Music Fund Project – Marche-en-Famenne

Looking for one volunteer

Trip type

ESC Volunteering

City + Country

Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium

Dates of the next project

01 February 2027 – 31 January 2028

Deadline to apply

30th of September 2026 (23:59 CET)

Hosting organisation : Music Fund

« Music Fund » is a non-profit association with one workshop, one warehouse and a team of 3-4 people, based in Marche-en-Famenne, a town located in Wallonia (French speaking part of Belgium). Its aim is to promote music as an instrument to develop social projects for young people, mostly in conflict zones and developing countries, with the slogan “Give music a chance”.

Other goals of MF is to work with music schools and improve their access to musical instruments globally. They work hard developing a network of musical repair technicians and improving their abilities.

Through a network of organizations, Music Fund coordinates musical instruments collecting in Europe and then takes care of their restoration and distribution. Hundreds of instruments are donated annually to music schools and socio-artistic projects in Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Palestine.

Through their expertise centre in Marche-en-Famenne, a warehouse in Jemelle and an office in Brussels, they are able to fulfill the needs for local music schools and socio-artistic projects all around Belgium.

Recognizing the need for musical therapy, Music Fund works in partnership with other structures/projects supporting people with specific difficulties in life, by providing them with a wide range of instruments.

Organization of a few small-scale concerts, promotional events, stands on musical fairs are a part of their everyday activities. They promote solidarity, instrument donations and informing the general public about their work and how they can be involved with their projects.

In other words, the objectives of the project developed by Music Fund in Belgium are to optimise the maintenance and storage of music instruments in the warehouse, coordinate their repair by specialists in workshop and oversee the logistics of international shipments to music schools supported by Music Fund. It also aims to develop effective strategies for recycling/upcycling music instruments and to raise public awareness of the importance of cultural cooperation.

They have years of experience hosting international volunteers and practitioners willing to join this amazing cause! They are very excited to host a new volunteer in the small team !

Further information can be found at : https://musicfund.eu/qui-sommes-nous/lequipe/
or in their Facebook and Instagram page : https://www.facebook.com/MusicFundEnMarche/

https://www.instagram.com/music_fund/

and on Vimeo : https://vimeo.com/user3361141

Here is also their press release!

CBB host around 25 international volunteers around Wallonia. The ESC team of CBB tries its best to connect this network of volunteers together through different collective activities, seminars etc…

Support organization : CBB

In addition to this, the hosting organization is supported by the Association des Compagnons Bâtisseurs, aka CBB located in Marche-en-Famenne. CBB is a non-profit, non-political youth organization recognized and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The organization proposes different kinds of activities, based on volunteering and non-formal education: local and international workcamps, medium and long term voluntary services (including ESC), leisure time activities for and with disabled people, campleaders trainings… CBB is active within the different European Programs of volunteering and non-formal education since 1997 and also hosts ESC volunteers each year. CBB’s role as support organization is to:

Promote the project and links between local and international networks;
Support the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival;
Manage administrative matters: budget allowances; support in the creation of the bank account and enrolment at the municipality; enrolment in insurance (if not done by sending organization);
Prepare the activity agreement;
Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organization: ensure the participation in the NA seminars; organize auto-evaluation meetings for the volunteer and the hosting organization to reflect on learning outcomes;
Handle practical arrangements: accommodation; information about health insurance system in Belgium; indications about French lesson possibilities; online language tool;…
Create networking activities between all ESC volunteers of the hosting organizations we support.

Check us on Facebook, Instagram and take a look at our website!

The volunteer will have the opportunity to participate in most of the activities taking place in the workshop and the warehouse: administrative, logistics, and cultural. First weeks will mostly consist of showing the volunteer all the tasks that the organization is working on, so gradually they can participate more and more in all activities. Also, the volunteer will be greatly encouraged to create a personal project inside the organisation with support of the Music Fund team. The goal is to help the association in their daily tasks (in the workshop, warehouse and punctually in Brussels office), share their activities with the general public and help with punctual event organisation.

