Josh Coombes, el peluquero de los vagabundos de Londres

En el último año, el peluquero Josh Coombes se propuso una importante misión: hacer algo a cambio de nada, en su caso, hacer por los más necesitados lo que sabe hacer bien; cortar el pelo.

Durante todo este tiempo se ha dedicado a recorrer las calles de Londres ofreciendo a los sin techo que se encontraba un corte de pelo y afeitado gratuitos.

Luego colgó fotos con su cambio de look en Instagram bajo el hashtag #DoSomethingForNothing, junto con su nombre y un resumen de su historia de vida en las calles.

 

 Este peluquero sale cada día de su trabajo en un salón de peluquería y luego recorre las calles en busca de sus otros clientes.

La idea, cuenta, surgió de un viaje a Nueva York donde vio que otros peluqueros como él llevaban a cabo un proyecto similar. Al regresar al Reino Unido quiso hacerlo en su ciudad de residencia; Londres.

A continuación de te dejo un video para que conozcas mejor la historia de Josh Coombes.

 

 

Su proyecto es absolutamente inspirador porque demuestra lo mucho que puede hacer por la vida de alguien algo tan sencillo como un corte de pelo, que devuelve a estas personas sin hogar su dignidad y amor propio. Pero también es importante porque visibiliza la situación de los sin techo, dándoles nombre y apellido.

Aquí te dejo algunas de las fotos que tomó Josh a sus clientes.

La foto de abajo cuenta en inglés que fue tomada a un hombre llamado Aman, quien vive en las calles de Londres desde hace 4 meses. Según le explicó el alcoholismo fue una de las razones que le hizo terminar en esta situación.

 

 

This is Aman. He has been homeless in London for the last four months. Aman didn’t have any requests for how he wanted his hair apart from saying ‘Tidy me up!’ – so I got to work. It was amazing to spend time with him and to learn about his life. He was very open with me, saying alcohol played a big part in him becoming homeless. ‘Drink is the problem, it got to the point where I knew I was relying on it and that’s not good.’ He told me how it effected the people around him and his life in general. He talked about London being a tough place since living on the street and now realising he took for granted some of the amenities most of us have access to every day. It was great to give him a transformation, making him feel like his old self again for a while. ✂️ Every time I do this I learn, whatever the reasons contributing to someone being in a bad situation in their life, we have to treat them with love. It’s the only way people. #DoSomethingForNothing

Una foto publicada por Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) el 3 de Ago de 2016 a la(s) 11:30 PDT

 

La mujer de abajo se llama Angie y tiene 38 años. Según explicó, vive en las calles desde que tenía 12 años. Creció en un hogar donde abundaban las drogas y terminó siendo adicta a muy temprana edad. Aun así, Josh cuenta que tiene una personalidad muy alegre. Ella le contó que «nadie viene a nosotros y hace esto en la calle, me ha hecho sentir realmente especial».

 

This is Angie, 38 years old.  Angie has been on the streets since she was a teenager. She was born into drug addiction and had to fend for herself from a very early age. She spoke to me of her own battle with addiction throughout her twenties. Being around drugs since she was a child, this was inevitable. Angie is an absolute sweetheart, during the haircut she charmed the hell out me and lifted my spirits to another level Her bubbly personality was a joy. To see her smile constantly, after the stories she told me is so inspiring. Any petty  worries I have all completely disappear when I meet someone like her. Angie’s last haircut was about a year ago so it was great to get rid of the spilt ends, making it easier for her to brush and maintain each day. She said – ‘Nobody comes to us and does this on the street, it’s made me feel really special’ – Angie sleeps near Trafalgar Square area with her partner. If you see her, go and show her some love. You’ll get it in return ten fold. #DoSomethingForNothing

Una foto publicada por Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) el 31 de Jul de 2016 a la(s) 7:19 PDT

 

Hace años que Paul vive en las alles. Josh cuenta que el hombre estuvo a punto de llorar varias veces mientras le cortaba el pelo. Alguien le agredió horas antes de que Josh le propusiera cortarle el pelo, al parecer trató de proteger a un amigo de una paliza y terminó recibiendo una golpiza.

 

 

@DoSomethingForNothing || This is Paul, He’s been homeless in and off for years now. Paul was in tears at more than one point during his haircut. He told us he was violently attacked hours before we bumped into him, because he threw himself on top of a friend to protect him from a beating. He took it instead. We could see his legs, hands and head were extremely sore and bruised from where he had been repeatedly hit with bottles. In this moment I believe Paul’s willingness to defend a friend means he’s probably out classed most of us. Profoundly moving. You can’t fix everyone. But for the time we are with them we can listen, we can he
ar their story, we can love them, we can be bringers of compassion and dignity. Paul’s haircut made him happy, I could feel his appreciation as we embraced at the end. Myself, @daveburt & @mattspracklen left him smiling. I told him I’ve he’s hairdresser now and that he’ll see us all again soon. Share your own stories on #DoSomethingForNothing – you might not be able to cut hair, but you can use your time and your own skills to make a difference to one person.

Una foto publicada por Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) el 29 de Jul de 2016 a la(s) 8:31 PDT

 

James tiene 25 años y cuenta que perdió a su padre a principios de año. Sin familia en la que apoyarse terminó en la calle. A veces logra estar en un refugio pero a menudo duerme en plena calle, como ha sido la norma en los últimos seis meses.

 

 

This is James, 25.  James walked past us near Leicester Square. I was in the middle of another haircut but I could see he’d stopped and was stood nearby watching. I introduced myself briefly and told him that he was next in line for a trim if he wanted. James has a sad story. He lost his dad at the beginning of this year – ‘After I lost him things got a lot worse for me.’ I could feel his suffering and how hurt he is. There are some deep issues he’s fighting right now that might take some time to heal. Not being touch with the rest of his family, things spiralled for James after this and it wasn’t long before he found himself with no where to turn but the street. He tries to stay in a shelter when he can afford it but largely sleeps rough in the city, as he has for the last six months. Despite what this year has thrown at him, James smiles a lot. His personality is huge and there’s so much love there. It was great to laugh and joke together during the haircut. To see a transformation in confidence and self worth means so much to me. It’s hard to sum a person up when only spending an hour with them. But I know this – James is in his mid twenties, the years many of us will look back on as some of the best in our lives. He sleeps on the street with his dog and has to find motivation from somewhere each day to believe he can change his situation. It’s not always choices that dictate your place in society.  #DoSomethingForNothing

Una foto publicada por Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes) el 20 de Jul de 2016 a la(s) 11:52 PDT

 

¿Impresionante no? El mundo sería bien distinto si todos intentáramos hacer algo a cambio de nada por los demás cada día. ¡Difunde el formidable trabajo de Josh con tus amigos de Facebook!