My theory on “believing something can make it come true” worked again today. The address for my hotel in Tanzania was buried deep in my suitcase and I knew that having not filled out that particular detail on my entrance card it would lead to me unpacking my underwear and all other belongings onto the floor before the customs lady. Thankfully she decided it wasn’t worth me holding up the hundred or so people who had obviously been better prepared for their journey. So I dragged my now explosion like suitcase to the side and repacked.

Waiting for the driver I felt my stomach turn for what I presumed was the malaria tablet kicking in but later realised it was because I was nervous. I have been to Ethiopia and South Africa on my travels for the foundation “Saving and Angel” but nothing can prepare you for going into the unknown. I wasn’t sure what I was going to see here in this land and I was nervous not knowing what affect it would have on me. I am an emotional person and cannot bear to see suffering especially in children and I expected the worse. I still feel it an obligation to travel to these countries to witness first hand the things I would love to change in the world and so here I am.

Being picked up by a familiar face helped a lot and seeing Tobias (my contact person from One.org) I felt a bit more at ease. Our conversation on the way to the hotel (now having the address!) was about the plan for the day. Although I had slept only an hour or so on the plane there was no time to waste so after a quick shower I was in the bus on our way to a Primary school situated in the city of Dar Es Salaam.

The group is made up of members from the organisation One, a journalist, a translator and two actress’s from Germany who interest themselves as I do for the work of One. We arrived 30 minutes later at the school. After being welcomed by the school board and some of the parents we walked around meeting and talking to the children as we went.

Shock! Horror! The nervousness is gone! I am sitting in a room with many of the mothers of the children who organise Parent help committees, some teachers and lobby groups which fight for the rights for education and we are discussing the schooling system and it’s strengths and weakness’.

In every class children are sitting on floors and in benches (four in a row where only two should be) and are smiling sunshine in our direction. They hold their books up and welcome us in English proud of their school uniforms. We talk to the kids and they hold our hands and exude a friendliness I have rarely experienced before. I sit there drawing pictures and laughing with them over my misuse of their language and their misunderstanding of mine, something is right here, something magical. The parents committee and the teachers tell of their need for seats and books and writing material and request that we help them in any way we can. They are not begging they are simply asking. We have not come to promise them money nor are we here to solve their everyday challenges in this overcrowded school (2,500 children and 37 teachers in too small a space) we are here to witness the situation. One.org is a lobby group, which uses its more than 2 million supporters to influence Government policy to help the poorer countries of Africa. We are here to see if the promises of Paris are being implemented by the German Government, and if so, to what degree of success. 98% of the children in Tanzania are being educated which is in it self a huge success. The question is now to what level are they being educated and with what resources.

The parents told us and we listened intently now feeling involved. I love children for their honesty, they smiled and “high fived” us as we walked through the yard they showed us that there is success in our efforts but the journey has only just begun!

I left the school totally focused on the problems at hand, I forgot my tiredness and nervousness, I was feeling inspired. We continued to the German Embassy where we met a group of people who are responsible for the implementation of the funds promised by the German Government to Tanzania. On arrival we met briefly with the German ambassador who was nice in he’s presentation but clear in he’s criticism of One.org’s analysis of the situation in Tanzania. With a party of ten people we then continued to a conference room, where we were greeted by members of the development committee, the Ambassador left for other meetings.

When the head of the committee suggested that we sit opposite each at the long conference table I felt the need to say something to disarm the talks. I told them we were on a fact-finding mission in the hope of discovering ways in which politicians at home could improve foreign investment in third world countries so that it would be more affective.

Germany has made Water, the financial planning of large and small projects and Health (focus on Malaria and HIV) their main focus in the development of Tanzania. The weak point is Education leaving the development of an infrastructure difficult when the next generation of locals are not educated enough to carry on the work of the development projects.

Health or Education? You decide? The work here is having its results and its success that is obvious in the drop of deaths due to malaria and the drop in HIV victims within the country but without an improvement in education the work will be ever necessary until eventually Tanzania can develop a people who are capable of helping themselves. I pay my tax in Germany and I see the use of those tax Euros here and I am happy that it is doing great work.

An Increase in Funds would help in the fight against HIV/aids, Malaria, TB and the support of the Fast track initiative for education needs to be increased. I am convinced that the continued effort and funding will have the desired affect as long as we don’t lose hope!

