When Andy Audia saw a Ugandan children's choir perform in the Orillia area in 2015, he felt motivated to help.
It's been two-and-a-half years, and those efforts are paying off.
The Neema Children's Choir is made up of kids ages eight to 18, who are orphaned or living in extreme poverty.
"We're talking about some of the poorest people on Earth," Audia, a local business owner, told OrilliaMatters. "Here in Canada, we're very fortunate to live where we live and have what we have. When you begin to realize how other people live and the conditions they live in, it's a great opportunity for myself and friends and family to get involved with an effort like this and give back."
In January 2016, Audia helped start the Neema Child Project. The choir has visited the area for the past few years, and local residents were interested in helping where they could, but there were some loose ends — for example, the group wasn't part of a registered Canadian charitable organization. With the help of Audia and others, it now is, under the Devxchange International umbrella.
Audia travelled to Uganda at the beginning of 2017 to see the situation for himself. It only motivated him further. When he returned in late December 2017, he had company: his wife, Kim, and his eight-year-old son, Jacob.
"The trip was a great opportunity for Jacob, even at eight years of age, to begin to understand how privileged we are to live where we do, with all the opportunities and privileges we enjoy and often take for granted," Audia said.
The experience was an eye opener for the whole family.
"We visited with people who live in mud huts and in very basic, one-room brick homes, sleep on dirt and concrete floors with no mattresses, with no running water, no access to clean, safe drinking water, no electricity or modern conveniences, very limited access to medical care and no hope for a way out of circumstances that offer no opportunities for a better future," he said.
They met with program directors and team members to determine their needs, and became involved with a project to help with farming, education, housing and more.
While the Audias were in Uganda, they made a second stop, visiting the Good Shepherd Foundation, which helps the poor residents of Kagavu Village in the country's Mubende District. The local family has been a supporter of the foundation, and young Jacob was moved to take action during the recent trip.
"Jacob decided to start a chicken project at Good Shepherd Foundation," Audia said. "The short-term goal is to have 50 chickens, producing both eggs and meat for the school children."
All of those efforts, particularly those that focus on the Neema Child Project, have not gone unnoticed at home.
"The response has been really overwhelming," Audia said. "We have hundreds of donors. Having said that, we have a long way to go. They have endless needs. There is no end to their needs for funding."
Audia's passion to help goes back to his childhood.
"I was raised in a Christian home by parents who were and still are very caring and generous toward people here in our local area and also in other parts of the world," he said. "They allowed me as 16-year-old to go on a youth group trip to Colombia, where I saw something I had never seen before — people living in destitute poverty."
Since that transformative trip, he has wanted to give back. He is now in a position to do so.
"The opportunity presented itself when our family saw and heard the Neema Children's Choir perform at a local church in July 2015," he explained. "Their messages of hardship and hope really moved us to ask questions and ultimately decide to move forward with helping to establish Neema Child Project."
Those who haven't had the opportunity to see the choir perform will get that chance this summer. The group will return to the area and will go on a tour, of sorts, stopping at churches, schools and community events. Details of the visit are still being worked out.
For more information, about the Neema Child Project, visit neemachildproject.org, email [email protected] or call 855-633-6233, ext. 2.
To donate, visit devxchange.org and search for Neema Child Project.
