“This is like a bridge to get us through the hard times.”
The words of Hans Peter, father of murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo, in Galway yesterday as he and his wife Arlette attended a schools choir rehearsal on the seventh anniversary of their daughter's death.
The choir, known as Spideóg, has been newly formed with students from five Galway schools, and will perform at a free concert in memory of Ms Riedo and all victims of sexual violence next week.
The concert on October 15th will be attended by Hans Peter and Arlette Riedo at the invitation of the Manuela Riedo Foundation Ireland (MRFI), which has raised almost 200,000 euro for services for sexual assault victims.
The Galway-based charity was founded in memory of the 17-year-old student, an only child who had just arrived in the city to learn English in early October 2007 when she was assaulted and killed. Gerald Barry of Mervue, Galway, is serving three life sentences for her rape and murder.
Listening to the choir rehearsing in St Joseph’s church yesterday Mr Riedo observed: “here we can see life going forward, with children all the same age as Manuela was when she came to Galway”.
The couple are patrons of the foundation, have returned to Galway regularly, and walked the Connemara marathon two years ago.
Galway has become the first city in the State to have co-located sexual assault treatment services for children, adolescents and adults, and has also established a paediatric training position in forensic child sex abuse.
The Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service (Casats) was spearheaded by Dr Joanne Nelson with HSE West support, and the foundation has funded training for 16 child and family accompaniment officers supporting child victims of sexual assault.
The foundation also works with Children at Risk in Ireland (CARI) volunteers, who provide a range of services for children affected by abuse.
The Spideóg choir will sing at “Songs, Tunes and Words”, which the foundation describes as “an evening of hope and healing” to support victims, to acknowledge all those who work with them and to “give thanks to the people of Galway”.
It takes place in St Nicholas’s Collegiate Church next Wednesday, October 15th at 7.30pm, admission free.
www.manuelariedo.com
