Ugandan children's choir robbed in downtown Vancouver

A visiting children's choir from Uganda is devastated after it was robbed in downtown Vancouver Saturday while on tour.

TheSawuti African Children's Choir is touring Canada and raisingmoney to sendunderprivileged Ugandan childrento school, including its own eight performers between the ages of eight and 15.

The choir is travelling by vehicleand police confirm that vehicle was broken into Saturdayjust before 1:00 p.m. PT near West PenderStreet and Abbott Street.

Two laptops, an iPad and approximately$8,000 in cash aregone after someone smashed a window, grabbed two bags inside the vehicle, and took off.

'Heartbreaking loss'

Doug Sadler,president of Seven Wells Ministries Canada which sponsors the choir tour, says it is a heartbreaking loss. He said not only did the money go missing, but the computers stolen hadmusic files on them the children use to perform.

One computer hadpersonal files and photographs belonging to choir chaperone Chris Sparks.

Both Sparks, and his wife Abigail, also had their passports taken.

According to Sadler, the choir and chaperones were within eyesight of the vehicle when the robbery happened.

Sadler said the husband of alocal volunteerwalked around the neighbourhood looking for a suspect after the incident.

Show must go on

Vancouver police are investigating the theft and no arrests have been made.

But the show must go on.

The choir hastwo moreperformancesin Metro Vancouver, before travelling to Kamloops and Edmonton next week.

"They're coping really well," said Sadler. "They're troopers."

According to Sadler, the choir tours are a way to recruit new sponsors for children in need in Africa.

Sponsorship donations pay school fees for childrenin Uganda and Rwanda. They are also used to pay for the construction of communityschools and vocational training for women.