Gonzalo Duarte is many things: CSI Annex’s Community Manager, the Executive Director of Compañeros Partners, an avid father, dog-walker, and aspiring designer. He is also a man with dark, thick, luscious hair. Don’t be jealous, he’s about to cut it all off.
In early May when Gonzalo heard about Jose*, a 26 year old from Esteli, Nicaragua, who was shot and consequently paralysed during a peaceful protest for human rights in Nicaragua, he knew he wanted to do something.
The answer quickly, right came off the top of his head: in the midst of quarantine, without a proper haircut in 13 weeks and left to its own devices, Gonzalo’s big hair has only grown puffy, puffier, outrageously puffy (his words!). So now he is fundraising to cover Jose’s on-going health-related expenses for a six month period. If Gonzalo reaches his $1000 goal, he will cut his locks into a fauxhawk. A stark contrast to his usual short, cropped cut.
Gonzalo says, “Jose is bouncing back with an amazing amount of resiliency common to the people of Nicaragua. Faced with a sudden life-changing event, Jose is eager to demonstrate some ability to look after himself and relieve pressure on his family. His determination in the face of adversity is the reason I want to get a haircut for human rights.”
But that’s not all: if his fundraiser reaches $2000 Gonzalo will add colour to the ‘do and donate to CSI’s Community Resilience Fund which is helping people deal with Covid-19 and reimagining a planet-friendly economy.
We’re proud of our teammate’s dedication to these two causes — one local, one global — and can’t wait to see his wild new hair on our next Zoom call. Donate now to make sure it happens!
*We have withheld Jose’s last name to protect his privacy.