I am Glad I am here, I feel it is important to see success in our efforts and to recognise the importance of continuing our support for the development of third world countries. The people I have met on this journey want the chance to improve their lives and just as we are responsible for the families in Berlin who cannot afford to feed their children we are responsible for the struggling families of Tanzania! It always feels like an up hill battle but even an Up hill battle can be won!

Rea

Last night after our day of viewing the many aspects of Tanzania we met with Government official and a member of an acclaimed lobby group in the Hotel. I was at first daunted by the fact that we were being given audience by such important people and it was then I noticed the weight that ONE carried in African countries. I felt important and I felt honoured and shortly after I felt frustrated. The Government official started to explain the level of corruption in he’s country and the inefficiency of the money being spent by the International development organisation here. I listened and at some point became the head speaker of the group (it must be an Irish thing in ONE). I listen to them both intently and became oblivious to the other people around me not understanding why so many millions were not having a greater impact in this beautiful country with its beautiful people. I questioned and questioned and then I listened. I realised after all that I had heard that the help and development, which was being implemented in Tanzania was having an impact but not the desired impact. Money is in some matters the solution but the long lasting impact that some day Tanzania would be a self-sufficient country was from all sides not being achieved mostly because they BOTH believe that the people of Tanzania cannot assume the role competently being played by foreign development organisation/countries today. Health or Education?? No one wants to decide and therefore it is a chicken and egg situation, which should come first?

As I see it Money for education and health has to be icreased but the trust (which is not there at the moment, in some cases for good reason!) between a country which does not want to be ruled again by a foreign power and the trust between foreign powers to invest in a country which does not promise return on investment is not there. So the “bread line help” which serves a large percent of the population continues to save lives but the eventual self-sufficiency making Tanzania a world partner market is far from visible.

I went to Bed feeling confused and frustrated, politics is a labarynth of wrong decisions.

I arose the next morning still interested in my mission here to understand the problems but less confident of seeing a road to a solution. With long talks in the bus with my ONE mentors I realised their ability to stay positive is something which you have to learn, we pushed on to the Tiwa Cement factory. Here we met with Pascal a Belgian businessman who was put in charge of the company 2 years prior. Pascal made a proposition to a German Cement company (Heidelberg Cement) that they should invest in Tiwa, he’s plan was accepted and the company put over a one hundred million euros into the company which is now the biggest tax paying institution in Tanzania. Pascal greeted us with open arms overjoyed that we took the time to visit he’s production company again I witnessed the power of ONE. In the boardroom we met with his chiefs who helped him to run the company, 70% were Tanzanians.

He made a presentation of how he had built a new production line for the cement beside the old factory, which was due to be replaced (due to the massive success of the company they are going to have to renovate the old part to meet rising demands in the market!). 39% of the shareholding belongs to Tanzanian investors and the re-coupment of the original investment from Germany is well under way. The company has enough resources to produce for the next 30 years with projections and additional procurement plans of resources, which will see it through to at least 50 years! He spoke of his total disbelief in Africa before coming here viewing the land as a high-risk investment (as I would later admit to him were also my thoughts). He continued to talk about corruption in the government and reminded me of many cases of corruption in Europe, which unfortunately reflect a lot on my country at the moment but he was right. I told him of our meetings the day before and asked him if he was talking to Government officials who were preparing to invest in Tanzania what would he say to them. He said invest in the private sector, provide trade concessions and subsidies for private companies to invest and establish themselves in Tanzania, Believe in the Tanzanian people…..”if you believe in something like I believed in Tanzania it will come true!”

Hold the phone!! He’s been reading my Blog! I was speechless and I was convinced! Of course in the real world there are risks when you invest in something but if you truly believe in it then you will not be convinced otherwise and it is in many cases the strength that will realise your success. This man and he’s team are convinced of their competence and convinced me with their success! I am not a politician I am an observer who wants to tell of what I have seen. Tanzania has it’s problems I am sure there is corruption but like any country with democracy if the people find a system they can trust they will follow the road of development knowing that the greater good is also their good. This country is capable of being self sufficient but needs the help of others to achieve this goal, there will be a time when the world will see Tanzania as a participant in the world market they have the resources they just don’t have the infrastructure to benefit from them. I felt charged by what I saw today, I felt honoured by the attention we received from so many important and hard working government representatives, at times I felt like I was playing in the world of politics but again I am not a politician I am just a musician!

