El Sistema is a publicly financed voluntary sector music education programme in Venezuela, founded in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician and activist José Antonio Abreu. It is free classical music education designed to promote human opportunity and development for impoverished children. According to official figures, by 2015 El Sistema consisted of over 400 music centres and 700,000 young musicians. The programme provides 4 hours of musical training and rehearsal per week day after school, as well as work on the weekends.