The Children of the Agape Choir

HBO's We Are Together : The Children of the Agape Choir is a touching story about rising above adversity with the help of music, faith and community. As the AIDS epidemic in Africa continues to decimate the adults, orphaned children are left behind - to fend for themselves, to make something out of their lives with the woefully little they have. It is a story of the many secondary victims of AIDS who are not infected by the virus but suffer terribly all the same.

The documentary follows Slindile Moya's family for three years. She is part of the children's choir at the Agape Child Care Center - an orphanage for kids like her who have lost their parents to AIDS. They soar above the narrow confines of their lives, and their troubles with their beautiful music. Their dream is to perform in England and raise money for the orphanage.

That dream is thwarted, many tragedies big and small follow until they finally them have their moment in the sun. They get to perform on stage in New York with Paul Simon and Alicia Keys. The orphanage that had been gutted by fire is rebuilt, the children come out stronger from their long journey through adversity.

Even as the children grow up in these difficult circumstances, their carefree, childlike side often takes over but before long they turn serious. They have a far keener sense of purpose that most children would have at that age - the tender and fragile of childhood is quickly replaced by a hardy resilience which is heartbreaking to see.