Rea

Yesterday evening we met with 4 different characters who all had a different twist on their life in Tanzania. One was a famous musician called Banana the other was a Poet called Mrisho Poto and then a lady called Margaret who had opened a Bank exclusively for the women of Tanzania and Rackesh who is the leader of a Lobby group (Haki Elimu) in Africa, which monitors governments in Africa. It was a mixed bag of experiences, I didn’t get to talk to Margaret as she had to leave early and was busy doing an interview with Ulriche the Journalist who joined us on the trip. I didn’t talk to Mrisho Poto as he spent a lot of time talking to Andreas from ONE and also left early and I didn’t talk to Banana because he’s called Banana and I didn’t know where to start and he spoke most of the time to Jana (Actress from Germany). I spoke with Rackesh, it was intense as all the discussions on this journey have been.

I told him of all the thoughts of the other people we had met and tried to find out if he agreed with any of their words. My goal is to collect as much information from as many people as possible in the hope to create a picture of Tanzania, which others can understand but first I had to understand Tanzania!

As a lobbyist he was critical of pretty much everybody but his criticism was mostly constructive offering different solutions that he thought should be in place. There was a thread forming within the conversation and it was not a complete agreement of everything he said but supported some of his opinions. The fact is that the international development funds are necessary in Tanzania but funding needs to be more affective. The money, which is available is sometimes not spent because the international partners do not feel they have trustworthy/competent partners in Tanzania and so the money is returned to its source. The Tanzanian Government needs to be more transparent in it’s use of these funds informing the people of Tanzania of what aid is available to their schools to their communities. Also in my opinion local funding needs to be increased to give the people of Tanzania a greater trust in the system so that they support the Government by paying their taxes. These are considered to be the micro projects (seats for the children in schools and books and writing paper) and therefore are badly funded in comparison to national projects like water and etc. These Micro projects are what the people can see and feel, when the school becomes seats and books the people will feel a small confidence in the system and be more trusting in the their local government which will translate into a greater trust of their politicians/Government.

This is what I think based on what I have seen, there is a will on all sides to achieve the same Goal to make Tanzania strong and self sufficient but there are differences, there is funding but not the competence (on all sides) to point it in the right direction, there is a belief that things can get better but it lacks the necessary trust to take the big steps. Twiga Cement (sorry spelt it wrong yesterday) has shown that everything is possible, the key is a person like Pascal (a Belgian) who overcomes his doubts by creating trust in his workforce, they, on the other hand, overcome their doubts by living their success in their schools and their homes and their living standards. It may seem like a fantasy to think that I can see this and not others who work day in and day out on the problem can but someone who is prepared to dedicate himself to the challenge and works within the system while trying to better it and accepts that the success of the country is the success of his company is the key to the solution! We need more believers who can show by example that change is possible and success is achievable.

I have seen so much here and I hope that my message is reaching you out there! I am leaving tomorrow very early and I will be sad to leave, the feelings of nervousness and unknown are gone. This country has one great resource, which fills its streets and embraces you with every step, and that is its people. Such a beautiful, warm hearted, proud people deserve the chance to achieve their greatest dream. Our last sight seeing today was the old fort which once was the corner stone to the German colonial soldiers who once ruled the land, the most striking picture was that of the many graves of Germans that died here. The graveyard is right before the Indian ocean and somehow this setting pulled together the pieces of the puzzle. I don’t mean to be the preacher but it is obvious that no matter what the distance is between countries, nor the differences between religion, colour or politics, we are one world we are one people. We are ONE!

Rea

As most of you already know we as a band have put together a show which is being held on the 05.05.05, “Alive & Swingin'". It is a swing evening in tribute to the Rat Pack (Sinatra, Davis jnr., Martin, Bishop), featuring Xavier Naidoo, Sasha, Michael Mittermeier, the HR3 Big Band and the Band Reamonn. The proceedings of the show will go to our Stiftung “Saving an Angel", the tables have been priced at €5,000 (per 10 persons), and alternative seating is priced at €50 per seat.

There have been some questions on the homepage and what I have received per mail that I thought I would write a short mail in the hope of answering some of those queries.

Why is Reamonn doing a swing evening?

Well the reason we are doing the event at all is to raise money for “Saving an Angel", we have decided to try and organise at least one major event every two years, this is the second time we have organised an event just for the stiftung and we are proud that it has escalated into such an event that it is now a Saturday evening prime time show.

The idea to do swing was also quiet easy Sasha and I are good friends after the numerous shows we have done together, we noticed one night on the bar that we both have an interest for the classics and played old hits from the fifties through ‘til the early morning. I called Sasha a few days later and said I wanted him to do a show for "Saving an Angel" in exactly that style of music, he agreed immediately. After a few days of planning I decided that to make a big show out of it I would invite Xavier also, he agreed straight leaving only Mickey Mittermeier whose answer was, “ this makes sense…of course I’m in.."

