My work brought me to Warsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland. After a few phone calls, I was able to set up a very spontaneous Kind Cut session in a shelter that provides a safe haven for local women who have suffered from of Domestic Violence.
The Centrum Interwencji Kryzysowej “Dom Otwartych Serc”
Which translates to "Crisis Intervention Center” is known as the "House of Open Hearts" Funded through the Caritas organization, this center helps women by enabling them to leave their violent relationships by offering them protection and a safe new home on the outskirts of Warsaw. All of the Women, some with young Children :-( have endured years of pain and abuse before finding sanctuary and a new start at the “House of Open Hearts”. On arriving, it took some time to communicate the reason for my visit. Initially, It was a challenge to get the ladies to look in the mirror to talk about the haircut, or have any direct eye contact. However, once I got started, I found that more people gathered to watch each haircut. The language barrier did not deter us, and thanks to the help of my collaborators and their translation, we found ourselves laughing and with that came smiles and hugs. By the time I left the shelter, the atmosphere had completely changed. I felt so grateful that I had played a part in that shift of energy, and that I got to spend my day with these strong, resilient woman. It was an incredible experience to witness the transformations, and see the woman feeling beautiful and more confident.
A few thank you's are in order. Firstly Id like to thank Malgorzata who is a psychologist who runs and lives at the shelter. My other friends and collaborators were, Aleksandra Solarz and Marta Michalak who not only helped me to set up this #KindCut visit, but also with overcoming the language barrier by translating and just generally helping to make the day run a little easier. My thanks to Jacek Piatekwho for documenting our visit by taking some incredible pictures and short videos which I will be posting in the coming weeks.
Giving your time to help others is a worthwhile endeavor on so many levels and for all concerned.
I hope that this story will inspire others to use their skills to help other less fortunate folk, and inspire everyone to join me in the movement to be kind to others.This video is captured at the Caritas Sh
Special thanks to :
Jacek Piątek
Aleksandra Solarz
Adrianna Fajerska
Marta Michalak
Who helped to organize this day & translate for me.
