Music for

Children

Music for Children helps children to get into contact with music

Apart from the fact that children can simply have a lot of fun making music, it can contribute enormously to their development. In addition, it can give talented children in disadvantaged situations an opportunity to transcend this situation.

Mission

Music for Children believes that all children have a right to music education because music offers them hope, inspiration, comfort and joy.

Vision

Music for Children aims to provide children from disadvantaged backgrounds with new experiences and perspectives through music education and, in doing so, also increase their chances of financial independence.

Approach

Music for Children provides music education to children in disadvantaged situations, enabling them to learn an instrument together, strengthen their self-confidence and social skills, and create opportunities to generate their own income through performances.

Want to help? You can!

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Helping can be done in several ways!

In addition to donations, it is also possible to buy our (new) merch! It is also
possible to set up your own action, or become a volunteer!

Check out the other ways you can support Music for Children here!

News and

stories

Read the latest Music for Children news here and check out upcoming events and ongoing projects.

View all of the newsposts

New activities at HCMI

9 Jun, 2026 | Uganda

In Uganda, it was vacation time in May. For the children of the HCMI project in Kampala, that means music lessons every day! Thanks to funding from...

HCMI teacher Claire Nakibuule passed ABRSM grade 5 exam

17 Apr, 2026 | Uganda

Claire Nakibuule is founder and lead instructor for the Happy Children Music Initiative project. In addition to teaching, she continues to work...

Organisational Changes within Music for Children

13 Apr, 2026 | The Foundation

Several significant changes have taken place within the board of the Music for Children Foundation. Mirjan Kouwenhoven, who has been involved with...

Our Projects

Happy Children Music Initiative

Happy Music Children Initiative

In April 2023, Claire and Tony together submitted a plan to start a community project in the village of Buzzi, on the road from Entebbe to Kampala, close to where they lived. There they wanted to give music lessons and organise musical activities for neighbourhood children who love music but have no access to it, orphans and poor children. The plan was to give lessons on saxophones, melodica, guitar and singing, and when the children had learned some, to organise concerts in the church and the neighbourhood.

Africa Music School

Africa Music School is an organisation that offers music lessons to children in their community (Masajja, Uganda). AMS was founded by Francis Kalema, once himself orphaned and living on the streets of Kampala. Francis, or Franke, in his own words, was ‘saved by music’. He joined several music projects in Kampala and this got him off the streets. Now Franke also wants to help other children get a better life through the use of music.

Khule Africa

Since July 2019, Music for Children has been involved in the Khule Africa project, led by director Joseph Balibaawo Lubega. We started with music lessons from Tony Sentamu. He taught on weekends in Ggaba. Tony had come into contact with this Joseph, a teacher, in May, after Samira was back in the Netherlands, who gave up his job to take care of a group of about 50 to 60 children who were living on the streets without a roof, food or adequate clothing, well below the poverty line.

Movimiento Manglar

Music for Children has been working with the organisation Movimiento Manglar in Colombia since 2021. The founders of this organisation are music teacher Darío Eraso and Derk Norde. Samira met and worked with Darío during her trip to Colombia in 2020. Dario Eraso was then working as a music teacher for the organisation Fundacion Caminos, but wanted to do more and set up his own organisation.