"Ain’t that a Kick in the head…."

Why the rat pack do you think you are like them?
Why not something new?

Firstly I think the spirit of the Rat pack is very evident when any of the guys meets us on tour or vice verse, we are good friends just like the rat pack was and wee know how to have a good time together, that’s about it when it comes down to similarities. We are not intending getting on stage and trying to impersonate the rat pack we are going to honour them by keeping their music and spirit alive. Every one of us has picked out his favourite songs from back then and will perform those songs as himself. Mickey said it the best when he said “We’re not actors, its not a theatre we are doing a tribute the best way we can”.

Secondly the idea was a long shot in the first place that we could get all these people together to do a show, some of us are on tour some are in rehearsals and some are in studio, with that the idea of then trying to get together to write a two hour show of new music was not possible, but who knows what the future holds...

What will this mean for the Stiftung “Saving an Angel”?

We have said from the start that the sales of the tables will go directly on “Saving an Angel”. There are some costs involved but they are minimal we are very fortunate that certain sponsors have made money commitments which will guarantee a great income for the Stiftung. How much that will be we will only know after the show and will make known as soon as we can on the “Saving an Angel” homepage. Also there is a plan that we do a Pro7 show a few months later to show where the money, which was raised on the evening, will go. When it comes to estimating how much money we could raise I am not sure I hope we will at least double that which we raised at the first show in Frankfurt (€80,000), a sum we are all very proud of. The importance of the show is the money we raise for “Saving an Angel”, all artists have donated their fee to support the stiftung, which I take as being the first step in the direction of a very successful evening.

Where does the band Reamonn fit into a “Rat Pack”?

The band will perform on the evening within the show as a band. We thought a lot about how we should present ourselves and hope that it will suffice. We tried to think of ways we could fit into the evening without upsetting the “Rat Pack” scenario and I think that we have found a way to show our appreciation to our friends for being there on the night and also bringing something to the evening in a hope of enhancing the show…..you’ll just have to wait and see.

What can we expect from the evening and what will be the highlight?

Personally I cant wait to see the other guys perform I have a lot of respect for all artists that will be on stage and I am really looking forward to seeing how they perform their favourites dongs from the swing era with one of Germany’s best Big Bands. I am also anxious how I will perform I know the guys are planning something to really pull the rug out from underneath my feet if it makes the people laugh I am up for it!! The show should have the elements that the “Rat Pack” had back then, Music, laughter, Surprise!! I think Mickey will bring a colour to the evening everyone will appreciate. The guy is not just funny he’s hilarious. My only problem will be trying to keep a straight face when he and I are on stage. Many people have said that there are to many swing projects at the moment and what makes this one different, I have no idea how good or bad the other shows have been but I know that this show with this Line up will be a night to remember!!

I hope I answered some of the questions you were asking and whether you are in the audience or at home watching it on TV enjoy the show it’s gonna be one of a kind!!!

Falco bewirkte 1985 mit "Jeanny" einen der größten Skandale der deutschen Popgeschichte: Verbannung von vielen Sendern, Diskussionen im ganzen Land. Rechnen Sie nun bei Ihrer Neuauflage des Songs mit ähnlichen Reaktionen?

Xavier Naidoo: Nein. Das ist weder möglich noch beabsichtigt.
Rea Garvey: Der eigentliche Skandal ist die Zahl der missbrauchten Kinder: Die liegt allein in Deutschland bei einer Dunkelziffer von 200.000. Anders als Falco nehmen wir aber den Song zum Anlass, um darüber zu reden.

"Jeanny" war nur als Teil des Albums "Pop 2001" geplant, für das Künstler von heute Songs von gestern neu aufgenommen haben. Warum "Jeanny"?

RG: Es war schon zu Hause in Irland mein Lieblingslied, nur verstand ich den Inhalt nicht. Ich habe, ehrlich gesagt, erst zwei Tage vor den Studioaufnahmen von den Hintergründen erfahren. Das war ein beschissener Tag.

Weshalb?

RG: Meine eigene Schwester ist sexuell missbraucht worden, und dadurch kam das alles wieder hoch. Ich habe sie angerufen und gefragt, ob sie einverstanden ist, wenn ich das mache und in der Öffentlichkeit darüber rede. Sie sagte sofort: "Super! Mach das!" Ich bin sehr stolz auf sie. Opfer sollten nicht aus Scham schweigen.

