The African children’s visit in May will mark the year 2009 as a year to be remembered. It was truly an amazing experience, not only for the twenty students and their three teachers but also for the large community of Italian friends that welcomed them so wholeheartedly. The children from the St. Francis choir were hosted by parents and staff from the BES and BAPS community and were invited to join in with regular lessons at school. Observing the interaction between the African and Italian children is a memory I will treasure forever.
During their stay they managed to do a little sight seeing in Milan, visit three different primary schools and travel to Trentino Alto Adige, where they managed to touch snow for the very first time. They performed at Cassano D’adda to help raise funds for the earthquake victims in Abruzzo and even managed
to spend an afternoon at Milanello, where they met some football players from the Milan team. On their last evening in Milan, our African friends joined the BES choir,
and the Ensemble Ambrosiano gospel choir and performed in
the magnificent church of San Marco; the concert was a
great success. The three choirs united and gave a most impressive performance delighting all who came.
