The Black Forest community gathered for a unique cultural experience Oct. 4, when the Kuyasa Kids Choir performed at the Black Forest Community Church in Black Forest, Colorado.As part of its 13th annual United Statesí tour, the group performed songs exalting their Xhosa (pronounced Zoh-sa) culture as well as Christian-based music sung in both their native Xhosa language and in English, emphasized by vivacious dancing.The 19-person choir hails from the Kayamandi Township in the Western Cape province of South Africa ñ about 32 miles west of Cape Town. Directed by MBongeni Mtshali, the choir is comprised of children age 8 to 19.They tour with Horizon International, a non-denominational Christian ministry that assists orphans of the HIV/AIDS crisis through sponsorships.ìWe really want (attendees) to take away a feeling of connection with the wider world Ö and a positive message about expanding your horizons,î said Kay Stricklan, who has attended the Black Forest Community Church for 32 years.Stricklan worked for several months with Horizon International to facilitate the performance at her church ó the first time the choir had ever visited Black Forest.Host families from as far as Monument and Palmer Lake, Colorado, were committed to opening their houses to the kids and driving to Black Forest for multiple rehearsals, Stricklan said.Community members filled the church as the performance commenced; choir members rushed through the center of the church to the stage as they cheered to the beat of the drum.The audience danced, clapped and sang along through the hour-long performance.ìItís amazing to see these kids who come from a community that is disadvantaged to working with us and being ambassadors for kids struggling with basic needs,î Mtshali said.Robert Pearson, founder and chief executive officer of Horizon International, spoke about the organizationís humble beginnings, ignited by a dream he had on May 17, 2001. In the dream, Jesus Christ visited him and encouraged him to ìmake (Jesus) the horizon of (his) life.îShortly after, Pearson was invited on an all-expense paid trip to Africa from Cape Town in the south to Cairo in the north. During his travels, Pearson visited the home of a man who was dying of AIDS, contracted through an affair. The man had infected his long-term female partner, who died three weeks prior to Pearsonís arrival.The couple left behind three children under the age of 5.ìNo one could tell me what was going to happen to them,î Pearson said. ìAt the medical center, the nurse said, ëShould we let the children of our country live or should we let them die?í … I said, ëYes, of course you should save them.í She said, ìBut who will take care of them?íîThe somber reality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in the region he visited, affected Pearson.He arrived home from his tour Sept. 10, 2001. The next day, Pearson watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold.ìAs I watched those horrific events … I realized that if the church of Jesus Christ cannot rise up and seize the day, these children are going to respond to whomever offers them hope. I knew we had to be that hope. This started with a dream; and, for the last 17 years, weíve been making Jesus our horizon.îHIV continues to take its tollAccording to the latest statistics provided by UNAIDS on its website, an average 36.7 million people worldwide were living with HIV in 2016: 34.5 million adults and 2.1 million children under age 15.ìMost of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa, and were infected by their HIV-positive mothers during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding,î according to HIV.gov.Avert, a UK-based organization specializing in HIV education, states that east and southern Africa is the hardest-hit region by HIV. Home to 6.2 percent of the global population, this area includes 19 million people living with HIV and comprises more than 50 percent of the global population living with HIV.ìSouth Africa accounted for 40 percent of the regionís new infections in 2015, with another 50 percent occurring in eight countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe,î according to Avert, with statistics provided by UNAIDSís Prevention Gap Report 2016.ìJust under half-a-million people (470,000) died of AIDS-related illnesses in East and Southern Africa in 2015, although the number of deaths has fallen significantly from 760,000 in 2010,î according to UNAIDís Prevention Gap Report 2016.UNAIDS also reports that AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 48 percent since 2005, its peak year. An average of one million people globally died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2016 compared to 1.9 million in 2005 and 1.5 million in 2010, according to UNAIDS statistics.ìThe … American consciousness has moved on (from the HIV/AIDS epidemic), but we are still facing the worst humanitarian crisis of our lifetimes,î Pearson said.Sponsoring the childrenHe encouraged attendees to sponsor a child; that evening, Horizon International worked to find sponsors for orphans in Zambia.ìLast month, the government passed regulations that any Zambians who go to a medical center must be tested for HIV/AIDS before they can be attended to. Itís that bad,î said Moses Sakala, regional coordinator for Horizon International in Zambia.The population also faces another looming health crisis: malaria.ìWe are facing virtual extinction,î Sakala said.As many sponsored children are often one of several orphans living with elderly grandparents or other family members with no income or means to support their families, sponsorships help not just one child but also an entire family, Sakala said.Sponsorships pay for food parcels, medical care, clothing and education – ìthe only key out of poverty,î Sakala said.ìYou can see these kids get their identity back,î Mtshali said. ìWhen people sponsor these children, it allows them to be like any other kid. It gives them confidence. They can do what they want to do. It gives them hope.îTo learn more about Horizon International or to donate/sponsor, visit http://horizoninternationalinc.com.
