Happy Friday, all – it’s time to be uplifted.
The town of Cateura, Paraguay, is the largest landfill in a nation long-suffering from political and economic corruption. The world’s poorest children take the brunt of environmental injustice. As the primary landfill for Paraguay’s capitol, Asunción, 1,500 tons of solid waste are dumped in the town every single day. One third of the population, about 2.2 million people, live on less than $2 per day.
A violin costs more than the average house.
Still, this is a city thriving with young musicians. Over 8,000 students in 120 Paraguayan communities are engaged in a Swiss NGO’s Sonidos de la Tierra (Sounds of the Land) Initiative to bring classical and folkloric music to children. Not only are these children taught to play music, they also learn how to build and repair musical instruments found in the landfills (or supplied through grants).
Alberto made a drum out of an X-ray of a spine. His teacher made a guitar from sweet potato cans. This initiative champions our core values and proves that sustainability is more than a watery notion of “going green.” Not only does it exhibit creative solutions to an environmental disaster, it has established sustainable social impact and a changed community – one that is empowered through musical education – truly changing the world for children through music.
See for yourself!
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