Grantee Site Visit: Womankind

Posted:Monday, February 11, 2019

By Adrienne F. Asta, BA, LMT

On a recent visit to Chinatown in New York, I had the chance to visit with the staff of MTF Community Service Grantee Womankind and see firsthand the impact that our grant is making. Womankind (formerly New York Asian Women’s Center) is an organization that works with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and other trauma to build a path to healing. They use an innovative model that lets survivors choose from a wide range of wellness services to heal from trauma in an organized, self-directed way.

Touch is among the most foundational of human needs. I’m fortunate to say that in my life, touch is synonymous with love and kindness. Survivors come from a place where this basic need is associated with fear and anxiety and is associated with pain and violence.

The grant Womankind received from the Foundation allows the organization to add massage therapy to their list of services and gives the women who have been assaulted a chance to re-associate touch with its health benefits instead of with provoking anxiety. I was so inspired to hear about the positive impact that their massage program has created for clients. Massage therapy and art therapy are vital programs for survivors there, many of whom originate from cultures where there is stigma surrounding traditional talk therapy.

There are times when I wish I could provide therapeutic massage to everyone, so they might experience the wonderful benefits of what we do first hand. Knowing my donation to MTF is helping those most in need who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the benefits of massage is heartwarming and inspiring.

Please check out the video below as Womankind Director Kiera Nagle as she discusses the wonderful work this organization