The Daily Journal.- The U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with Congress, plans to provide $57 million in grants to support the recovery of Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs (El Sistema) and complete an 18,000-square-meter Teacher Training Center in Venezuela, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas said Thursday.
The funding will also support educational and cultural programs linked to the Simón Bolívar Musical Foundation, known as El Sistema, according to a statement from the diplomatic mission.
The Embassy said El Sistema, founded in 1975, ranks among Venezuela’s leading arts education institutions and serves more than one million at-risk young people through music education programs across the country.
The United States also highlighted the international recognition that El Sistema’s musicians and programs have earned. The diplomatic mission noted that one of El Sistema’s orchestras recently performed at the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. At the same time, musicians affiliated with the institution have earned Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations and awards.
Part of Venezuela’s recovery plan
According to Washington, the announcement forms part of the three-phase plan that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have promoted for Venezuela, which includes stabilization, economic recovery, political reconciliation and democratic transition.
The Embassy said El Sistema experienced a systematic decline in funding during Nicolás Maduro’s government, including cuts to its budget and programs.
According to the statement, a lack of funding halted construction of the Teacher Training Center before it was completed.
“In collaboration with Venezuela’s interim authorities,” the State Department will help complete the facilities and support the institution’s recovery, the Embassy said.
Washington presented the initiative as part of its long-term strategy to support Venezuela’s recovery and the country’s economic stabilization.
The $57 million announcement adds to U.S. initiatives aimed at rebuilding Venezuelan institutions under the three-phase roadmap that the Trump administration and Secretary Rubio have outlined for the country.
