It is with great joy that we are announcing that 12 amazing children will be coming as ambassadors of the beauty and rich culture of Rwanda!  Once again this new group of orphans and vulnerable children will have the opportunity to use Rwanda’s dance and music to impact our lives.  Here are the areas and dates where they will perform:

November 11th to the 23rd, 2008 - Montreal, Ottawa & Toronto
November 24, 25 & 26, 2008 - Montreal Millenium Summit - http://smm-mms.org/
November 27th to the 30th, 2008 - Boston & New York City
December 1st to the 10th, 2008 - South Carolina area

To book these MIZERO Children of Rwanda CHOIR at your event, festival or church please call
Janice Melanson at (514) 560-4717 (In the South Carolina area contact Sarah Hipp at 828- 507-1848)
You can also reach us at or
We need your help to make the 2008 MIZERO Tour a success as we attempt to educate, encourage and empower this future generation of Rwandan leaders! 

We look forward to the future with great anticipation as we continue the journey towards seeing the creation of the MIZERO Arts Academy in Rwanda become a reality!

Grace and Peace,
Jean Paul Samputu,
Founder of MIZERO Children of Rwanda,
and all MIZERO TEAM!

Mizero Children of Rwanda Bringing, Building, Spreading: Hope

Voices of angels singing in unison, drum beats thumping, bright coloured blue and white beads shimmering from their traditional garb. Twelve Rwandan orphans, who survived the 1994 genocide, dance and heal the weary soul of the onlooker through their music.

The Mizero, which means ‘hope’ in Kinyarwanda, troupe is led by founder and famous musician, Jean-Paul Samputu, winner of the prestigious Kora Award. The children performers are between the ages of 10 to 15. They raise awareness about the one million orphaned children who suffered the brutalities of murder and rape of families and friends by the ethnic strife in Rwanda.

In October 2007, the tour kicked off in Asheville, North Carolina. One of the final performances was held at the UN in New York City in December 2007. The performance told a story about how the children became orphaned. Some children were abandoned by their mothers who were victims of rape. Other children were orphaned because their parents were either killed during the civil war or died of diseases. Some were lost and separated from their families in refugee camps but concluded with Mizero. The children drew strength from religion and the power of prayer.

Through traditional music and dance, Jean-Paul empowers the children by building on their self-confidence and life skills. “They have learned to work together and love one another despite their troubled past,” says Brent Swanson, President of the Mizero Foundation. “Through the arts, they have come together as one to reveal Christ’s message of hope, peace, and love,” adds Brent.

Mizero made their debut in December 2006. The musicians from the Lake Eden Arts Festival in North Carolina wanted to help orphaned children in Rwanda. They traveled to Rwanda to meet Jean-Paul. Not only did they set up a safe place for the children to meet every week to play music with traditional instruments but also created a mentorship programme and provided the troupe with costumes in which Jennifer Pickering played an important role.

By selling hand-made goods, coffee and music from Rwanda, Jean-Paul and Brent hope to realize one of the goals of the Mizero Foundation. They would like to create an arts academy at the university level where students will have a general education and an opportunity to learn about the traditional arts from East and Central African cultures.

As a survivor of genocide whose parents were killed by his own neighbours, Jean-Paul understands the power of forgiveness to promote peace. But he believes that perpetrators should be accountable for their actions, particularly the leadership who are responsible for the atrocities. “Know that children are watching what you are doing. We must be a good example and have commitment to peace and responsibility to others,” he says.

“My vision for Mizero is to build, bring and spread hope to Rwanda children through our vibrant music and dance traditions,” Jean-Paul adds. “We hope to give these children a platform to speak to the world,” says Brent.

Mizero [Hope] through the eyes of Rwandan children

By Susan Kang

http://www.un.org/works/sub3.asp?lang=es&id=42

“BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston.com) — The Mizero Children is a talented troupe of Rwandan orphans who carry an unforgettable message of hope and joy through song, dance and drumming. Check out their recent performance on the FOX25 Morning News”

http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=BDB14E98C2EEBF8DDD702B2C03E3092E?contentId=5250835&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

“The Mizero Children, with their leader, Jean Paul Samputu, danced joyfully to the rhythms of drums at Hope Chapel Saturday night for an audience of more than 150 people. The performers are on a quest to prevent another genocide from coming in 20 or 30 years as revenge for their murdered parents.”

