Sikkim (2022) & Bhutan (2024)

In 2022, Keola Beamer and his team of teachers visited Sikkim, India to provide instruction in Hawaiian music and dance to school children in rural communities. This program was presented in collaboration with Mohala Hou Foundation, with support from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Tom Vendetti, world-renowned luthier Steve Grimes, and ‘ukuleles generously donated by Kala Brand Music Co. of Petaluma, California. We are also raising program funds on an ongoing basis through sales of the Himalayan Sessions CD, a musical collaboration between Paul Horn, Keola Beamer, Christopher Hedge and local musicians in the Himalaya region, featuring spoken word contributions from H.H. the Dalai Lama. All songs were recorded in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan.

Keola and his team are currently making plans to bring the World Ukulele Program to Bhutan in 2024.
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Based on the incredible success of the World Ukulele Program outreach to Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2016, the goal for the Sikkim and Bhutan program is to provide instruction, instruments, and cultural context to school children so they can discover the joy of music and dance, and adapt their new skills to their regional cultural practices and share these musical gifts with their local communities.