By Allie Campbell
Contributing Writer
Approximately 40 women and children are raped or sexually abused in the Dominican Republic of the Congo every day. However, for many California kids this problem seems foreign and unreal.
Even so, some students are speaking out on the issue. The Greatest Silence Club seeks to educate people about this tragedy and raise money to support its elimination.
The club will be hosting a benefit concert to raise money for the woman and children in the DRC on March 26 at 7 p.m. at the Manhattan Beach Teen Center. A $5 donation will be requested from everyone attending the benefit show.
“A benefit concert can raise a significant amount of money, and what we want to do is send the money directly to the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, which specifically helps women who have been affected,” club president senior Crystal Smith said.
The concert will feature many local Mira Costa bands and students, including Captain Black and the Bench Band, senior Tyler Duncan, Cascade, Finder’s Keepers, senior Anthony Holden and Indecision.
“We hope that everyone will come. This is why we will have many different types of bands playing—so different types of people will come,” club member junior Katie O’Reilly said.
First and foremost, the goal of the concert is to educate people about genocide in the DRC. Since the outbreak of violence in the DRC, 5 million people have died. Additionally, half of sexual violence survivors are children who are in need of care and international assistance.
“We want anyone to come, because we just want to educate people. At the concert we will have posters with general statistics of genocide, just to give people information and an idea of what we are about,” Smith said.
The Greatest Silence Club was formed last year, and this is the club’s second benefit concert. Last year’s benefit did not have expected attendence. To improve this year’s turnout, the club plans to focus heavily on the musical performances.
“I recently learned about the issue, and I think that it is worth contributing too. It’s a very worthy cause, and if all I can do is play music to raise a little money, then it’s good for me. Every little bit helps,” Holden said.
Any student interested in joining the Greatest Silence Club can attend the club meetings on Fridays in room 47.
“We hope to raise a lot of money at the concert, but really it’s all about spreading word of the cause,” Smith said.
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