By Jean Laquidara Hill TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

http://www.telegram.com/assets/static/video/2007/mizero/index2.html

“On November 3, 2007 The Anglican Church of the Redeemer was visited by THE MIZERO CHILDREN from Rwanda”

for pictures, please visit: http://www.acotr.com/Mizero.html

“"We are here in the hope to perform in different states singing different songs and worship songs and other traditional songs,” Performer Olivier Adayishimye said. Rwandan tradition says the dances performed Tuesday are dances of royalty. Like many of their kind, they tell a story of a bright future and good things to come. A message the Mizero Children of Rwanda bring to Wilmington. “Little by little people have jumped in in terms of what the community has done is overwhelming in terms of the clothing and the food everyone has pitched in,” Resident Grant Pace said. - Meghan Torjussen

http://72.3.224.62/video/rwandan_orphans_perform_in_wilmington/10

“On Tuesday, Oct. 23, a group of Rwandan children took the audience t Southwestern Community College on a journey into the lives of the Rwandan people through music, dance, costumes and drumming. They are known as the Mizero Troupe.In Kinyarwanda, mizero means hope. Most of the youth were orphaned during the 1994 genocide. Led by musician Jean-Paul Samputu, the youth share their gift of music and performance while raising awareness about the million other orphans. http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/NEWS01/71023090/1256

“Music! Music is the main love of all of us at LEAF. We witnessed the healing power and the ability to communicate across borders that the language of music provides. Hearing the kids drum and sing for the first time was so powerful. Listening, surrounded by orphans as they sang “we are the future of humanity” moved us all to tears. I knew then we were doing something good and they were right; they truly are the future. - Aaron - LEAF Rwanda Crew

http://www.charleston.net/videos/2007/oct/25/176/
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200771023090

This extraordinary first tour began at the Lake Eden Arts Festival in Asheville, N.C., in October and will conclude at the United Nations Day in New York in December.  This Mizero or “Hope” tour will bring awareness of the present status of Rwanda, as well as raise financial support to build an arts-centered academy, where they will learn the necessary skills to be the next leaders of the country.

MIZERO Children of Rwanda’s US Hope Tour

October – December 2007

* Open Dates
Date: Where: Event:
October 16 Washington, DC Touring Day
October 17 Newport, NC Father’s House (4 church event)
October 19-21 Black Mountain, NC LEAF International Festival
October 21 Sylva, NC First Baptist Church
October 22 Sylva, NC South Western Community College
October 24 - 26 Mt. Pleasant, SC St. Andrew’s Church
October 27 Mt. Pleasant, SC Greater Goodwill AME Church
October 28 St. Pauley’s Island All Saint’s Church AMiA
October 30 Wilmington, NC Wilmington Yoga Center Event
November 1 Knoxville, TN Apostles Anglican AMiA
November 2-3 Chattanooga, TN Anglican Church of the Redeemer AMiA
November 4 Atlanta, GA Central United Methodist Church
November 6 Abindale, GA The Children’s School
November 7-9 Montreal, Canada Montreal Millennium Summit
November 10
November 11 Montreal, Canada Église Sans Frontières
November 12 Sedona, AZ Future Studios WEBCAST
November 13 Catonsville, MD Emmaus Anglican Church
November 14 Washington DC National Presbyterian School
November 15 Bethlehem, PA Lehigh Universtiy - International Week
November 16 Doylestown, PA Pebble Hill Community Event
November 18 Greenwich, CT Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church
November 19 Greenwich, CT Central Middle School
November 20 Greenwich, CT Greenwich High School
November 21-26
November 28 Los Angeles, CA Knott’s Berry Farm
November 29 Los Angeles, CA Saddleback Church
November 30 Lake Forrest, CA Saddleback Church - Global Summit on Aids in the Church
Evening concert 7:00pm - 9:00pm (open to the public)
December 1 Lake Forrest, CA Saddleback Church - Youth Summit
4:30pm and 6:30pm High School Services
December 2 Lake Forrest, CA Saddleback Church - Youth Summit
9:00 am - High School Service
December 3 East Boston, MA MARIO UMANA MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMY
December 4 Bow ,NH Bow High School
December 5 Bedford ,NH Bedford High School
December 5 East Walpole, MA Union Congregational Church
December 6 Springfield, NH Grace Children’s Home
December 7 North Sutton, NH Kearsarge Regional High School
December 8 Sterling, MA Hope Chapel
December 9 Bedford, NH Bedford Community Church
December 10 UN Performance at the UN for Human Rights Day — not open to the public
December 12-14 Ovid, NY

* Global Education Motivators school days
* Ovid Federated Church

December 15 New Canaan, CN New Canaan YMCA Event
December 16 White Plains, NY The Presbyterian Church of White Plains
December 17 Bound Brook, NJ Bound Brook Presbyterian Church
December 18 New York City, NY

* Friends Seminary
222 East 16th St.
NY, NY 10003
Margaux D’Auteuil Peabody
(212) 979-5035 x. 211
2:25-3:10 - Performance – to students and faculty
* Om Factory
Evening yoga class & performance 6:00pm - 10:00pm (open to the public)

December 19 New York City, NY

* United Nations Day
* Children’s Peace Concert
1:00–2:30 - Wish Pearl World, 246 W 38th St. between 7th & 8th Mizero Children and Jean Paul Samputu to perform Rwandan dances, drumming and music