Welcome to The Kindness Project
What does kindness mean to us?
From Chrissy…
Have you ever met someone that changed your life? In fact, changed who you are? For me, one of those people (and at a few months shy of 50 there have been a few!) was Angela Glover. I met Ang in November 2017 when I ventured off to Tonga to complete my final Documentary Photography Assignment. I went alone and knew no one. Initially, I contacted her to arrange to come to chat about getting a tā tatou (I may have a slight addiction to tattoos!) as Ang and her husband James owned and operated a tattoo studio in Tonga. We chatted about my documentary and immediately she helped, got excited, and was just generally an amazing human. In the six weeks I was there I really got to realise what an incredible person she was. She was just kind. To everyone.
Her passion was always for dogs. She rescued, she helped she educated. It didn’t matter who she would take on - but if she saw anyone mistreating a dog they had better watch out! She would stop her car and intervene. But even in that, it was done with kindness. She would talk to them about how to look after the dog. Going back the next day with food, and the next day with medicines, and the next day with supplies, and the next day…
I’ll never forget her love for ‘Big Head’. The ugliest of some very ugly dogs in Tonga. Big Head was essentially homeless. Everyone knew him because of the revolting growth out of the top of his head, which was constantly weeping yellow liquid. Not gonna lie, I avoided him like the plague. And if I happened to see him when I was eating it was all over! But not Ang. What others saw as ugliness she saw as need. She took him home and loved him. Like no one else could. Big Head eventually died peacefully at their home a few months later. But his last months were filled with love and kindness. He had a home.
My life has been changed from meeting her. She has inspired kindness in me. She took on her life with a spirit of challenge and adventure. She grabbed it. With both hands. And took everyone along with her for the ride.
To me, this is what kindness is. To see someone’s ugliness and need and to love them anyway. To cover them. To love them until they are whole again.
Kindness Restores
Kindness Reconciles
Kindness Inspires
Kindness Heals
Angela Glover was tragically killed in the tsunami that ravaged Tonga a month ago. She died as she lived, trying to save her beloved dogs. She leaves behind her beautiful husband James. And she also leaves a legacy. A legacy of love and kindness. My heart goes out to her husband and whanau today, the day of her memorial service in England. Moe mai rā e hoa. Moe mai rā.
Ang and James started a charity called TAWS - Tonga Animal Welfare Society. James will continue on in Tonga rescuing, educating and loving. If you want to go and check them out click the link below.
With kindness,
Chrissy
From Nellie…
Kia ora, my name is Nellie Rahiri and I am the co-founder of The Kindness Project. I run an instagram called Āhuru mōwai. Āhuru mōwai is a safe space for people who have been affected by sexual violence. We could not have created this space without the constant kindness of our whānau and also kaupapa that are similar to ours.
As a young person trying to find my feet in the world, I know more than anything that kindness is key. When I am anxious, unsettled and/or stressed one tiny bit of kindness changes everything. I know that when people are kind to me I can’t help but feel at peace. If this is how I feel when someone is kind to me then I want to make it my mission to not only be kind but encourage others to be kind also. My passion to be kind has come from my parents who have raised me and my 5 siblings. They constantly challenged us to treat others just like we wanted to be treated. My parents allowed me to join kaupapa that spoke to me and that is where my passion for the sexual violence prevention sector stems from.
One kaupapa that I have been encouraged by, especially in the sexual violence sector, is Brave NZ. Brave NZ wants to see all young New Zealanders feel empowered and brave enough to ask for help if they have been affected by sexual harm in any way. As a survivor of sexual violence, I have felt so loved and understood by Brave NZ. Jessica Tyson (founder of Brave) is one that is kind always. She speaks with authority but always ensures she is kind and loving.
You can find brave on Instagram and they also have a website.
With kindness,
Nellie