We had the pleasure of hearing and singing with the Family Folk Chorale last Saturday at a fundraiser for Clean Your Desk for Nicaragua and Safe Passage.
Clean Your Desk is a project of Quest for Peace and provides a really easy and concrete way for elementary school kids to think about the challenges facing children in South America and a way to be connected to them. Clean Your Desk collects lightly used school supplies for children who do not have any. We started a box, and it did raise some interesting conversation about why we might feel "done" with a half-used notebook and what that means for our consumption. There is a way that I somehow would feel better about sending NEW crayons, but I also think there is something really smart about recognizing how much gets wasted in our culture and building a bridge -- not just buying more new stuff because "new" feels so important.
Safe Passage provides resources and opportunities for children who work in Guatamala's garbage dump area. Guatamala is one of the poorest Central American countries and small donations of U.S. dollars can make a world of difference to children living in Guatamala. Families can sponsor a child for $50 - $200 a month or can make one-time donations.
The act of singing with the Family Folk Chorale and seeing people of all ages and from all different ethnic backgrounds sign in Spanish was incredibly joyful and moving. It really did help me see the world as smaller and that our children and the children of Nicaragua and Guatamala are connected.
Here are the lyrics for a few of the songs :
Des Colores
Mu Cuerpo Hace Musica on YouTube
and Somos El Barco
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