[ORLANDO – 4/17/2025]
A new song from Grammy-winning vocalist Kaya Jones draws attention to impoverished African children and will be used in an upcoming charity-focused docufilm.
The song, “Treasured,” reminds listeners that, regardless of their circumstances, they are valuable and cherished by their Creator. Jones wrote the song, released on streaming platforms today, to help the Treasured Foundation and raise awareness of the more than 100,000 people living in the two-square-mile landfill.
Jones first learned about the Korah landfill from her friend Crystal Archie, founder of the Treasured Foundation. Individuals first flocked to the site more than a century ago when a hospital for leprosy patients opened there. Over time, the spot became the city’s designated trash dump, where poor locals came to scavenge.
The trailer, available now on YouTube, features Bira, a young Ethiopian man who entered Korah around age 11. Bira and those he grew up with had never heard of school, and survived by begging and eating food scraps dumped there by hotels and airports.
Jones was moved to help the best way she knew how – writing a song with her team to raise awareness.
“These people are not trash, they’re God’s treasure,” Jones says. “That goes for everyone in the world, but these people living in a trash dump are still valuable to Him.”
The song and film are part of the Treasured Foundation’s greater, coordinated effort to relieve suffering at Korah through job creation, housing development, and empowerment programs. The film will be released on Shiloah TV later this year, and the “Treasured” song will be included on Jones’ forthcoming gospel album.
