Orchestra project to keep kids safe in DR Congo

Thank you, once again, for supporting this project - with your help, it was possible to provide a safe space and a learning experience for 93 children during the summer holidays in Bukavu.The project officially ended when the children returned to school on 1st September, but I'm keeping the platform running for a while longer as we are still short of funds to remunerate the 5 staff members and 4 assistants who made this project possible on the ground and who have received nothing to date.We are looking to raise another EUR 2.500, which would cover the fees of all nine staff members.We would be most grateful if you could share our call far and wide!

On a call with Irismer this weekend, I asked him how he is managing, given that we have not yet reached our campaign goal. Irismer tells me that his staff feel it is more important to provide a safe space for the kids than to receive a fee and that they would like to extend the project until the kids go back to school on 1st September.For this reason: thank you in advance for letting your friends, colleagues and family know that we will extend the campaign and prolong the safe space - and let's see if we can raise enough to give Irismer's staff at least a small recognition for their work <3

Two transfers later and the project is well under way.In a video call yesterday I was able to visit the classes and meet some of the kids.Irismer told me a heartbreaking story about a few kids who hadn't turned up - staff discovered that they were mourning for their mothers, who had been shot at the weekend. Irismer and his staff were planning to visit the families out of class time to support them.Thank you so much for supporting this project: it's providing real help in so many ways!

Great news as we have now reached 30% of our campaign goal and the project could begin as planned this week.Here are some pictures from today in Bukavu :-)

This week we successfully transferred the first €550 slice of funding so that Irismer could pay the luthier for the necessary instrument repairs. Irismer was also able to pick up the recorders, so now everything is set to begin next Monday :-)