Playing For Change Foundation

PROVIDING RESOURCES TO MUSICIANS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

2021 WAS A YEAR OF EXCITING GROWTH AND THE DEEPENING OF OUR WORK AND MISSION, AFTER THE CHALLENGES OF 2020 AND COVID-19. PFCF PARTNERED WITH THE LOCAL ORGANIZATION SINA LOKETA AND BEGAN PROGRAMMING AT THE BIDI BIDI REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, THE FIRST TIME THE ORGANIZATION HAS WORKED WITH REFUGEE COMMUNITIES. THERE WERE INTERNATIONAL, CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS WITH OUR PROGRAMS IN MALI, GHANA, AND MOROCCO. MUSICIANS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS CAME TOGETHER TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER, PLAY AND RECORD MUSIC AT THE LARGEST STUDIO IN AFRICA, STUDIO HIBA. THIS ACTIVITY CULMINATED AT ONE OF THE LARGEST MUSIC, CULTURAL EVENTS IN NORTH & WEST AFRICA, VISA FOR MUSIC. ALL PROGRAM LEADERS WERE ABLE TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THEIR MUSIC, CULTURE, CHALLENGES AND HOPES FOR THE FUTURE WITH A WIDER AUDIENCE. WE HELD COMMUNITY EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING AN IMPORTANT FESTIVAL IN TAMALE, GHANA HOME OF PFCF'S BIZUNG SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DANCE. JOUDOUR SAHARA AND MOROCCAN ARCHITECTURAL FIRM AZIZA CHAOUNI PROJECTS WERE AWARDED BOTH THE GLOBAL BRONZE PRIZE AND AFRICAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PRIZE FOR THE DESIGN OF THE JOUDOUR SAHARA CULTURAL CAMPUS IN M'HAMID EL GHIZLANE.IN ADDITION NEW FACILITIES WERE CONSTRUCTED IN NEPAL, AN EXPANSION OF OUTREACH IN MEXICO, AND DIGITAL LEARNING PROJECTS BETWEEN CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND TEACHERS AT FOUR COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, THE GHANA, NEPAL, MEXICO, AND THE U.S. ALTHOUGH MANY EXTRAORDINARY THINGS HAPPENED IN 2021, COVID-19 WAS STILL VERY PRESENT IN COMMUNITIES WE WORK WITH. WE CREATED CAMPAIGNS TO RAISE MONEY FOR OXYGEN AND OTHER EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPORT IN NEPAL, HYGIENE KITS AND FOOD SUPPORT FOR AREAS HARD HIT BY THE PANDEMIC, INCLUDING MALI, NEPAL, SOUTH AFRICA, BANGLADESH AND OTHERS. WE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE THE ONGOING SUPPORT FROM MUSICIAN DAMON ALBARN FOR THE MALI PROGRAM, INCLUDING AN INCREASE TO HELP WITH THEIR MOST URGENT NEEDS. IT WAS A YEAR FILLED WITH JOY, CHALLENGES, AND THE STRENGTHENING OF OUR WORK AND THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY THAT IS PFCF.

PFC DAY AS COMMUNITY COHESION EVENTS. PFCF WORKED WITH LOCAL PROGRAMS TO USE MUSIC AS THE KEY TO DRIVING SOCIAL COHESION IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE WE OPERATE. WE SUPPORTED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PFC DAY EVENTS REACHING SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE ACROSS FIVE COUNTRIES. A HIGHLIGHT WAS A TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND DANCE SHOWCASE AT PFC DAY IN TAMALE, GHANA, WHERE MORE THAN 50 MUSICIANS AND DANCERS PARTICIPATED, REACHING SEVERAL HUNDRED COMMUNITY MEMBERS.