On Thursday, we had a visit from the Cateura Recycled Orchestra! The children were very excited to hear the orchestra play their instruments – violins, violas, a contrabass, harp, a transverse flute, saxophone, guitar, and percussion instruments – all of which were crafted from items like oil cans, pipes, and other discarded objects. Each member of the orchestra explained how and from what their instrument was made. Some of the children even got to play an instrument! 

‘The Cateura Recycled Orchestra was born in Cateura, a community built around a landfill near Asunción, Paraguay. Life in Cateura is challenging, but through the vision of environmental engineer Favio Chávez, the children of the community discovered a way to turn discarded materials into handmade musical instruments. Today, their orchestra—composed entirely of instruments crafted from recycled materials—share their story of resilience and hope across the globe.’

The Orchestra was ‘particularly drawn to the Dalkey School Project’s strong values of sustainability, inclusivity, and fostering creativity in young minds.’

Hosting the Cateura Recycled Orchestra was a beautiful way to celebrate these principles in action and inspire our children to continue thinking about their role in shaping a better, more sustainable world.

The whole experience was so enjoyable that we have already asked them back next year!