This music program is located in Quibdó, in the Choco region of Colombia, on the Western side of the country and is the result of a partnership between Fundación Pies Descalzos and Playing For Change Foundation aiming at harnessing the power of music as a catalyst for integral growth and positive change in the community. By combining artistic education with core values and leveraging the rich musical heritage of the Colombian pacific region, the initiative strives to create a platform for personal development, cultural preservation, and peaceful coexistence. One of the mid term objectives of this program is to form a Peace Band with our music students in order to advocate for unity and help fight ethnic and social divides through music.

The program is implemented in a public school supported by FPD in the Commune 6, where an important part of the population lives in informal settlements and is subject to a series of challenges, such as violence, school dropouts and social exclusion that we are determined to fight through the power of music.

Quibdó, Colombia
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ABOUT QUIBDÓ

Quibdó, located in western Colombia, is the capital city of the Chocó Department and is known for its rich Afro-Colombian culture, vibrant music scene, and its position as a gateway to the biodiverse Chocó rainforest. The Colombian pacific region venerates music as an ancestral social practice playing a crucial role in communities. In this sense, music is a tool for developing socioemotional skills, values, as well as promoting cultural heritage and coexistence. Our goal is to provide opportunities that will contribute to reduce violence rates, school dropouts, and create positive social change.

 

Traditional music
Building peace through music
Song writing and composition
6 team members

TEAM ON THE GROUND

Neyvo "Junior" Moreno Cuesta
Music teacher
Edward Edinson
Music teacher
Juan Carlos Asprilla
Songwriting and vocal teacher
Kateryne Pamela Ardila Niño
Pedagogical coordinator

OUR PARTNER : FUNDACIÓN PIES DESCALZOS

Fundación Pies Descalzos was founded in 1997 by Shakira to improve the education and social development of children in her native country of Colombia, which has suffered decades of conflict. Committed to the U.N’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Foundation has worked effectively for nearly two decades to bring quality public education to thousands of children in Colombia in its most vulnerable communities.

To date, the Foundation has built 9 public schools in different high-risk neighborhoods across the Colombia and is building others (Barranquilla, Cartagena, Quibdó, La Guajira, Norte de Santander). Furthermore, the Foundation has also worked throughout the Colombian public school system developing effective educational practices through a wholly comprehensive model that serves students from early childhood development to youth training beyond the classroom after secondary school.

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