Venezuela Projects and Prospects 2005

I want to review my Venezuela trip, and to consider projects and prospects. Other projects calling for brief mention include Haiti, Guatemala, Millennium Harpers, and our stalled Russia project. All of these and other projects call for an investment of time, devotion, cooperation, and money. This note is going out to our newsletter "short list," folks who have expressed a serious interest in our mission. Please ask yourself how you can help.

In Venezuela, I propose to help sponsor a harp school at Rancho El Molino, near Elorza, heartland of Venezuelan traditional music, in March of 2006. The instructor would be Euro Olivero, who was my host for a week last month. Also cooperating would be Adolfo Cardozo (see photo), my friend the singer-songwriter who created the Doctora Gallina project. The El Molino Harp School would bring Venezuelan youth together for a week of intensive instruction. A few international folks might take advantage of this as an agro-eco-cultural tourism opportunity.

Adolfo's own non-profit organization, CENDI, is heavily involved in environmental education and rural development. At El Molino, they want to replicate their beautiful project at La Florida. I would like Harping for Harmony Foundation to be a partner.

To cooperate in Venezuelan projects in 2005, I would like Harping for Harmony Foundation to invest at least $2000, and preferably $5000. With our commitment I am confident that we can leverage two, three or four times as much from other sources.

Our Haiti project is up in the air as I write, but I have made tentative plans to travel there in July. If this happens, the cost will be about $2000.

Regarding Guatemala, I want us to sponsor one or more volunteer harpists who would travel there to participate with Patrice Fisher in her harp school project. Also, in neighboring Honduras, we may want to help Lis Joosten to develop a harp school project. Could we budget $2000 over the next two years, through 2006?
Continuing the popular Millennium Harpers project involves awarding as many as 10 small harps a year to volunteer musicians who "stretch themselves as persons and as performers." The budget for this is $2000 to $3000.

I mention this now because our Board of Directors will meet in mid-March. I want Harping for Harmony Foundation to have more financial resources. After more than ten years, our annual revenues approach $20,000. The biggest chunk of income comes from my performance fees and the harps I build. I would like to double and triple our revenues in 2005 and 2006. Grants are part of the strategy, but our independence requires sustainable small donorship.

Best regards,
John