LocationsHow instrument repair is empowering Brazil’s youth
Beyond music
April 14, 2026
Since 2009, UNDP has supported Neojiba, a programme that advances social development and inclusion through collective music education and performance, including its school of luthiery.
Photo: Neojiba
In a workroom in Salvador, the capital of the State of Bahia, Brazil, the air smells of varnish, wood and polished brass. There, Eizy Helen Silva carefully cleans and shines a flute with precision.
Less than a decade ago, she didn’t even know that luthiery—the art of repairing and building musical instruments—existed. Now, at 26, she’s part of a growing generation of luthiers in the country.
After training in the craft, Eizy now works as a professional luthier, showing how the programme opens doors for young people with fewer opportunities.
Photo: Neojiba
Tuning new futures
Eizy discovered the craft eight years ago through Neojiba, an initiative by the Secretariat of Justice and Human Rights of the State of Bahia, supported by UNDP Brazil in partnership with the Institute for Social Development through Music (IDSM, in Portuguese). The programme seeks to promote social inclusion through music education.
For Eizy, what began as an extracurricular activity after high school has since evolved into a full-fledged career. “A door of possibilities opened up,” she says, emphasizing how the programme provides opportunities for young people whose social and economic circumstances often limit access to education and employment.
After the training, she got a job as a professional luthier with Neojiba. Today, 35 luthiery technicians—30 of them young people—have been trained through the programme, and together they keep the Neojiba youth orchestra, with its 2,000 musicians, in tune and performing.
“A door of possibilities opened up"— Eizy Helen Silva
In Bahia, one of the States with a Human Development Index (HDI) below the national average, such initiatives are creating new opportunities for young people to build skills and livelihoods. This is especially crucial as young people face daunting employment challenges, particularly in low-income countries where more than a quarter are neither in school, training, nor work. Although Brazil’s overall unemployment rate is at historically low levels, young adults aged 18 to 24 still struggle to enter the job market.
In this landscape, Neojiba illustrates how targeted skills development can equip youth in the cultural economy, reduce inequalities and advance multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As Leonel Neto, head of UNDP’s office in Salvador, emphasizes: “This work made it possible to train professionals who expanded their activities beyond the project, meeting the demands of marching bands, public and private schools that request luthiery services in Salvador.”
Skills development in the cultural sector can equip young people, reduce inequalities and advance multiple SDGs.
Photo: Neojiba
Founded nearly 20 years ago, Neojiba has reached more than 42,000 children, adolescents and young people, promoting social development and inclusion through collective music education and practice. Its luthiery school further expands this mission, developing technical expertise and opening opportunities that generate both income and a sense of purpose. UNDP has supported the initiative since 2009, helping facilitate the import of instruments and tools for the orchestra, as well as backing the luthiery workshop, which extends the lifespan of these resources.
As Eizy reflects: “Nowhere else offers technical training like this. It has changed my life and given me a career I never imagined.” Her story illustrates how culture, education and employment can intersect to transform lives and help tuning new futures.
From choir to craft
In Liberdade, one of the most densely populated and culturally Afro-descendant neighborhoods in the State capital, 28-year-old Marcelo Gavazza lives and breathes music. He joined Neojiba in 2012 as a choir member, but his passion quickly carried him further: he learned to play the guitar, joined the orchestra, and eventually discovered his calling at the Neojiba luthiery school.
In a two-week immersive seminar by the programme, Marcelo and other young people continued refining their skills as instrument technicians under the guidance of international experts, such such as Oskar Kappelmeyer (bass), Otto Hnatek (flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, among others), André Marc Huwyler (violin, viola, cello and double bass), and Frederic Becker (bows).
Marcelo’s passion for music carried him further, where he learned guitar, joined the Neojiba orchestra and ultimately found his calling at the luthiery school.
Photo: Neojiba
It was a full spectrum of experiences: specialized workshops, lectures, technical presentations and hands-on activities designed to revive a nearly forgotten craft. Although access to training and affordable tools remains limited, the luthiery market in Brazil has begun to grow, generating a small but rapidly expanding niche of around 9.8 million reais (approximately 2 million USD) per year, which accounts for about 10 percent of the entire musical instrument market.
Reflecting on the experience, Marcelo recalls: “We learned that we can substitute Brazilwood with local woods from Salvador,” especially for bows, essential accessories for bowed string instruments such as violins and basses, traditionally made from Brazilwood and horsehair to produce sound through friction with the strings.
The impact of the seminars goes far beyond technique. Through these exchanges with luthiers from Germany, Switzerland and France, participants connected to a wider community of practice, showing how a local initiative can draw on international expertise while building capacity in the Global South.
“We learned that we can substitute Brazilwood with local woods from Salvador"— Marcelo Gavazza
For Swiss luthier André Marc Huwyler, who has worked with the project since 2009, the impact is clear. The seminars, he says, are “remarkable experiences”. And he continues: “I saw young people eager to learn, immediate results in the completion of various items and repairs, but also realized the seminar helped prepare their future in luthiery.”
From these lessons, new career paths and business opportunities are emerging. Today, Marcelo runs his own luthier atelier, keeping music alive in his neighborhood, and serving the Liberdade community and surrounding areas with repair, maintenance and custom instrument services.
Marcelo now runs his own luthier atelier, offering repair, maintenance and custom instrument services to the Liberdade community and beyond.
Photo: Neojiba
A model for development
Beyond acquiring equipment and supporting workshops, UNDP’s partnership with Neojiba strengthens the programme’s ability to design, implement, monitor and evaluate public policies, while fostering social inclusion, youth empowerment and sustainable development.
Led by Brazilian conductor Ricardo Castro, Neojiba draws inspiration from “El Sistema,” a model launched five decades ago in Venezuela. This approach is now being adapted in other countries across the region, such as Panama, where UNDP supports similar music education initiatives.
For young people such as Eizy and Marcelo, and many others learning the luthiery craft, this opportunity is more than a job: it’s a source of knowledge, confidence and creativity that can provide both a livelihood and a sense of empowerment. Beyond music, it gives youth the tools to tune a brighter future for themselves and for Brazil.
You can also read this story in Portuguese here.
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