They are now part of the Watoto Children's Choir, made up of orphans adopted by the organisation, and are on a six-month tour of Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

It is the third time the choir has visited Ballarat and it performed at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts last night to a packed audience.

Choir team leader Peter Wamono said the children were enjoying themselves and coping very well.

"They love it. Through Watoto we provide them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel with the choir," he said.

The choir is made up of 18 children aged 8 to 14, who each undergo a formal audition process.

"We have to check their readiness and ability to concentrate," he said. "Six months is a long time to be away from your family."

In Uganda there are about two million children left orphaned from AIDS and other disasters.

Watoto has rescued over 1500 children from the streets and aims to rescue at least 10,000 in total.

The organisation operates three children's villages, which include more than 130 homes, each with eight children and a mother who cares for them.

They also contain a complete school system, a medical clinic, a church and community centre, an agricultural project providing food and a clean water source, and electricity.

Without this assistance, Mr Wamono said the children could easily have turned to prostitution for money.

"The main goal of the choir is to raise awareness so that we can support as many children as we can," he said.