Ukrainian top stylists to join charitable initiative and stir the public

The Alternative Hair Show is an international charitable pro-ject, the contest that annually gathers the top stylists and hairdressers from all over the world who care not only about the aesthetics but the social problems as well.

The history of the Alternative Hair International Visionary Award is special. This noble project was founded by Tony RIZZO, one of the leading world top stylists, in memory of his son Valentino who died from leukemia when a child.

For 29 years the Alternative Hair Show has become one of the most prestigious contests in the hairdressers’ world and has raised over eight million pounds. This money was directed to the leukemia research foundations.

This year the Alternative Hair Visionary Award will be held on October 16 in the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences in London. The stylist of the year will be chosen and awarded there. Now the stylists from all over the world are sending photos of their works in order to take part in the contest.

Every participant has to pay the fee of 35 pounds, which is transferred to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Research foundation.

The contest of this year is significant for Ukraine since the Ukrainian top stylists will join the illustrious charitable initiative for the first time. The initiators of the event see its main effect in the social stirring of the whole Ukrainian public rather than hairdressers or sty-lists only.

“If the hairdressers can organize such events why can’t the businesspeople, dentists or mechanics do the same?” remarks Rizzo.

The leading Ukrainian stylists Viacheslav Diudenko, Maryna Kanikovska, Oleksii Antoniuk, Oleksandr Sytnikov, Ihor Zorianin, Natalia Venher and others already joined the project. The Ukrainian masters have a chance to do a noble deed and reach the European level. Oleksii ANDERSON, the hairdresser and member of the Intercoiffure Ukraine Section, told The Day that he took that step because of his social position.

“When I learnt about this event,” tells the stylist, “I decided to take part in it. It’s a huge project for our country since now the state doesn’t perform its social functions though it must care primarily about social security.”

According to Olha STETSIUK, the head of a unit in the Center of Children’s Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation OKHMATDYT, every year about 500 children in Ukraine fall ill with leukemia. About 400 of them can recover if the diagnostics and treatment are correct. “The treatment of a 30-kilogram child with leukemia costs at least 100,000 dollars,” says Olha.

“The treatment will be much more expensive if the bone marrow transplantation is needed. In the rest of the world such treatment is funded by the medical insurance, government and charitable donations. In Ukraine the state provides not more than 50 percent of the money needed.”

“I was happy to visit the children’s hospitals in Ukraine,” Rizzo says. “There are three important things for a kid undergoing the treatment. The first one is cleanness, the second one is care and the third one is nursing. In the British hospitals children can continue their treatment at home two or three weeks after the chemotherapy. They come to the hospital only for The Day therapy.

Here it’s impossible. That is why we have a certain circle: the children undergo a continuous treatment and the number of the patients that hospitals can receive decrease. I hope that in two or three years The Day centers for children with leukemia will appear in Ukraine. We started our project 29 years ago in Britain; only 10 percent of children with leukemia were likely to recover back then.

Last year I learnt that some forms of leukemia can be healed with 90 percent success. This fact is extremely important. I hope that some forms of leukemia will be healed completely in the nearest future,” Rizzo says.

The Ukraine’s final selection will be held on September 6. Now the Ukrainian stylists are joining the contest by sending the photos of the images they’ve created. One photo costs 150 hryvnias.

This money is transferred to the Center of the Children’s Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation OKHMATDYT. During the Ukrainian final Rizzo and Anthony Mascolo (Alternative Hair President) will choose the best model and the best stylist who will present Ukraine in London at the finale of the Alternative Hair Visionary Award. “Now the essential for us is to take the first step.

We’ve already organized several events: we gathered toys for the Saint Nicholas Day yet we shouldn’t stop this,” remarks Viacheslav DIUDENKO, the President of the Intercoiffure Ukraine and the chairman of the Beauty Shops Standards Committee. “We’re planning not only to unite the hairdressers from all over Ukraine but to involve the public in order to solve this problem [of children’s charity – Ed.].”