I was delighted when i found out that a change of plans meant i would be able to attend and assist at my first Voluntario Global fundraiser. At the start, after a lovely day at San Telmo market I met with Paul and Kathryn the organisers of ´Music Is My Sanctuary´ and then went with Olivia, a fellow volunteer, to hand out some flyers. After a little while we took up our post on the door for the duration of the event.

During the evening we were repeatedly thanked for helping out which was funny because to us we were there enjoying food, cocktails and every now and again drawing smiley faces on hands in exchange for donations from happy punters. Not to mention that the whole time we were able to listen to some incredible local bands. Certainly i have never had a more enjoyable job!

The music of the night was an eclectic mix of reggae/rap/latin/balkan/salsa/funk/soul/pop/rock... really everything you could imagine! Many of the musicians played with more than one band which gave the lineup a very cohesive feel despite the different genres of music. I was particularly amazed by one artist whose rapping blew me away. Though i didnt think it would all be my kind of music i found myself pleasantly surprised and the entire crowd seemed to get into the rhythm and echo the energy coming from the stage.

During the evening the venue became completely full and we made over AR$1000 on the door for the childrens home.  When the night appeared to be rounding up and people began to leave i was informed that the last and best act was yet to perform though electrical problems were holding them up.  With more than two thirds of the audience having disappeared into the night, the headliners finally hit the stage. Made up of eight guys from various corners of the world, Mala Macumba created a sound like nothing i have heard before. I was on my feet dancing and clapping before i could stop myself. The band didn´t seem to care about the depleted audience and i have to admit that i felt almost pleased about it because now the gig had become something intimate that allowed the audience to feed off the happy, buzzing vibes given out by the musicians and singers. I left the Voluntario Global fundraiser that night without a doubt that it had been my best night out in Buenos Aires so far. Particularly because it was the sort of night that i could never have back in England. I only wish i could be here for the next one!