Make Music Matter and World Vision tackle barriers to girls’ education in the DRC with funding from Global Affairs Canada

PRESS RELEASE

 

Make Music Matter joins forces with World Vision Canada to bring innovative music therapy program to girls and young women in the DRC with funding from Global Affairs Canada

Healing in Harmony program empowers girls to speak out for right to education

 

OTTAWA, Canada – February 20, 2020 – Winnipeg-born non-profit Make Music Matter is proud to announce the expansion of its Healing in Harmony program to the conflict-ridden Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a joint project with World Vision Canada.

A funding agreement of C$1 million was signed this week by Make Music Matter and World Vision Canada as part of the Equality for Girls’ Access to Learning (EGAL) project for which World Vision has received a total of C$7 million from Global Affairs Canada. The aim is to remove barriers to quality education for girls and young women who are disproportionately denied access to learning opportunities.

A unique model of group therapy, the Healing in Harmony program will address the psychosocial barriers that girls face. Participants work with both a local psychologist and music producer to create and professionally record songs. They then become advocates in their community, helping to break stigma and promote their rights.

The new Healing in Harmony site will benefit girls aged 5 to 15, young women, and caregivers who have experienced trauma, including sexual and gender-based violence, and exploitation.

“We know that even in the world’s toughest places education saves lives and builds futures,” says Lindsay Gladding, World Vision Canada’s Director of Fragile and Humanitarian Programs. “Eliminating barriers to access for girls to quality, inclusive education and changing mindsets around gender norms will enable them to live up to their full potential.”

“Partnering with World Vision Canada represents a significant breakthrough in our reach and opportunity to scale our groundbreaking program globally,” says Make Music Matter CEO and founder Darcy Ataman. “With music we can help alchemize the trauma of those we serve into moving works of art that help not only to heal and empower them individually, but cohere the fabric of the communities they live in.”

 

###

For further information, hi-res photographs, or interviews, please contact:

Rebecca Purver

Media and Communications Officer

rebecca@makemusicmatter.org

 

Download the full press release here

Share This

Copy Link to Clipboard

Copy