By Kudra Maliro
Dauda Kavuma, 37, has been teaching dance to 30 children for over 10 years.
He lives with them in his own house in Kampala, Uganda.
The ages of these children vary from three to 13 years old. Most of these children are orphans and others have come from the streets.
"When they call me "Daddy...Daddy...Daddy" I feel comforted. When they dance, they forget about all their problems," Kavuma David told TRT Afrika.
"I teach them to dance and love. They love each other like siblings even if they do not come from the same family. This is our first competition to participate and this is our first success," adds Mr. Kavuma.
Golden Buzzer is an annual dance and judging competition held in the UK. This year being its sixteenth season 2023, these Ghetto Kids were highly rated to make it to the semi-finals.
"Our group is called Ghetto Kids and I created this group to give a second life to these children even though they have lost their family members. I am working hard to get these children into school," adds Mr Kavuma.
On Saturday, when they performed in the UK, several spectators were dazzled by their performance.
"Being part of Ghetto Kids has given me a lot of opportunities in life. He feeds me, pays school fees and buys clothes for me. If one of us is sick, we are sick and if one of us is happy, we are all happy" Ssegirinya Madwanah, a member of Ghetto Kids said about Kavuma after their performance.
According to the Ugandan government, approximately 15,000 children ranging in age from seven to 17 years live on the streets of Kampala, Uganda. These children are mostly from the Karamoja province in northeastern Uganda They have fled the violence and insecurity they were exposed to.
"Even if Mr. Kavuma David is not our real father, he is the one who takes care of us. Thanks to Daddy Kavuma, we came here to London. We came here to perform and we are going to show the world that in Uganda there are children who dance with their hearts," Ssegirinya said.
During their performance in front of the judges, the audience was overjoyed to see the entrance of Josephine Busingye, a 5-year-old dancer from Ghetto Kids with a doll on her back.
"My name is Josephine and I'm five years old," little Josephine Busingye told the judges, and everyone in the audience stood up and started clapping.
"You can be proud of yourself. I had a great time - I'll be happy to see you in the next round," says Judge Bruno Tonioli in a video.
