An Orchestra of Hope

As Favio Chavez speaks passionately in Spanish, his words paint a vivid picture of the daily struggles faced by the residents of Cateura, a landfill site on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay. “The pollution is in the soil, in the water and in the air,” he laments.

Discussing the harsh realities of the situation through a translator, I can see the emotions in Favio’s expressions. It’s crystal clear how deeply he empathises with the community who call the landfill site ‘home’.

Created in 1984 by the municipality, the Cateura landfill sprawls over 50 hectares of land. Each day, over 1,500 tons of waste is dumped on the site, leaving residents to eke out a living by wading through trash to find sellable or usable items.

The stench of decomposing waste permeates the air, serving as a constant reminder of the environmental and health hazards the community faces.

The 25,000 residents of Cateura have lived for decades in the shadows of mountains of garbage, facing daily battles with pollution, crime and limited access to basic services. “Most become involved with crime just to survive,” Favio shares. "The social situation is very delicate and complex."

“It had become normal to live in such an unhealthy place, with such a terrible quality of life,” Favio explains the perpetuating cycle of poverty and limited opportunities. “People are marginalised and exploited. The children there have to face all these issues.”

Amongst the myriad of social and economic issues, this bleak landscape serves as the backdrop to something truly magical: a symphony of change created by the tireless dedication and passion of one man.

Favio's journey to the Cateura landfill began with a childhood spent in Argentina and Paraguay, where he discovered his love for music, learning to sing and play the guitar. His passion for both music and the environment would eventually guide him to Asunción, where he studied environmental engineering and first encountered the Cateura landfill community.

Witnessing the despair and poverty of the residents, Favio saw an opportunity. "The idea was to give these children the option of learning music instead of turning to crime," he explains. “We had to change their mindsets, and music has the power to change people’s attitudes.”

And so, the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura was born - an ensemble ingeniously formed from the trash heaps, giving a voice to the voiceless and showing the world the transformative power of music.

With no money for instruments, Favio turned to the very waste that plagued the community. Paint cans, metal tubes, and oil drums were transformed into violins, cellos, and drums, “Any element that uses vibration,” Favio says, describing his mission to breathe life into the Recycled Orchestra.

At first, the project was met with feelings of uncertainty and scepticism from the community. “This is an area where child labour is really common. Many children drop out of school at a young age to start work,” Favio says, grounding his story in the devastating context of life at the Centeura landfill. He continues, “Learning to play an instrument is a long process, and some didn't see its value -- They felt like it was a waste of time.”

But as the children began to play, attitudes shifted. "They started to see the changes in the kids," Favio beams. "Cateura, once known for trash and social problems, began to be famous for its music."

Over the past 18 years, the Recycled Orchestra has flourished, “I used to teach on the street,” Favio shares. “Now we have a music school, with 300 students and 28 teachers - 24 of those teachers being former students of mine.”

Not only has the initiative grown within the community, but the orchestra has also achieved global recognition, being the focus of an award-winning documentary, ‘Landfill Harmonic.’ They’ve shared the stage with Metallica, playing to crowds of over 50,000 people across South America. An opportunity that still surprises Favio, “I would never have imagined that those kids to whom I had started to teach music would play with Metallica,” he smiles, his joyful pride infectious, “That was huge.”  
Now, their story is even being turned into a Broadway musical.

"It's incredible how our story is being shared,” he marvels. "The feeling that we have inspired people all around the world. We're are really honoured, you know."

Despite the orchestra's many successes, Favio remains focused on the future. "The hardest part was getting into the hearts of the community, and we’ve succeeded, " he says. "But with more children coming to us everyday, our next challenge and my hope is that the authorities start to recognise the value and support this project."

Through his work, Favio has not only given the community of Cetaura a sense of pride and hope but also demonstrated that solutions can be found in the most unlikely places. All it takes is imagination, perseverance, and compassion.

"Never underestimate the power of a small action. It's small actions that make big changes in the long term," Favio states.

“I’m not a formal music teacher,” he explains, “do what you can with what you have, without waiting for the perfect conditions because they hardly ever exist.”

Favio’s love for his neighbourhood changed the lives of hundreds of young children, offering a way out of the landfill and into a new future.  He smiles, “It was a poor community surrounded by garbage, and we made instruments out of that garbage. So, with whatever you have, just get started.”

As the world moves forward, we know that we can’t wait – with whatever we have, we’ve got to get started.