Twakutukuza at 10
By Wanja Wohoro
The Twakutukuza choir had their 10th Anniversary concert the last weekend of October (26th – 28th October 2018) at the Nairobi Baptist Church, Ngong Road. It was three nights of incredible energy and worship music, all based around the theme of love and thanksgiving. Over the past decade the Twakutukuza concerts have become well known and highly regarded by the Nairobi community, and have offered a space of worship, celebration and thanksgiving for it’s attendees as well as it’s choir members.
This year’s concert was no different, with a choir composed of Twakutukuza alumni, the choir and featured soloists sang praises to the Lord over the course of a weekend, each night building on the energy of the one past. The Twakutukuza choir is made up of all kinds of people, from all walks of life, ages and professions. This creates a community atmosphere within their performances, and invites audience members to feel included into the fold. This year’s choir consisted of almost 200 members, who each gave up their Saturday afternoons for 14 weeks in order to rehearse for the #TwaAt10 concert.
Twakutukuza Trust has been blessed by the amazing amounts of support and generosity we have experienced through the years, from our choir members, sponsors, attendees, Angels (from our Angel Support Network) and the wider church, music and cancer-fighting community in Kenya, especially the Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations (KENCO). Without all of these people we would not have been able to get this far, and we believe the blessings poured out to us will be returned in kind to those who have been a part of the Twa family.
Though Twakutukuza Trust has become known largely for our concerts, that is definitely not all that we do! Over the years the Twa Trust has helped over seven hundred cancer patients receive treatment through the money raised at our yearly concerts as well as from our supporters. Over 70 breast prosthesis have been distributed to breast cancer victors and two-hundred and thirty women have participated in our ‘Celebrate Life’ events. There are many factors to our organisation and it is our goal in the next decade to involve as many people as we can!
Twakutukuza began in 2008 through the vision and determination of cancer victor Doris Mayoli.
“ I do this, lead Twa, everday because I want to do for others what I would want done for me. I can’t believe that God would involve me in the miracles He is doing in people’s lives – in the healing He brings to them, body, soul and spirit. Twa is truly a gift from God.” – Doris Mayoli
It is because of this conviction that Twa is what it is today. Though our vision has stayed the same we still have goals that we hope to achieve, and to do so we need your help! If you would like to volunteer with Twa to join our vision for fighting cancer in the name of the Lord, there are various things you can do to help. The first thing you can do is join our Angel Support Network , which is our passionate community of changers who help support the Twa initiative through financial offerings. If you would like to become a giver as an Angel in this Network please follow this link to learn how!
Another way you can support us through volunteer work, which includes counselling, client engagement, hospice and hospital visits, administration support, helping coordinate our Celebrate Life events or even joining our magnificent choir! To learn more about all our amazing volunteer opportunities head to our website to register, and become part of the Twakutukuza family!
These past ten years have been filled with a lot of work, prayer and at times disappointment, but we have pulled through it all by the grace of God. Twakutukuza is committed to its vision of supporting cancer patients within Kenya to the best of our ability and that journey is one we hope to continue for many decades to come!
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We look forward to sharing more stories on the work of Twa. If you would like to read brief reports about our past hospice visits and Celebrate Life events, please click on the links below: