Simi Valley : African Children’s Choir to Perform

The African Children’s Choir, bringing a message of hope through cultural and gospel music, will perform Saturday in Simi Valley.

The 29 singers, ages 5 to 12, come from impoverished countries in East Africa. Some are orphans, others are homeless. Money raised from their performances is used to provide food and shelter for more than 650 children in Africa.

“The message they bring is how much we have grown through the love of people,” said Lela Gilbert, concert co-producer and public relations coordinator for Friends in the West, which first brought the choir to North America in 1984.

The appearance is sponsored by the Freedom Tree Organization. Simi Valley resident and organization founder Mary McCurdy said she arranged for the visit through contacts with Peggy Say, who is involved with Friends in the West. That group worked for the release of Say’s brother, journalist Terry Anderson, after he was kidnaped in Lebanon.

“I’m hoping we all, as a community, will come and greet them and give them the respect they deserve,” McCurdy said. “We can gain a lot from the culture and the customs.”

The children are expected to perform for about 20 minutes beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Simi Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1636 Sinaloa Road. Following the concert, they will join other children in planting five trees at the church and will be given a private tour of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Admission is free, although an offering will be taken.