+Solutions in Poland

SAM CUTS BARBER SALON

Founder, Segun Akeju

THE PROBLEM

As Poland is a mostly homogenous country many people have a hard time finding make-up, beauty and hair products or services that fit their specific skin color or hair type. Additionally, few hairdressers or barbers are trained in cutting and maintenance of non-European hair types and styles.

Another problem which this initiative deals with in a more informal way is the lack of help for migrants who often work illegally, have trouble legalising their stay, getting work permits and need help with taking care of all the documentation. There are limited resources for migrants to access when they are in such a situation, so they often ask more experienced foreigners for support.

THE SOLUTION

Sam opened his barber shop in the center of Warsaw in 2016 and has been a very successful business since. His clients consist mostly of migrants from countries such as Nigeria (where Sam himself is from), India, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Oman, Iraq and Ukraine, but also Poles. Sam provides a service, which is not easily available in Poland and is known for his great skills and helpful demeanor. His clients often ask him for help with legalising their stay, work and studies as Sam has been through this same experience. He does what he can to create a positive and welcoming environment at his salon and wants to help those who are on the same journey he once was.

Sam would like to expand his barbershop and hire more migrant barbers as well as branch out into selling hair products for non-European hair types which are not easily available in Poland.

THE IMPACT

“Sam Cuts” is located in Śródmieście district, a prime location in the center of Warsaw. Additionally, Sam also provides at home barber services. His salon allows migrant men to easily take care of their appearance by being able to trust someone trained in caring for their hair types. The salon helps close the gap in services catered towards non-European inhabitants of Poland. Such places make migrants feel more welcomed and provide a sense of community. Sam builds a safe space where migrants, mostly men from countries such as Nigeria,  India, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Oman, Iraq and Ukraine, but also Poles can talk together, and feel a sense of community.

CEnTER FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Founder, Artem Tuliuk

THE PROBLEM

Autism spectrum disorder has become a very important topic in recent years as more and more people are being diagnosed. However, not all countries offer high-level care, rehabilitation and support. Eastern European countries still struggle with providing well-developed and advanced help in this area, which creates a real problem for those with the disorder. Many families are forced to move to a different country in order to have access to specialised care. However, this poses another issue as the language barrier becomes an obstacle for people seeking help outside of their country of origin.

THE SOLUTION

Artem has experienced this problem himself – together with his family he moved out of Ukraine in order to access better care and support for his son. However, he had the advantage of knowing Polish, which many of his fellow migrants do not have. Having a deep understanding of this topic he realised he could support others with the same need and so has begun a journey to start the center for autistic children that provides services in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. As the number of migrants coming to Poland seeking help for their children is growing, there is a high demand for a service like this.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. Having such a place would allow parents to easily communicate with counselors and pedagogues, and lead to better results as the children would receive treatment in their native language. The center would also provide employment to migrants, as speaking Russian and Ukrainian would be a requirement to work here.

REUSABLE DIAPERS AND ECOLOGICAL PRODUCTS

Founder, Mariana Lunova

THE PROBLEM

Do you know how many diapers are used on one child in their first year of life? An average of 3600! This product, although necessary for the baby, is detrimental to the planet. As the climate change gets more and more severe, we need to change our habits and perhaps the conveniences in order to prevent even more serious damage. One way to do that is to offer more easily accessible and cheaper ecological alternatives to everyday single-use products.

In addition to the environmental benefits, this initiative helps deal with the problem of unemployment and illegal employment among migrant women, who often struggle to find fair employment and need a supportive community to help empower each other.

THE SOLUTION

Mariana has founded a solution that deals with these problems. She wants to set up a tailor shop which will sew reusable diapers and hand-made toys from natural fabrics. In addition to reusing waste, reusable diapers are also more economical in the long run. Mariana plans on employing migrant women, giving them stable and fair jobs, and creating a supportive and empowered community among them.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed. By doing this she wants to promote ecological choices by making these products cheaper and more accessible. Her goal is to show that being climate-conscious does not have to be a big inconvenience.

WEYES – INTERACTIVE APP FOR CREATING GLASS FRAMES

Founders,  Anton Bulakh with the support of Alina Shkliaruk, Eugene Chechkov and Roman Pavliuk

THE PROBLEM

Kids who wear prescription glasses often face bulling, feel uncomfortable and “uncool” when wearing them, which impacts their self-confidence. Because of that they often resent glasses, which in turn worsens their vision even more. That may lead to them not being able to fully and comfortably participate in classes and sports and generally makes them less safe in daily life.

THE SOLUTION

Anton realised that this problem existed when he noticed how many children were crying at the optician’s. He used his experience and expertise in industrial and graphic design, and with the help of Alina, Eugene and Roman designed an app, which allows kids to create their own perfect frames. The app measures the childs face and custom fits the frames to their shape. Additionally, the users may design the frames by setting different parameters to their own liking. Right now, the prototypes are printed using a 3D printer, but eventually Weyes wants to use a 5-axis milling machine to do so.

The app is designed mainly for children and their parents and aims to make the process of choosing glasses a fun, creative and exciting actviity. The hope is that kids will feel more comfortable, confident and proud when wearing the glasses they themselves designed.

THE IMPACT

This initiative is still in the process of being developed.

AZIMA TATAR DELIGHTS BAKERY

Founder, Susanna Izzetdinova

THE PROBLEM

Migrants who don’t know the local language, practice a different religion, or simply come from a different culture face a deal of discrimination, making it difficult to get a job. When you add that to difficult past experiences, a limited support network and having to take care of one’s family, it becomes an incredibly difficult situation. They often miss their home countries, their culture and amily and friends whom they left. By opening up her bakery Susanna wanted to bring a piece of Tatar culture to Poland and create a business which could support her family and families of other migrants by giving them stable jobs.

THE SOLUTION

Susanna opened “Azima Tatar Delights Bakery” to share Tatar culture and cuisine and create a safe workspace for migrants. As a Muslim she has faced discrimination for covering her hair and has heard many stories from her employees and fellow migrants about the prejudice they have to fight. She wants her bakery to be a welcoming space where everyone can feel accepted and understood. Since opening her bakery, it has been very successful and her customers appreciate the new flavors she has brought to Poland. Now, she plans on opening a second bakery, which will give her to opportunity to expand her business and create more jobs. She wants to employ and support single mothers, as she understands from her own experience how hard it is to support your family in a foreign country. Working in her bakery gives women an opportunity to learn Polish by interacting with customers, which will help them out in starting their new life here.

THE IMPACT

Susanna opened her bakery in Gdańsk in July 2019. She first worked with just her daughter and now employs 5 workers (including 2 Poles). Her bakery is very highly praised for its delicious and unusual products. Newspapers have written articles about the bakery and Susanna was featured on TV to talk about her work. Susanna bakery is a welcoming and safe space of working for refugees.