01/09/2026
NEWS FROM THE PEARL OF AFRICA CHILDCARE CHARITY
Dear all,
It is with profound disappointment and frustration that we have to tell you that the Pearl of Africa Child Care Children’s Choir tour planned for this autumn will unfortunately not be going ahead.
Despite everyone’s hard work, preparation, and hope that the tour could take place, all 12 visa applications have once again been refused.
This is an incredibly difficult and heartbreaking outcome, particularly after the time, effort, and commitment that so many of you have invested in making the tour possible. We are deeply disappointed by the decision and frustrated by how the visa system now operates.
Huge effort and care went into the preparations of the visa applications. This year, we began the visa process earlier than ever and paid additional fees to have our paperwork reviewed in advance. Despite this, all of the applications were refused. We are seeking to have the adult decisions reviewed, but this is a lengthy process with no guarantee of success. Without adult guardians able to travel, the children’s applications cannot proceed either. Having explored the options available to us, and given the timescales involved and the fact that there is no further evidence or documentation we are able to provide, we simply cannot proceed with the tour this autumn.
The impact in Uganda
What makes this particularly painful is the impact the cancellation will have on the children and communities in Uganda who need this support most.
For many years, choirs from Molly and Paul Foundation schools have travelled to the UK to share their voices and stories, build connections with communities here, and raise vital funds for the work taking place back home.
The tour is far more than travelling and performing. The funds raised through the choir help sustain the Foundation’s schools, feeding programme, and accommodation for children in need. The opportunities, education, support, and sense of hope created through this work can make a profound difference to children’s lives and their futures.
The reality is that we have not been able to run a full UK tour since 2023. Repeated visa refusals, smaller tours, and cancelled tours have made it increasingly difficult to maintain this vital work at the level the children depend upon.
We are also heartbroken for the children themselves. They have worked incredibly hard, prepared with such enthusiasm, and were so looking forward to coming to the UK, meeting the people who support them and sharing their music. They should be incredibly proud of everything they have achieved.
How you can still help
We know that many of you had already made plans, organised events, booked venues, arranged accommodation, volunteered your time, or started fundraising in anticipation of the choir’s arrival. We are enormously grateful for all of this commitment.
Although the choir cannot travel to the UK this autumn, we would love to find ways to keep the connection and fundraising going.
1. Continue with your fundraising plans
If you had planned a fundraising event or activity around the choir’s visit, please consider continuing with it. We are in the process of securing a video from Uganda that can be shared in place of a live choir performance. This will allow your community to hear directly from the children and see something of the work your support makes possible.
2. Host a craft stall at your Christmas Market
We brought crafts to the UK in anticipation of the tour and would welcome the opportunity to work with you to sell them at Christmas markets or other events during December. This would be a lovely way to maintain the connection with the Foundation while raising much-needed funds for the children and communities we support.
3. Share our emergency appeal
We have launched an Emergency JustGiving Appeal, with a target of £100,000 by Easter, to help bridge the significant funding gap created by the cancellation of the tour. We would be incredibly grateful if you could share the appeal with your community through newsletters, social media, church communications, parent groups, volunteer networks, members, or your wider contacts. Every donation and every share can help us continue providing the support that children and families in Uganda rely upon.
Thank you for standing with us. We know this news will be deeply disappointing to many of you. We share that disappointment profoundly. To everyone who has given their time, opened their doors, organised events, offered accommodation, volunteered, raised funds, promoted the tour or simply believed in what the children are trying to achieve — thank you.
While we cannot make the tour happen this autumn, our commitment to the children and communities in Uganda remains as strong as ever. Whatever the future holds for the choir and its UK tours, our priority is to ensure that the children and families who rely on the Foundation continue to receive the support they need.
In the meantime, we hope you will continue to stand alongside us and help us ensure that this vital work can continue.
With heartfelt thanks and deepest disappointment
Liz and Dave Tonge
Regional Coordinators
https://justgiving.com/campaign/poacc2026appeal
