On January 14, 2017, The Travel Songs Foundation’s first charitable initiative, The Sabino Luthier School, was successfully launched in Cusco, Peru.
Two students from the region of Q'eros, Peru have been officially enrolled in the school under full scholarships. The students, Hecton, 17, and Eulogio, 15, will both participate in an intensive luthier apprentice program that will meet every Saturday from 9am-4pm during the year 2017.
By the end of their year-long apprenticeship, the students will obtain the base knowledge and skill sets required to build the charango -- providing them with the foundations for a successful career and preserving this important Andean tradition. Each session will be documented so that the curriculum and student’s progress can be shared to further awareness of this important art form.
This is the first official charitable initiative of The Travel Songs Foundation in an effort to fulfill its mission to Connect Cultures Through Music. The Travel Songs Foundation is funding all travel and lodging, as well as the cost of tools and materials for the students. Donations to The Travel Songs Foundation will also provide a salary for the school’s instructor, Sabino Huaman and stipend for his son, Jhosimar, who will be capturing multimedia to document the curriculum.
"It is my belief that simply creating ethnographic documentary material does not prove to be sufficient in effectively preserving endangered art forms," says Executive Director of The Travel Songs Foundation, Zachary Humenik. "Nor does it create an equal exchange of information. This is why The Travel Songs Foundation is committed to launching at least one charitable initiative in each of the countries where it produces documentaries."
The project is currently over halfway funded, with an annual budget of $12,000, but The Travel Songs Foundation is actively seeking donations from individuals and organizations to sustain the project. Donations can be placed through The Travel Songs Foundation's member portal.
Supporters of The Travel Songs Foundation will receive weekly photo and video updates from Cusco.
Below are 35 mm film photographs of the first class.
Photos: Zachary Humenik for Travel Songs