El Sistema Kenya
El Sistema Kenya is an education-based social change initiative founded in 2014 in Kawangware, an informal settlement in Nairobi. The goal is to change the lives of underprivileged young students in East Africa, who often do not receive opportunities to become creative, well educated individuals and better their lives. In the Americas and Europe, similar programmes have helped over 2 million students, and in Africa organizations such as the Kenya National Youth Orchestra have already shown powerful results.
MDMT supports young musicians at Kawangware Primary School in Nairobi as part of the El Sistema programme. We fund the Kenyan music teachers who visit to give lessons once a week. They teach basic music theory as well as beginner violin skills and currently have two groups working at different levels. MDMT also sources instruments, bows and strings.
MDMT supports the El Sistema strings programme at Starehe Girls’ Centre, bringing Kenyan violinists together with keen pupils to work as an ensemble.