"War Has Already Taken So Much From Them. Let's Not Let It Take Their Childhood Too."

Help 100 children in Bukavu spend their summer making music—not surviving conflict. Five weeks of daily orchestra sessions provide safety, friendship, and hope. €100 gives one child a safe place throughout the holidays. Donate today and help us raise €6,000 before 23 August.

Every child deserves a summer filled with laughter, friendship and discovery—not fear."

For most children around the world, summer holidays are a time to play, make friends and create memories that last a lifetime. For many children in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, this summer will be very different.

Since the conflict escalated in South Kivu following the M23 offensive, thousands of families have seen their lives turned upside down. Many have been displaced. Parents have lost their livelihoods. Schools have been disrupted, and children have witnessed far more than any child should ever have to endure. When schools close for the holidays, many children lose the one place that offers routine, stability and protection. For too many families, every day begins with the same question: "Where will my child be safe today?" We want to be part of the answer. 

A Safe Place Where Children Can Simply Be Children Again

This summer, El Sistema Congo will welcome 100 children aged 8 to 18 into a five-week intensive music program in Bukavu. For five weeks, they won't just learn to play music. They will spend every weekday in a safe environment surrounded by caring mentors, dedicated music teachers and friends who share the same hope for a brighter future. They will laugh, they will learn, they will eat together, they will discover talents they never knew they had.

Most importantly, they will experience something every child deserves the chance to simply be a child again.

Around the world, the internationally recognized El Sistema model has transformed millions of young lives. In places affected by poverty and conflict, music becomes much more than an art form. It creates structure where there is uncertainty, Friendship where there is isolation, Confidence where fear has taken root, Hope where hope is desperately needed. 

Every rehearsal keeps children engaged in something meaningful, every instrument placed in a child's hands is an opportunity to build confidence instead of fear, every concert reminds them that their future can be defined by their dreams not by conflict.

What Your Gift Makes Possible

Your donation is not just funding a program. It is protecting a childhood, it is giving a family peace of mind, it is telling a child, "You matter."

Here's what your generosity can do:

€30 helps provide sheet music, learning materials and essential program supplies.

€50 helps provide nutritious meals for a child during the program.

€100 gives one child access to the complete five-week program, including music lessons, daily supervision, mentoring and a safe place throughout the school holidays. Thanks to existing local support and in-kind contributions, our remaining fundraising target is €6,000.

Every euro helps keep another child safe this summer.

Our goal is to raise €6,000 before 23 August.

Together, we can make this program possible for all 100 children.

If You Cannot Donate, you can still make a difference. Please share this campaign. One share may reach the person who provides a safe summer for another child kindness spreads farther than we imagine.

We Cannot Stop the Conflict but together, we can stop it from taking away another summer from 100 children.

This summer, a violin can be louder than fear, a melody can replace silence, a shared meal can restore hope, an orchestra can become a family, and your generosity can remind every child in this program that, even in difficult times, there are people across the world who believe in them.

Help us replace five weeks of uncertainty with five weeks of safety, music and hope because every child deserves the chance to grow not just survive.

I am fundraising on behalf of Irismer Krasamira, Executive Director of El Sistema Congo, whom I know personally through our 2024 MBA at the Global Leaders Institute. Because banking services in eastern DR Congo have been severely disrupted by the conflict, all funds will be transferred directly to Irismer using Airtel Money (Air Money), one of the few secure and reliable payment systems still operating locally. Irismer will provide updates on the project so supporters can see the impact of their donations.