Cloverleaf students join the Sanyuka Children's choir for concert on Wednesday

WESTFIELD TWP. — Cloverleaf School students partnered with children from Sanyuka Children's Ministry choir on Wednesday night for a concert blending two cultures. Sanyuka began in 2008 when co-founder and Executive Director Allan Kizito saw an opportunity to help kids in his home church in Kampala, Uganda. Kizito said his own experience of losing his mother at a young age and how he was helped, guided the organization's mission. "When I graduated college and started working, I went to a local church and saw kids who were vulnerable and orphaned," he said. "When I saw them, I saw myself in them. If somebody didn't take a chance, if no one would, I wouldn't be who I am." Kizito said the orphanage is more like a family, which gives kids a sense of belonging. "For any orphan, that is what they miss most, more than the food and going to school — the care, the love, and the sense of purpose and belonging," he said. "That's what we do at the Sanyuka Ministry; we provide that for the children." The group has toured several times, performing music and dances with organizations and schools. "On this tour we wanted to come, not only to advocate for children that are still in need but also to be an encouragement here in the United States to students and also adults," Kizito said. "We know everyone goes through challenges in one way or another, and we feel like our life stories and what we have gone through, what God has helped us go through, can be encouraging for someone going through a dark time." Through the 2025 "Ebenezer" tour, the group hopes to advocate and tell people there is hope. "You don't have to walk the dark alone," Kizito said. "There are people around; there is God who can help you; you can seek wisdom in all different ways. You don't have to take your life; you don't have to live in depression and solitude. There is help, because we've been helped, and our hope is that people can see us and see that there is hope. If these kids have overcome the life struggles that they went through, then I, too, can get through whatever challenge I am going through." He said the program reached thousands of children through the Sanyuka Children's Ministry in a variety of ways, including education, scholarships and clothing. The partnership concert was organized with help from Cloverleaf Elementary School music teacher Lisa Heinrich. "I am a music educator, and it is my passion," she said. "Knowing that I can bring music to children with a bit of culture is really the amazing part of this. Not only are they getting music, but they are getting music that is unfamiliar to them. That was a new experience to dance and sing at the same time, and having to do it for the entire song. It was really good for them." Heinrich said practice for the Wednesday performance began in April with four rehearsals before breaking for the summer. "When the fall came, we started to meet with Sanyuka," she said. "We met with them twice. Not only did we rehearse, but we also shared some games. The kids here wanted to share the Cha Cha Slide and the Macarena." She said the kids enjoyed sharing their culture with each other. The interactions were more than just rehearsals, with 12 Sanyuka children experiencing a Cloverleaf school day on Wednesday. "We really tried to have a blending of cultures," Heinrich said. "I think it is good for our students to see a different way of life. It was very confusing for some of my young students to understand that the Sanyuka individuals call each other brother and sister, but we talked about how you don't have to have blood relations, and that was good for them to think of it that way. " She said it gave the students a chance to see a different way of life, how they live, and the joy that they have in their performances. Heinrich and Kizito said it was a joy to see this partnership. "It is a beauty seeing all of the differences, in terms of culture and social constructs, all of us seeing each other together, acknowledging that we are all people," Kizito said. "We are all human. Sometimes we kind of think that people are different, but we are all one. We are all walking through life together. We go through challenges; they may come in different forms, but we all go through challenges. Seeing that and seeing the joy of us being together — that is what is most exhilarating to me." In 2014, Sanyuka joined with local professionals and business leaders in Ohio, forming a U.S. nonprofit, with a 501(c)(3) designation and a sole chartered purpose of supporting and partnering with the Sanyuka Children Ministries in Uganda. For more information on the organization and its mission, visit www.sanyukachildren.org. Contact reporter Patrick Rhonemus at (330) 721–4050 or prhonemus@medina-gazette.com.