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Instruments used in the orchestra made of all garbage picked up from landfills in Cateura. This area has been carried garbage of 1500 tons daily. When Favio started teaching music to children, it was very difficult to get the real instruments. Because a real violin is more expensive than a house. At one point, he wold come up to make a musical instrument from the garbage. A skilled craftsman just lived in this district. Favio has created a variety of the miraculous musical instruments with him.

Violin: paint cans, aluminum pot, wooden pallets

Cello: olive oil cans, tenderizer, wooden pallets

Saxophone: water pipes, coins, buttons, keys, tops of the beer bottles, cutlery handles

Drums: wooden pallets, radiograph, angles and pins of metal for windows

Guitar: wooden pallets, cans for sweets

Children came to be able to learn music with these musical instruments.

More than 40% of the population are the poors in Paraguay. The poorest 2500 family live in Cateura area. They live on top of the landfill coming carried garbage also 1500 tons daily.And they collected pick up such as cardboard and plastic from the garbage, they make a living by get bought to recyclers. There was also a children's appearance there. Children who cannot have future dream and hope. They cannot go to school even during the day, children had given up that they cannot get out of the slums throughout the life such as their parents.They were exert themselves to the utmost to live every day, the fight by the scramble for garbage did not die out. They are not even afford to take care of siblings, and children without the parent were often involved in a drug and a crime. 

2006: Favio Chavez came to Cateura for the recycling project of garbage in Cateura. As a side, he taught music to children.

2008: ‘Recycled Orchestra of Cateura’ founded by Favio Chavez

2011: He began to teach not only the music but also the making of musical instrument.

2012: The documentary film of the orchestra was planned byAlejandra Amarilla and Juliana Penaranda-Loftus. It created a global sensation as soon as a preview was shown in YouTube. And the funds of film collected by the kick starter to succeed.

2013: The documentary film was completed.

2014: The documentary film was published and the world tour of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura was held.

When the orchestra was established at the first, they were about 30 members. But now children more than 200 have learned music. Children were able to develop the concentration, cooperativeness, and sense of responsibility through music education. And then, the wheel of music has also spread now to teach music from themselves to small children. After their video was published, performance request and donations of orchestra rushed from all over the world. Eventually They were able to get a real musical instrument. They were able to have a future dream that want to be musician and to teach music to children as Favio. However, unfortunately they have the fight of the interest by the parent of children because many donations gathered. In addition, It’s not been resolved garbage problem. Their activities will continue in the future.

Their future goal is the establishment of the ‘Landfillharmonic foundation’. They aim at the improvement of the environmental problem of Cateura, the promotion of the employment in the community. And they want to apply this methodology to the other poverty area.