August 2007
Dear Friends,
The year 2007 has been a very good year for Musicians for World
Harmony. We have continued to bring the healing power of music to
people whose spirits need to be uplifted. I refer to orphans and HIV
positive children in Africa. In May of this year I was joined by ten
students and a professor from the Berklee College of Music. Together
we visited Nyambani and Shangalia orphanages in Kenya. These are
special places where children who have been abandoned find love and
shelter.
I knew in my heart that going to these places with musicians would be
very different from the trips that I have made in the past, but I
didn’t know how much of an impact it would have on the children. It
usually takes some time for the children to make friends with the
visitors that I bring, but not this time. The children and the Berklee
students bonded almost instantly. The kids had their visitors dancing
and singing with them as if they were reuniting with long-lost
friends.
Once the students became acquainted with the children, I realized that
these visitors had both talent and compassion. They used their
training to reach these children in very special ways. Some used
guitars, others taught the kids how to play brass instruments, and the
rest sang or held the kids with love. It was not only healing for the
orphans, it was healing to watch. For me, it was the first time I
realized that my dream had come true. These young people, and others
in the future, will take on and continue the work that Musicians for
World Harmony began.
It was not easy for these young students to make it to Africa on their
own. They had to raise funds, and for many, it will take years to pay
back the loans they had to take in order to make the trip. However,
when you read the blog about this trip, Music Therapy in Africa,
you will see that it was worth it for each of them. Our next trip to
the orphanages will be in January of 2008. Another interesting
development in the last few months happened closer to home. Two
students from Tully High School in upstate New York learned about MWH
from their Social Studies teacher. These two young men and their
teacher organized a fundraising concert that raised over $5000 for the
music program at Shangalia Orphanage. This gave me hope that if we
educate our young people about the world and give them a chance to make
a difference, they will make the world a better place.
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