The Camunga Symphony Orchestra - More than just a musical education

For the past decade, the Camunga Symphony Orchestra music school in Luanda has polished rough-cut diamonds of youth and changed their lives for the better. 

The school and orchestra get their name from its founder Ntumba Malamba Camunga. Camunga means "a small thing that is born, grows and then shines", the founder tells us. He believes the name is particularly appropriate for this school as "it started off as a small project, then it grew and now it is shining"

The school was created in 2011 with just five students. 10 years later there are now 450 students and some of them have even become teachers at the school. 

Not all the students that attend the school have come from easy backgrounds and happy places.Ntumba Malamba Camunga explains that the school helps many children on the street, "children involved in delinquency, drugs and even prostitution."

Kelson Bento Afonso is one student with a difficult past. He now considers the orchestra his home, family and place of comfort. But he has come a long way for that to be the case. Kelson admits that he would hang out with people who behaved badly, people who were also violent. 

After going to a party with some of the school's students, Kelson visited the school and met the director, Ntumba. He was welcomed with open arms. His motivation was the main group playing. He says that it moved him and he wanted to be like them.

Kelson's progression was gradual. He first learnt the viola for three months, but then the teacher realised his real vocation was wind instruments. 

However, it wasn't just the straight and narrow for Kelson. He returned to bad habits. He took things that he shouldn't have and fell ill because of it. When Ntumba realised Kelson had stopped coming to lessons, he