Ada's Violin The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

This is the extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra comprised of children who play instruments made entirely from recycled trash. The story centers on Ada Ríos, a young girl growing up in Cateura, a small Paraguayan town built on Asunción's main landfill, where her family and neighbors work as gancheros (recyclers). Ada dreamed of playing the violin, but the family could not afford one, and a real instrument would be a magnet for thieves. Her life changed when a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived and, realizing the need for instruments, worked with a local carpenter to create violins, cellos, flutes, and guitars from discarded materials like paint cans, water pipes, and oil drums found in the landfill. The orchestra's incredible innovation and message of hope has since taken them to play on stages all around the world.

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