Logistics regarding the musical instruments

This part of the project will take place three to four times a week, divided in two locations: the main workshop in Marche-en-Famenne, and the warehouse in the town of Jemelle where volunteers will have to go by public transport.

Tasks will include:

Taking care of instruments; updating the instruments database (Excel sheet); delivering them for the projects.
At the warehouse : organizing the storage in the warehouse; be actively involved in the improvement of the storage, continuing the work undertaken by previous volunteers; labelling and distribution processes.
Helping with events organisation such as festivals, music weekends,… and running a stand during these events.
Helping the organization put in place a project called “Music Fund repair challenge”.

Personal project:

MF team encourages the volunteer to propose a personal touch, by proposing new ideas that would contribute to the general missions of the association : upcycling projects with old instruments; art works with recycled material; positive visibility of the logistical work; …

Collective activities with other ESC volunteers :

Volunteer gatherings and activities will be planned in order for the European Solidarity Corps to gain visibility and encourage cooperation between local associations through cultural events. This experience will allow the volunteer to enlarge their cultural and social scope, improve their teamwork skills, learn and discover cultural activities, practice French.

Accommodation in Marche-en-Famenne

The Music fund project allows the volunteer to move around the Wallonia region, giving them a chance to discover one of the most picturesque parts of Belgium. The atelier of Music Fund and the main part of the project is located within 5 minutes of walking distance from the volunteers house in Marche-en-Famenne, a small charming town in the province of Luxembourg. Even though the population of the town is about 17.000 people, volunteers can find everything they need here: supermarkets, shopping area, bars, restaurants, cinema, sport centre, occasional festivals and carnivals but also lots of forests and hiking trails for nature lovers.

The volunteer must appreciate living in a small town which will be resourceful, quieter and will give you a break from your usual routine.

Depending on the wishes of the volunteer, there is possibility to work occasionally in the office in Brussels.

The village of Jemelle

The warehouse of the organisation is located in Jemelle, just a short train/bus ride away from Marche (the point on the map). Jemelle is very close to Rochefort and both towns are surrounded by amazing nature that can be discovered by taking one of the many hiking trails in that region.

The country - BELGIUM

Squeezed between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, Belgium is one of Europe’s tiddlers.
The north is flat, the south dominated by the picturesque Ardennes and the 65km North Sea coastline monopolized by resorts, except for a few patches of windswept dunes. The 4 seasons are well divided, cold and white winter and warm and sunny summer… But be ready to grey sky at least a half part of the year.

But the belgian population are usually warm. A lot of cultural and free EVENT in the street happen during the year, which brings your journey in this little country fun and interesting.

This project will be taking part in the south of the country which is French speaking. Be therefore ready to learn and speak French! Especially in this project involving kids.

Specialities : FRIES, BEERS and FESTIVALS
AREA: 30,518 sq km
POPULATION: 11.420.163 million
CAPITAL: Brussels (pop: 1.191.604)
REGIONS: Flanders (North), Wallonia (South), Brussels – Capital
COMMUNITIES: Flemish, French and German speaking community
LANGUAGE: Dutch (±59%), French (±37%) and German (±1%)
CURRENCY: Euro

Working Hours

Working days will be from Monday to Friday. You will work no more than six hours per day. It can also involve occasional participation in the evenings and weekend events according to the schedule of the concerts, stands and other activities MF offers during the year. Days off will compensate for the extra shift hours if necessary, to keep an average of 38 hours a week (French lesson included).

Food

You will receive a budget and will prepare your own meals.

Pocket Money

Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge, except for exceptional contribution to travel costs. You will therefore receive free board and lodging during the whole activity. In addition, you will receive pocket money for personal expenses throughout the duration of the activity, including holidays.

Accomodation

The volunteers will have a private room in a fully-equipped shared house in the city of Marche-en-Famenne, with other ESC volunteers.