Dennoch könnte der harte Text in manchem Opfer das Erlebte wieder aufwühlen.

RG: Viele sind doch froh, wenn ein anderer das Thema an die Öffentlichkeit bringt, weil sie es selbst nicht geschafft haben. Bei meiner Schwester ist es schon vor 15 Jahren passiert, aber erst vor anderthalb Jahren hat sie mir davon erzählt. In mir war nur Hass. Ich hätte jemanden umbringen können vor lauter Hass.

Gibt es für Sie auch einen persönlichen Bezug, Xavier?

NX: Ja doch. Ich weiß aber nicht, ob ich jetzt davon erzählen sollte. Ich war selbst einmal betroffen.

Sie wurden sexuell missbraucht?

NX: Ich war keine zehn. Es war in Südafrika. Der Gärtner meiner Tante.

Wie haben Sie darauf reagiert?

NX: Bei mir war es so, dass ich gedacht habe: Wenn ich darüber rede, bringen die den Mann um. Also habe ich jahrelang geschwiegen. Erst als ich 20 war, konnte ich mit meiner Mutter darüber sprechen. Sie wollte es gar nicht glauben und war entsetzt.

Wollten sie sich im Nachhinein nicht an dem Mann rächen?

NX: Nein. Ich habe mit acht oder neun schon versucht, den Täter zu verstehen. Habe mich gefragt: An was hat es gelegen? Warum passiert mir das? Ich habe mir gesagt, dass er so ähnlich aussieht wie mein Vater, er war auch ein Inder. Letztlich habe ich mein ganzes Leben darüber nachgedacht, wie jemand so etwas tun kann.

Wie ist es Ihnen ergangen, als Sie nun für "Jeanny" in die Rolle des Täters schlüpfen mussten?

NX: Wenn die Stelle kommt, an der ich zu schreien beginne, läuft mir ein Schauer über den Rücken.
RG: Ich hätte das nicht machen können. Ich bin zu sensibel dazu.
NX: Zwei Tage nach der Aufnahme hatte ich noch Nachwehen und habe mich immer wieder geschüttelt. Jeder kennt irgendein Opfer! In meinem Bekanntenkreis wurde ein Mädchen von ihrem Vater vergewaltigt. Ich habe zu einem Freund gesagt: "Komm, wir schleifen den raus und zertrümmern den!" Aber sie wollte das auf keinen Fall, sie wollte es lieber ertragen. Das muss man sich mal vorstellen...

Warum haben Reamonn die Stiftung "Saving An Angel" ins Leben gerufen?

Wir haben uns alle schon immer für Menschen in Not engagiert und auch als Band gemeinsam bei verschiedenen Charity-Projekten mitgewirkt. Da man nie wirklich weiß, wo das gespendete Geld hinkommt, trugen wir uns schon länger mit dem Gedanken, eine eigene Stiftung zu gründen, um mehr Kontrolle zu haben und sicher zu stellen, dass das Geld auch wirklich den jeweiligen Projekten zufließt. Es wird soviel Hilfe gebraucht, da ist es klar, dass wir unser Möglichstes tun, um unseren Teil dazu beizutragen.

Es gibt so viele verschiedene Hilfsorganisationen. Was ist das Besondere an der Stiftung Saving An Angel?

Die Stiftung hilft genau da, wo Geld gebraucht wird, um Kindern in Not zu helfen. Ohne große bürokratische Umwege und ohne großen Verwaltungsapparat, der einen Großteil der Einnahmen verschlingen würde. Wir konzentrieren uns nicht auf ein einziges Projekt, sondern versuchen weltweit zu arbeiten. Ich dachte früher immer Geld bedeutet nichts, aber es bedeutet viel, wenn es gebraucht wird und nicht da ist.

Warum engagiert sich die Stiftung gerade für Kinder?

Das ist sehr einfach. Kinder sind schutzbedürftig und brauchen unsere Hilfe. Es gibt sehr viel Elend in der Welt, aber gerade die Kleinen sind wehrlos und noch nicht in der Lage, selbst für sich zu sorgen. Wir müssen sie unterstützen, die Kraft zu bekommen, unsere Welt von Morgen zu gestalten. Ich bin als ältester Bruder unter sieben Schwestern aufgewachsen, da habe ich früh gelernt, Verantwortung zu übernehmen. Umso mehr versuche ich jetzt, als Erwachsener, für Kinder zu tun. Die ganze Band sieht sich in der Verantwortung, zu helfen.

