KAMPALA — A group of children from rural eastern Uganda has captured international attention after travelling to Italy to perform alongside world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli before Pope Leo XIV, marking a remarkable journey from a small village in Namutumba District to the Vatican.
The children, aged between 8 and 19, come from Nabikabala Village in Namutumba District and are part of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) Voices programme, which uses music and education to empower children living in communities affected by poverty and limited access to education.
The Ugandan pupils travelled to Italy for the foundation’s first-ever Voices Of Global Gathering, a 10-day programme that brought together 164 young singers from Uganda, the Holy Land and Italy for musical performances and cultural exchange activities.
The highlight of their visit came on July 29, when they joined Bocelli in performing during the “Canticle of Peace” event at the Vatican’s Borgo Laudato Si’ gardens in Castel Gandolfo, where Pope Leo XIV was in attendance. The choir performed songs including the Christian hymn “Amazing Grace,” while Bocelli also sang “Panis Angelicus.” The event commemorated the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Addressing the children after the performance, Pope Leo XIV praised the power of music to unite people and draw them closer to God.
“The beauty of music invites us to encounter the one who is beauty itself,” the Pope said, encouraging the young singers to continue nurturing their talents and use them to serve others.
The Ugandan participants come from a community supported by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation in partnership with African SOUP, a local non-governmental organisation that works with vulnerable and orphaned children through education, nutrition and community development programmes in Nabikabala.
The foundation has also invested in improving educational infrastructure in the area while running the Voices Of Uganda choir programme, giving children opportunities that extend beyond music.
Andrea Bocelli said the initiative is about more than singing.
“Every voice carries with it a story, heritage and hope. When so many voices come together, something happens that goes beyond singing: the possibility to recognise one another, to listen to one another and to feel less distant from one another,” he said.
Besides rehearsals and performances, the Ugandan children participated in workshops in theatre, photography, circus arts, rock climbing and radio production alongside their peers from Italy and the Holy Land, fostering cultural exchange and leadership skills.
For the children from Nabikabala—a rural village where many families face economic hardship and limited educational opportunities—the trip represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase Uganda on one of the world’s most prestigious stages.
Their performance before the Pope and alongside one of the world’s most celebrated classical singers has been widely hailed as a powerful example of how talent, education and international partnerships can transform the lives of children from underserved communities.
