Despite the health pandemic and the crisis caused by COVID-19, Petits Músics del Món tries to maintain its activity as normally as possible. It has been a difficult few months for most, where we have been affected and hit by this health and economic crisis. At Petits Músics del Món we were forced to make an ERTO to the only person hired in Catalonia, due to the state of alarm and the impossibility of guaranteeing income for our activities.

Unfortunately, for the first time this year we have not been able to carry out the cultural exchange of Hear Us in Catalan schools. The different Labdoo laptops could not be sent to Music Crossroads either, due to the lack of flights and the cancellation of the Hear Us children’s visit. Therefore, it was decided to send through Labdoo several juvenile centers these laptops, thus encouraging the development of online classes for these young people.

Malawi has also been affected by the situation of COVID. The state of Malawi in April decreed the confinement of the country, but an electoral process (now they have a new president) and the need to go out to get what is needed for the day to day, did not work, little by little s ‘are implementing, as far as possible, prevention measures. The shutdown has caused great economic destabilization for the majority of the Malawian population and an interruption in their sources of income, for example, schools that have closed have not maintained salaries for teachers.

On Wednesday, July 22, we were able to meet virtually with Mathews to review the project and talk about the impact of COVID-19 on Music Crossroads (MCM) projects. MCM has continued to develop most of its activities, maintaining hygienic measures and reducing the number of children in the classroom. Hear Us workshops and courses have been held, both music lessons and dance classes. In addition, computer classes have continued to be developed with a small number of students, using some of the computers donated by PMM.

Music Crossroads is building a computer room and storage of the respective materials, maintaining safety distances and hygienic measures. This will mean an improvement in the quality of Music Crossroads’ computer education and the safety of its students. You can see its construction in the images exposed later, on our social networks and on the website!

We find that the current situation is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves and open new fronts of work, where technologies are an agent of transformation and global union in Catalonia and Malawi. That’s why we’re working together with Music Crossroads to find an alternative to the Hear Us Children project. Once again, we will need volunteers willing to carry out this online training and funding in order to maintain the project by guaranteeing the salary of the team in Malawi. We are very excited about the new Hear Us International Forum project that we want to open the doors to boys and girls from other countries to this project.

From Petits Músics del Món we are clear that it is time to resurface and consider new forms of growth and social development. We are grateful for the trust placed in us and our counterpart, Music Crossroads- Malawi.