Language course

EU Academy + French lesson. We provide an online language course as part of the budget from the Commission. You will need to complete a level test before the activity starts. We encourage you to join free French lessons given in the municipality or around if possible. We recommend that the participant starts practicing French prior to their arrival in Belgium and that they participate in as many activities as possible in order to get better at the language.

Insurance

You get covered, throughout the activity period, by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan (Henner) that the European Commission sets up. This coverage is only complementary to the mandatory coverage of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which you must obtain prior to departure.

In certain cases, when national rules deprive participants from coverage under EHIC for the duration of the placement, Henner will provide full coverage. However, you must provide proof that obtaining the EHIC in your case was not possible. You should contact your National Agency for advice on your specific circumstances. You must read carefully the insurance-related information here.

Profile of the volunteer

Aged 18-30 years old
Our project is open to anybody motivated by volunteering and who wishes to be involved in the organization and working in the field of culture, regardless of their nationality, religion, beliefs, diploma, professional experience.
The volunteer should be interested in manual work, DIY and in giving ideas about how to improve the management of the stocks (shelving, storage, etc).
As the activities of the project will involve working with different age groups, organizing and follow-up musical concerts and some administrative activities, we expect the volunteer to be very motivated to join the activity, to be open-minded, creative, autonomous and proactive about their project.
The volunteer should not be afraid of punctually working alone (3 people team).
The volunteer is advised to have basic skills in French or be very motivated to learn, to be able to fully engage with the activities and the lifestyle.
Please consider that your project involves constant movement between different cities in the country. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on public transport.
Volunteers with basic musical education are encouraged to apply (but it is not compulsory), mainly to help tuning and testing the instruments.
Before departure, you will have to find a support/sending organisation to receive information and preparation
> Look up for a support organisation in your region via this link

Ezgi, volunteer at Music Fund 2024-2025

Ezgi created a barre-code system for tracking the instruments in the warehouse : “Each instrument within Music Fund has its own unique code. These codes are important for being recorded in the database, but since they were previously handwritten and difficult to track, I replaced them with a barcode system. This way, tracking the instruments, entering them into the database, and counting them will be much easier with a scanner. “

Slava, volunteer at Music Fund 2022-2023

Hey! My name is Slava, I just finished my 12 months volunteer project at Music Fund Belgium and I am going to share with you some brightest results!

1) I’ve learned a lot of new things about musical instruments, and now I can easily speak about guitar construction.
2) I knew many facts about Belgium, but when I just arrived I didn’t know that Wallonia exists and there are 3 official languages in Belgium.
3) I’ve learned French from zero level to B1-B2, and now I can even make a guided tour in this language.
4) I’ve travelled a lot this year, I’ve visited 7 new countries!
5) I made the exhibition of musical instruments, it was a personal project and around 500 people visited this exhibition!
6) I met a lot of people from different countries of the world and I became more open to new things and less critical to others.

I recommend you participate in ESC projects, it was one of the best experiences in my life!

Céleste, volunteer at Music Fund 2021-2022

How to apply ?

Deadline: 30th of September 2026 at 23:59 CET.

1. Answer the questionnaire below (NB: you will be asked to attach a CV at the end of the form)

2. In the frame of the new program of the European Commission, the European Solidarity Corps, you need to create a profile on the new data base: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en (“JOIN THE CORPS”).

3. (optional) if you’re feeling creative, please feel free to send us any addtional material related to your application: esc@compagnonsbatisseurs.be

The creation of a profile on the ESC portal AND fulfilling the form (in English or French) is compulsory for us to take your application into consideration.

In the days following the application deadline, the pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a Zoom interview

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM WITHOUT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE !

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, we prefer personnal answers than perfect ones.

ESC Music Fund

Step 1 of 4 - Personal Data

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Personnal data
By filling the information below, you provide us with personal information. You are aware of the fact and agree that the pieces of information will be used in the frame of the call for candidates for the Erasmus+ volunteering project. Your personal data will be used by the persons in charge of the selection of volunteers in the sending and coordinating/hosting organizations. Each part mentioned takes the responsibility of erasing the documents containing your personal data once the selection procedure is over.
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