Hyperskids Africa dance for school fees
Hyperskids Africa is Known as the Troupe of Street Children in Uganda Now Famous Worldwide on the Internet
Hyperskids Africa, the troop of around a dozen children and teenagers in dirty and torn clothes and flip-flops, form up. The music starts playing. Michael Jackson's song "Billie Jean" echoes through the slum neighborhood on the outskirts of Kampala, the Ugandan capital. Hyperskids Africa practice their wild dance moves: daring flips, whirling twirls. While doing so, they kick a football that never touches the ground.
Now internationally renowned, Hyperskids Africa from Uganda have millions of fans online. Among them are celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and the former Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho. In early March, they posted a video thanking their six million Instagram followers. On Tiktok, they have over four million "Likes". With over 2.5 million subscribers, they are a popular channel on YouTube. In October 2023, they received the YouTube Gold Award. The prize was delivered to Kampala via DHL.
These Hyperskids are street children who finance their school fees through their dance skills. One of them is the 12-year-old Ivan Assimwe: "I lived on the street for a long time," he says. When he saw the dance troupe filming a video for social media on the street, "I mustered up all my courage and asked if I could join them," Ivan recalls. "Now I go to school!" the lively boy exclaims.
"Spinning with Joy"
Currently, 55 children aged between three and 16 live in the house behind the black gate. Each room is filled with numerous bed frames, even the garage has been converted into a sleeping quarters. They are all orphans or children from impoverished families who cannot afford to send their children to school. Their dance videos have brought about a significant change.
Moses Butindo, founder of Hyperskids Africa, is preparing ten of the kids to travel to Europe and the USA, he says. "This is the first time we're all traveling by airplane," Butindo says. The robust young man in jogging pants sits on the veranda of the orphanage after training. When he first posted the video of their juggling balls online at the beginning of the year, he had marked his favorite football club, FC Barcelona. "And Barcelona shared our video!" he recalls: "We were spinning with joy!"
From then on, things moved quickly: The football club sent them jerseys, and just three weeks later, they received an invitation to travel to Barcelona to meet the professional players. Next, they plan to go to the USA to participate in an international dance competition.
The Internet as an Opportunity
For the 26-year-old founder of the orphanage, Butindo, this childhood dream is coming true. He too grew up on the streets. His dream was to become a professional footballer and save his family from poverty, he says. But at the Ugandan youth football academy, he broke his leg as an eleven-year-old.
"My street friends stole a phone somewhere, sold it, and paid for my hospital bills," Butindo remembers. Then, they took him to their shelter: an old bus. But the wound became infected: "We thought I was going to die," Butindo recalls. His friends came up with the idea of posting a photo of his injured leg with a donation request on the internet. A Canadian who worked at the football academy in Uganda and remembered Butindo paid for his medical treatment.
After that, they came up with the idea to generate more money on the internet to sustain their living: They downloaded music videos to learn the dance steps and started practicing. More and more street children joined them.
President's Post
In 2016, they had a breakthrough. At that time, there was an election campaign in Uganda, and the President was touring the country. That's when Butindo had the idea to dance before the President. They marched on foot the eleven kilometers to the election campaign event. "As soon as we started dancing, everyone was immediately excited. The entire crowd danced along, even the ministers!", Butindo recounts with shining eyes. Then Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni turned to the street children and said: "These boys need a trampoline, so they don't break all their bones."
A few days later, Butindo received a call from the Presidential Palace. Excitedly, he had to clarify to the assistant that they didn't need a trampoline but a shelter and school fees. After consultation with the President, a small miracle happened, according to Butindo. They received this house, in which they could all settle, and some start-up money to send the children to school.
From then on, everything was different, according to Butindo. He stands up from the chair on the veranda and points to a large pot on a wood fire stove. In it, the midday meal is cooking: Rice and beans - that's all Butindo can serve the 55 kids daily. The money doesn't reach that far, he says. The President's start-up money is long spent, Butindo explains: "We need around 1500 Euros per month, converted, just to feed everyone, the rest is for school fees", he sighs. "At least, our online channels are working well, we receive money through YouTube, depending on how many hours our subscribers watch our channel", he nods.
The journey to Spain and the USA gives hope that more donation money will arrive soon. Every day, more street children stand before the black gate and want to join the Hyperskids - but Butindo simply has no single free bed left.
- Due to their popularity on social networks, Hyperskids Africa from Uganda has managed to raise funds for their education, enabling children like 12-year-old Ivan Assimwe to attend school and escape poverty.
- Online fame has opened doors for Hyperskids Africa, enabling them to travel abroad for the first time and participate in an international dance competition, eventually receiving the YouTube Gold Award.
- The power of the internet has been instrumental in transforming the lives of Hyperskids Africa, providing them with opportunities and resources that were previously unavailable, breaking the cycle of poverty in Uganda's context.
