kakai pointed out that the Berakhah Children’s Choir is part of International Great Faith Ministries, registered in Uganda and the USA as a 501(c)(3) organization.

“Our organization takes care of orphans and vulnerable children. The orphans are children who have lost either one parent or both parents, while the vulnerable are children that are living under tough conditions. Probably there is domestic violence in the homes, but we also have children whose parents have abandoned them in their homes. So we take care of such kids and also offer our services to the widows, the elderly, and the sick in our communities, and we organize health camps to reach out to such people in our community.”

As forewarned, when this reporter said goodbye to the choir members gathered in the Pirate’s Paradise restaurant, they lined up for hugs. Their glowing outlook on life in the face of American opportunity against crushing pressures in their own homeland put much into perspective.

As she left, Carol had some final words for her hosts like Gillian Crane and Malcolm Williams and for all the people she met and performed for.

“I appreciate you so much, especially the people of The Woodlands, because without generous people, just like you, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do today. But with people just like you with generous hearts and loving hearts, here we are able to reach out to over 5,000 children and over 700 widows in Uganda that we serve.”