Sunday, October 21, 2007

2008 Calendar


Just as we did last year, we have made a calendar for the year 2008 to sell in order to fund our program Rhythm in the Barrios.

Last year’s calendars were a huge success; we sold more than 600 of them and made almost 4500 euros (see the entry “2007 Calendar” in the September 2007 archive). Now, we are counting once more on everybody’s help so that we can continue our work on the project.

Proceeds from the calendar sale will go towards buying instruments and other materials we need for the music classes, and towards the salaries of local teachers who work with us.

This 17 x 24 cm wall calendar was designed by our volunteer Marc Virgili. He and Sydney Fox, another volunteer, took all of the photos featured in the calendar. The result is excellent! You can see some of the photos in the video at the top right of the blog.

When you buy the calendar for just 8 Euros or 10 dollars, you help fund year-round music classes for 400 children and help creaate jobs for music professors in Nicaragua. It is definitely worth it.

Anyone who is interested, please send me an email at raulplanas@hotmail.com. We ship calendars all over the world!

We would love to hear from you. Thanks so much!

Rhythm for Solidarity

This past September 4, Hurricane Felix hit the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, destroying everything in its path and leaving the area in a catastrophic state. As is often the case in this kind of situation, the aid for the thousands of victims quickly started to arrive not only from many surrounding countries, but also from various places within Nicaragua.

Of course, Rhythm in the Barrios didn’t want to be left behind, and we organized a benefit concert that we called RHYTHM FOR SOLIDARITY.


The show took place last September 29 in Granada’s Central Park. Close to 90 of our music students participated, proudly playing and singing in front of the crowd that packed the park.





During the weeks leading up to the concert, we had talks with the kids about what had happened on the Coast, in which they were able to express their feelings. They thought about the outside aid that they themselves get, and afterwards they thought of ways in which they could help the people affected by the Hurricane. They also drew several murals dedicated to the children of the Atlantic Coast, which they displayed in the park the day of the concert. Some kids even brought things from home to donate to the cause. All in all, it was a huge project for solidarity which went far beyond our music classes; kids, teachers, and volunteers all wanted to take part.




Some groups also performed Nicaraguan folk dances, and our friends from the Acting and Mime School delighted us with their acrobatics to finish off the show.




The event was a true success not only for what we collected, which was no more than several kilos of rice and beans, some clothes, and a bit of money; but for the fact that kids from such humble backgrounds got involved so enthusiastically in the cause, and that all of them had the chance to display their art to the public, many of them for the first time. It was quite moving to see how happy and proud they were!

After all of the applause and congratulations, everyone went home with their self-esteem in the clouds, happy for what they had accomplished thanks to Rhythm for Solidarity.