Change Your Hair, Change the World: PCI-Media Impact Holds Fundraiser at Aaron Emanuel Salon for Ending Violence Against Women in Liberia
Hair salon donates all proceeds from day's services to photographic storytelling project
NEW YORK, April, 22 2013 /3BL Media/ — On Sunday, April 28 PCI-Media Impact will hold a fundraiser at the Aaron Emanuel Salon to raise money for their ongoing Liberia Photovoice project, which, seeks to empower survivors of sexual violence in the country’s capital city. From 9am to 6:30pm, Aaron Emanuel, located at 307 E 77th St, New York City will donate all proceeds from blowout services to support the next phase of the project.
In January the PCI-Media Impact team worked with a group of 25 remarkable young women at Monrovia’s THINK home, to explore the question “What does it mean to be a woman in Liberia?” through photography. All the girls of THINK (Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness) have been victims of gender based violence at the hands of men, women, strangers and family members. Ranging from ages 13 to 24, half of them already mothers and most below a fourth grade reading level, each one of them has a unique and heart-wrenching story about their past.
Armed with their cameras- and tailored photography training by a professional, the THINK girls become powerful agents of change. They explained, “It is our responsibility to not just learn how to do other things, but also to share with others,” and “If other girls are going to change and have different experiences in life, then they will have to learn from our example.”
Sexual violence is at an epidemic level in Liberia, which has lead to a generation of young mothers with virtually no education or means of supporting themselves. The girls at the THINK home are working to overcome their difficult pasts and gain the education and skills that will allow them to thrive in the future. One of the trade skills they’re learning is hairstyling.
To honor that spirit, Aaron Emanuel has partnered with PCI-Media Impact offering crucial financial support. All of the day’s 35 dollar blowouts and will be donated to provide new cameras, printers and a laptop for the girls of THINK, as well as additional training for both the girls and their teachers to ensure the project will continue and evolve. In addition to the salon’s services, hair products and stunning portraits of the girls will be raffled off.
Photovoice is a manner of photographic storytelling that enables vulnerable populations to tell their stories from their individual perspectives. Telling these stories challenges cultural norms and provides human context to the problems facing women of Liberia. You can see each girl’s story here.
To make an appointment please call the Aaron Emanuel Salon at (212) 422-3000. Also be sure to check them out on Facebook.
For more information on this project or ways to get involved please click here, check out their Facebook & Twitter pages or contact Communications Officer, Abby Wood at abbywood@mediaimpact.org or (212) 687-3197.
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