About the program
In 2021, faced with an increasingly urgent and violent situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Rwanda Youth Music team came to us with an idea for a new project, to help the people of DR Congo and provide support. The Rwanda Youth Music team trained a group of young community leaders to use music with children and youth directly affected by conflict. Their work grew year upon year, and in 2023 the Kivu Youth Music team ran workshops with over 3,500 young people living in Internally Displaced People camps and orphanages.
In 2024, we launched Kivu Youth Music as a full partnership between Musicians Without Borders and the Congolese NGO, Global Vision for Africa.
Support for children and youth affected by conflict
The Kivu Youth Music team run weekly workshops for children and youth who are directly affected by conflict, in Internally Displaced People camps and in orphanages. The music leaders are trained by the Rwanda Youth Music training team, in Musicians Without Borders’ methodology. The workshops provide creative, expressive, and joyful experiences for the young participants.
Music of the Landscape
We are pioneering new musical responses to the impacts of climate change that fuel conflict in DR Congo. In partnership with the Dutch committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN NL), Global Vision for Africa, the local Federation of Scouts (FESCO), and the Delia-Ndaro Cultural Center, we are mobilising music leadership and deeply embedded cultural connections to nature in order to foster youth climate resilience.