Exciting Things Are Happening!

On October 13, we received our first instrument! We received a trombone from Dr. Philip Osehobo of Griffin, GA.

We hope to progress rapidly from here, and quickly get this and other forthcoming instruments into the hands of children in needy communities around the world!

Thank you for your kind donations and support - we're truly making this happen because of you!

Time Not Wasted

John Susi Mpandi has been on break from his classes in the Netherlands and has not wasted his time as evidenced by these photos. He has been teaching music to students with disabilities. He still needs his tuition fees to finish his last year at school. Contact me at ellenbrewer@att.net if you are able to help. He needs funds as well as musical instruments. Helping John helps children!

News, News, News!

Greetings and thanks for stopping by again! Just wanted to let you know some exciting things that have been happening for us.
As a result of people forwarding this blog address we have picked up a few new instruments. We have a trombone, a trumpet, a violin, and 2 flutes! Let's see if we can't get a few more! John Mpandi's program needs a total of 50 brass instruments, so we have a good way to go to fulfill his needs.
John is also in need of scholarship monies to finish up his last year of school in the Netherlands. He must be back in school by Sept. 24 and still needs about $12k. John has been teaching children with disabilities this summer and should have some great pictures to post soon. He could really use a laptop and a copier/printer/fax machine to make communication easier. He is relegated to using an internet cafe which makes information swaps difficult due to the time difference between here and Africa.
We are also thankful to the Bill Gates Foundation's TechSoup website for non-profits. We have been able to get the software to set up our website. Hopefully, it will be up and running soon for donation information. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and willingness to get the word out! Please feel free to leave comments that will help point me in directions I had not thought of going, or contact me at ellenbrewer@att.net . I look forward to hearing from you!

what's happening now

So, with the acceptance of Instruments for the World, Inc., as an official 501c3 nonprofit organization, we are fully underway with our pilot project. Music director John Susi Mpandi is beginning a music program for children and youth in Iganga, Uganda. His hope for the program is to use music to lift the youth out of their impoverished environment and provide them tools to be contributing citizens in their community. John Susi Mpandi has already successfully managed a program in another village: http://www.superstarbrassband.org/.

Now, here we are!--at the threshold of a wonderful opportunity to bless this community. If you have any old brass instruments lying around the house, think that perhaps you might remember storing your old flute in the attic 20 years back, or perchance have a friend that is storing a whole marching band worth of instruments in their basement or school storage room, please think about or ask your friend to think about donating it to this program.

If you can help in any way, please contact Ellen Brewer at ellenbrewer@att.net for further information.

mission

Instruments for the World, Inc. (IFTW) is a non-profit organization encouraging the use of music to enrich, empower, educate and advocate for children and youth of all nations without regard for race, religion, sex or nationality. Initial focus centers on the collection and distribution of musical instruments with an eye towards expansion into other areas of the fine arts as opportunities and funding arise. While our primary focus is to enrich children and youth through the arts, we desire to build partnerships with other groups involved in global service to impoverished areas to meet other socio-economic needs.