Projects in the Saharawi Refugee Camps

THIS SATURDAY July 2nd we have so many exciting activities prepared for our Mid-summer Western Sahara Festival (Hundred Years Gallery, E2 8JD, 4-9.30pm).

Among them we'll present two exciting projects in the Saharawi refugee camps:

1. We will be launching Run the Sahara 2017, known internationally as the SaharaMarathon, which takes place annually in February. Through this fundraising and awareness raising event, UK participants raise funds for Sandblast’s music and youth projects in the refugee camps. The Run the Sahara 2017 launch will feature testimonials from former participants.
2. A presentation of the exciting Stave House in the Sahara pilot project will be made by ethnomusicologist and music teacher Violeta Ruano. She leads the project together with three Saharawi teaching trainees to implement music education in English in the Saharawi primary schools in the refugee camps. She is working in close collaboration with Ruth Travers, the creator of the Stave House music-learning system based on characterisation & storytelling. 

Notes:
* Stave House, developed by UK-based music teacher Ruth Travers, is a versatile music teaching method that is being used extensively in primary schools in the UK and elsewhere around the world (they have schools using the method in the USA, China, Greece, Nigeria and other countries. Please see www.stavehouse.co.uk). The method has been approved and certified by the London College of Music (LCM, University of West London), and children trained through it (in theory, singing and instrument playing) are regularly assessed by LCM examiners in order to further their careers.

*Stave House in the Sahara is a new project that aims to facilitate the implementation of music education in English in primary schools in the Saharawi refugee camps (SW Algeria). It was first launched in the UK on 27th Feb 2016 at a fundraising concert at the Galleywood Heritage Centre in Chelmsford, Essex. Its pilot stage was led by ethnomusicologist and music teacher Violeta Ruano in the Saharawi refugee camps during March and April 2016. Throughout the two months, she taught a group of 30 Saharawi children and trained 3 Saharawi local teachers to be able to lead the project in the future. http://stavehouseinthesahara.weebly.com

*Run the Sahara is Sandblast’s annual awareness-raising and fundraising event happening in the Saharawi refugee camps (SW Algeria). It is part of the Sahara Marathon, a unique and inspiring international running event. Next race will take place on 28th Feb, 2017. You can choose to run a full marathon, a half marathon, 10km or 5km. If you don’t like to run, but would like to join, you are welcome to walk instead! http://www.sandblast-arts.org/the-run