'We are world's most famous kids - and now we're rich enough to buy a goat'
They are the kids who stole the nation's hearts when they exploded in a riot of colour and energy onto the Britain's Got Talent stage.
But behind the wide smiles, infectious enthusiasm and thrilling dance routines of the Ghetto Kids troupe lies a story of determination, courage and triumph over the cruellest of adversity.
Now their life-affirming journey, which has taken the youngsters from living on the streets of Uganda to meeting the Queen, performing at Westminster Abbey and being guests of honour at Chelsea FC, has been made into a six part documentary series.
Three years in the making, Ghetto Kids: No Plan B will launch on Sunday 6 July exclusively on YouTube.
The series traces the origins of the group, following them through to the final of BGT and reveals what happened after the heat of the international spotlight cooled.
Along the way we meet the children, hear their heartbreaking stories and see how radically dance has transformed their lives.
As 15-year-old Akram says: 'I feel so much joy when I am on stage; so happy that I forget what happened to me on the street. I was honoured to meet Queen Camilla and Prince William. Queen Camilla said to me that we danced really well, and our performance made them feel happy.'
At the heart of it all is the extraordinary Kavuma Dauda, himself a child of a Ugandan ghetto, who used his own experiences to bring hope to orphaned and poverty stricken children.
'When you're on the street life is always difficult. You have to try many ways to find your luck,' reflects Kavuma. 'To get out of the ghetto there is one chance. It's like having one match in a box and then there is a lot of wind; you have to make sure you light that candle so you must hold the match with care.
'I told the children whenever you get a chance, utilise it well; leave a mark because you may not get another opportunity to do it again.'
Kavuma has certainly left his own mark on the community in which he lives and on the lives of the street children he has rescued.
He left home at the age of seven to live on the streets, surviving by selling polythene bags and bananas. 'On the street you learn a lot of things; you have to hustle to make ends meet. It was not good.'
His life was changed by a simple football game. As he enviously watched other kids in their smart school uniforms kick a ball, the teacher asked if he wanted to join in. He did so – and promptly scored three goals.
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That natural talent for football led to a scholarship, enabling him to attend school. But the kindness of a stranger that day laid the groundwork for his life's mission - to help as many street children as he could.
He became a teacher, a headmaster – and even the bus driver – for a school in Kampala, although many children around him didn't have the money to pay for food, let alone school books.
He also started to offer a safe place for street kids to live. Some were orphaned, others had witnessed violence at home. All were hungry and at risk of falling victim to crime.
Always passionate about dance and drama, Kavuma began teaching his kids routines and when they performed in public, people would tip them. Then the troupe - aged between three and 17 - entered a local competition.
'We won!' smiles Kavuma. 'And the prize was a goat. We sold it and the money paid for exams for the children. That's where I got the idea to dance, to go to school and to change lives.'
He describes their style as 'Afro-comic' – joyful moves which connect the dancer and the audience through the sheer fun of the performance.
The big breakthrough came when Ugandan musician Eddy Kenzo heard about the troupe and invited them to perform in a music video. The response was phenomenal. 'I was told we had gone viral on social media. I said 'what is viral?'' laughs Kavuma.
By this time the Ghetto Kids Foundation had been established and he was looking after 30 children in a house in Kampala, helping to clothe, feed and educate them - and always, always encouraging them to dance.
'At the start, people told me 'you will fail, these children will go back to the streets.' But I kept on with my dream. Children are my calling."
And that may have been that, but for their appearance on Britain's Got Talent, which propelled them onto a truly global stage.
After seeing auditions of BGT on YouTube the troupe applied to appear on the programme. Their first performance caused a sensation among the judges, with Simon calling them 'magical'. And for the first time in his stint on BGT, an overwhelmed Bruno Tonioli pressed the golden buzzers, sending them straight to the semi-finals of the 2023 season.
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In the final they were placed sixth overall, missing out on the £250,000 first prize which Kavuma had hoped to use to expand his work. 'It was a very big disappointment,' he admits. 'But you have to accept it. If something is meant to be yours it will be; I told the children 'this is not our time'.'
Nevertheless, their appearance on UK television was a game changer, gaining them international recognition and opening huge opportunities which saw them take a central role in last year's Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, while they found a champion in Rio Ferdinand, who met them at the 2022 World Cup.
Ultimately, it has also enabled Kavuma to realise his ambition of finding larger premises for the street children who call him 'dad'.
'In Uganda local people have donated towards building the Ghetto Kids Foundation house, because of how well we represented our country on Britain's Got Talent,' explains Kavuma.
'The children in the Foundation are now seen in Uganda as positive role models, because of how proudly they represented themselves in the UK.'
It's little wonder.
Ask the Ghetto Kids what they want to be when they grow up and their answers - from businesswoman to engineer and journalist - tell you everything you need to know about how dance is not a hobby but a lifeline.
'The UK is a special place for me; it has opened a lot of doors for us.' says Priscilla, now 14. 'Before I did not go to school. I did not know how a responsible girl should behave. Now I want to be a lawyer.'
And 14-year-old Ashiraf reflects: 'Whenever we would dance on the streets we would forget about everything else; sometimes you would forget that you are hungry because you are happy. The UK has truly changed our lives.'
All of them clearly hold their mentor in the highest regard, with one boy, Arban, calling Kavuma 'kind and gentle' with a 'pure heart'. Another comments, 'I once viewed myself as worthless. Now I am a star.'
As for Kavuma himself, his entrepreneurial spirit continues. He has been able to buy land and the group is learning how to farm - each child has their own goat; crops are being planted to help with income and food supply.
'When they grow up they will outgrow dance; we need to raise a self-reliant child,' says Kavuma.
Ghetto Kids remain a social media sensation, with two million YouTube subscribers and 11.7 million followers on TikTok. But Kavuma's work never stops and his desire to help even more youngsters still burns bright.
'I am planning for 100 children! ' he grins 'I want to show the world that street kids can make it. I'll keep on doing it until the end of me.'
So how does he see himself? Teacher, charity worker, father figure? 'I'm a person who wants to make sure something impossible can be possible.'
It seems he has well and truly succeeded.
• Ghetto Kids: No Plan B, Sunday 6 th July, 4pm on YouTube and produced by Toy Green.
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