Viele Künstler engagieren sich, ist das so eine Art Modeerscheinung oder wirklich ernst zu nehmen?

Es ist doch fantastisch, dass mittlerweile so viele Menschen Verantwortung tragen für das, was um sie herum geschieht. Es gilt eben nicht mehr nur, die Augen zu schließen und abzuwarten, was die andere tun. Eigeninitiative ist wichtig. Gerade Künstler haben da noch ganz andere Möglichkeiten. Deshalb haben sich ja in der Musikgeschichte internationale Hilfsprojekte wie "Band Aid", "Concert for Bangladesh" oder "Concert for Tibet" so bewährt. Wir können durch unsere Popularität noch mehr Menschen erreichen und ich finde es wichtig, das zu tun und somit notleidenden Kindern zu helfen. Das hat nichts mit Mode zu tun, sondern damit aufzuwachen und bei sich selbst zu beginnen.

Wie ist es zu der Zusammenarbeit mit der Unesco gekommen?

Im Sommer 2000 hatten wir einen Auftritt bei SWR3 und sind dort von Daimler-Chrysler angesprochen worden, den 500.000sten Wagen der A-Klasse im speziellen Reamonn-Design zu gestalten. Der Erlös sollte einem Hilfsprojekt unserer Wahl zukommen. Wir haben uns mit der Unesco in Verbindung gesetzt, weil wir schon von dem starken Engagement von Frau Ohoven für Kinder in Not gehört hatten. Als wir von dem Kinderkrankenhaus in Minsk erfuhren, was kurz vor der Schließung stand, war klar, wo das Geld hinfließen soll. Gemeinsam mir Frau Ohoven sind Philipp, Uwe und ich dann nach Minsk geflogen, um den Scheck über DM 122.000 zu übergeben. Als wir das Elend dort sahen, wußten wir, dass wir unsere Idee, eine eigene Stiftung zu gründen, endlich in die Tat umsetzen müssen.

Warum?

Das, was wir dort gesehen haben, werden wir so schnell nicht vergessen. Die meisten Kinder dort sind Opfer der Reaktorkatastrophe in Tschernobyl und sterbenskrank. Ohne medizinische Versorgung des Krankenhauses sind ihre Überlebenschancen gleich null. Es sind unschuldige Kinder, die sterben, wenn keine finanziellen Mittel für die Klinik bereitgestellt werden. Es hört sich vielleicht merkwürdig an, aber wir haben geweint, als wir da rausgegangen sind. Wir waren so erschüttert, junge Menschen sollen unschuldig sterben, nur, weil keine finanziellen Mittel zur Verfügung stehen. Das ist Wahnsinn! Wir alle sind aufgefordert, zu verhindern, dass auch nur ein Kind sterben muss.

Wie kam es zur Zusammenarbeit mit Dunkelziffer e.V.?

Im Juni 2001 veröffentlichten wir ein Remake des Falco-Klassikers "Jeanny", gemeinsam mit Xavier Naidoo. Wie jeder weiß, geht es in dem Song um sexuellen Missbrauch. Xavier Naidoo wie auch wir, wollten auf dieses Thema aufmerksam machen und zu einer öffentlichen Diskussion anregen. Um kompetente Partner an unserer Seite zu haben, die sich tagtäglich mit dieser Thematik befassen, wandten wir uns an den Verein Dunkelziffer. Durch die Veröffentlichung von "Jeanny" bekam Saving An Angel eine Vielzahl von Anfragen betroffener Jugendlichen. Viele fanden erst jetzt, nach Jahren des Schweigens, den Mut, sich zu offenbaren. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Dunkelziffer ermöglichte uns, den Opfern Hilfe anbieten zu können. Eine Maßnahme des Vereins ist die Verarbeitung des Erlebten durch Musiktherapie. Es sind auf diesem Wege schon gute Ergebnisse erzielt worden, aber es wird Geld gebraucht, um den Fortbestand dieser Einrichtung zu finanzieren.

Welche Pläne gibt es für die Zukunft?

Noch sind wir ganz am Anfang, ist die Stiftung in der Aufbauphase. Mit der Gala in Frankfurt haben wir einen ersten, größeren Schritt in die Öffentlichkeit gewagt. Der Erfolg sowie der Erlös von €80.000 haben uns gezeigt, dass wir auf dem richtigen Weg sind. Kontinuierlich wollen wir wachsen, um zukünftig noch mehr Kindern helfen zu können.