Dear friends,

About a month ago, a dear friend called Paula Cullen got in touch to ask about finding a violin for a talented young boy in the Mukuru Rehabilitation Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. I started to ask around and mentioned it to my wonderful colleagues at the National Symphony Orchestra. Very quickly, we sourced a beautiful violin that was lying dormant, under a bed! The thought dawned on me, that if this neglected violin was gathering dust, how many other instruments were slumbering in someone’s attic, garage, under the stairs?

Word travels quickly in the music world and around Ireland. More instruments were donated and it became apparent that this kind and thoughtful network of friends and musicians could profoundly impact and change the lives of these hugely underprivileged boys.

And so, the seed was planted to create an orchestra in Mukuru, Nairobi. The Mukuru Promotion Centre

serves as a rescue centre for street boys, providing education and rehabilitation services to guide them towards a successful reintegration into society. Most have had unthinkable difficulties to endure in their young lives, and the Rehabilitation Centre acts as a sanctuary, a light and a hope for them.

So many of you have kindly offered donations of unused instruments of all kinds and all instruments are so gratefully, welcomed! Please contact me through this page, or directly, to donate instruments for the Mukuru Philharmonic Orchestra!

Others have offered to donate via GoFundMe, hence this page. Donations are essential to buy more instruments, orchestral supplies like music stands etc. We’d love to employ a full time music teacher for the boys, to fund online music lessons for individual instruments and to help them to maintain their orchestra.

The wonderful Bróna Fitzgerald (violinist at the NSO) is arranging Céilí in the Carpark on 4th July and a cake sale to help boost funds. Hopefully, with the help of our wonderful network of musicians, the dream of the Mukuru Philharmonic can become a reality.

Thank you and God bless,

Sinéad