To coincide with International Women’s day, the Bonn-based band Cayu has released its first album “Tunes of Poets” It’s aim though is not just to entertain musically, but also support girls in need. Together with the international women’s rights organization Zonta Bonn, the band has started a fundraising campaign in favour of the Mädchenhaus Bonn e.V. (the Bonn Refuge for Girls). The aim of the association is to offer protection, help and support to girls aged 7 to 18 who have been subjected to physical, psychological or sexual violence.
For every album sold, 5 euros go to the refuge. The album is available digitally from today on the Platform Bandcamp and can also be purchased as a CD at Cayu and Zonta events. After deducting the production costs, all proceeds from the album will go to Mädchenhaus Bonn.
The band’s singer, violinist and composer, Eva Henneken, is a family doctor. As such, she has repeatedly witnessed instances of violence against women, which have touched her greatly. Cayu’s new album includes the song “It’s Time”, which deals precisely with this topic and in which Eva Henneken encourages affected girls and women to stand up against violence and get help. In collaboration with ballet dancer Greta Bücker and videographer Marc Walkenhorst, Dr Henneken recently made a video based on the piece “It’s Time”, which was used as part of an international anti-violence campaign by Zonta (“Zonta says NO”). “I have seen trauma in women and girls that has shaken me a lot. Many of the victims remain exposed to the violence over a long period of time and develop secondary illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety disorders as a result of the trauma they have experienced. This often completely thwarts their life plans,” she says. “I believe that art can be a very powerful medium against violence. With art, I want to reach people on a non-verbal level. I hope that this will encourage victims to stand up against violence and draw the attention of people who are not affected themselves to the issue. Violence against girls and women is a problem for all of society that can only be tackled in multi-faceted ways,” adds the doctor.
Ms. Renate Henriks from the Mädchenhaus e.V. explains exactly what the donated money will be used for: “These vulnerable girls come to us to recover. We discuss together with them what their perspectives can be. We try very hard to support the girls and young women as holistically as possible and provide them with a place to stay. With the help of donations, we can also enable educational activities. For example, we can finance a teacher, leisure activities, equipment in the house – especially computers, vacation stays and therapy. These services are only possible through additional financial support. We have success stories to tell – quite a few girls have been able to develop perspectives for themselves. That’s why we need all the help we can get, because every cent contributes to the development and character formation of the girls.”The international women’s rights organization Zonta, of which Dr. Eva Henneken is a member, is committed to helping girls and women worldwide and is involved locally in specific projects in the region. Dr Monika Wegmann-Jung, the president of the association, says:“It is very important to raise public awareness of the needs of those in need of protection worldwide because, unfortunately, violence against girls and women is very common in all cultures and is even increasing globally, as recently recognized by the United Nations. We are particularly happy when we can improve the lives of people in our region in very concrete ways. That’s why we’ve already been supporting the Bonn Girls’ Home for some time.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE DIGITAL ALBUM