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In March 2016, 22 children from the Andes Mountains of Peru, the
villages of Liberia, and the streets of India arrived in Kent, WA for the 2016 Matsiko World Orphan Choir Tour. They spent the next 10 months performing in 34 states and raising sponsors for over 600 children.
 At the end of January 2017, all 22 children returned to their home countries transformed. They are taller, healthier, and full of confidence and joy. Because of sponsors like you, they now have the love and support they need to overcome and achieve their biggest dreams. During their time in the US, they gained the tools needed to impact their villages and hopefully their countries!
The tour provided many incredible opportunities for the children to both learn and have fun, and they were able to experience attractions that many US children never get to experience.
Here are just a few of the 2016 tour highlights:
- Visiting Washington, DC, taking a personal tour of the White House and meeting with several US Congressmen and Senators
- Performing at Disney World and then having two days to explore the park and meet every prince and princess imaginable!
- Performing in historical churches on the East Coast,including the church where Ben Franklin was baptized, the church where Betsy Ross was married, and churches that each of the Founding Fathers visited
- Experiencing roller coasters for the first time at Cedar Point
- Witnessing the wonder of Niagara Falls
- Visiting New York City
This Matsiko tour provided the opportunity of a lifetime for each child by giving them confidence in their ability to complete their
education
and giving them a glimpse into the unlimited possibilities for their future! The tour also raised awareness of many challenges our world's 600 million orphaned and at-risk children face everyday. As a result of this new awareness, a volunteer army of networking, care and support is growing to overcome this huge blight in our world.
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We are very proud to announce that our own Julio (Matsiko 2012) graduated first in his class in December! If you had the privilege of meeting Julio when he was on tour, you might remember him as a hard worker and a really great kid. Since his time on tour, Julio has continued to work hard and flourish in school. Sponsorship allows him to continue his education in Peru, but his dream is to study at a Christian university in the United States and become a pilot. We are so proud of Julio!
Xeina (Matsiko 2014-2015) is in 7th grade, and after touring with Matsiko, she was invited to be a part of an exchange program in Oregon. She is living with a family and attending school there. Xeina gained the confidence and social skills necessary to live in America during her tour with Matsiko. She also learned English so well that she is able to study in English easily. Xeina's sponsors are helping her achieve more than she ever dreamed was possible before she joined ICN.
