This is part of a limited, annual, series, “14 Days, 14 Stories”, about ordinary Pakistanis who are doing extraordinary things in order to give back to Pakistan.
Donating hair is a concept that is pretty common world wide. Fortunately, it’s gaining some popularity in Pakistan as well. Hair donations have increased significantly in the past two years. Given the prevalence of cancer patients, though, the increase could be more drastic. That’s where Hair To Help steps in.
Hair To Help is a non-profit, NGO run by Pakistan Youth Forum. The organization aims to provide free wigs to cancer patients.
Hair To Help conducts blood drives on a yearly basis in collaboration with other Salons such as Peng’s in order to collect hair. The hair gained from hair donations is used to form wigs for cancer patients.
“Hair loss as a result of cancer treatments can be devastating to a woman’s self-esteem and emotionally distressing,” reads their Facebook page’s description. “Many patients report feeling insecure about their appearance during this time and isolate themselves from others as a result of this.”
The team goes on to describe the pressure placed by society on its members to always look physically appealing and how that makes it harder for women suffering from cancer to cope with the disease. Therefore, Hair To Help aids in making the entire process just a little easier.
It can take up to six donors to form a single wig.
In the market, a normal wig can cost anywhere from Rs.15000 to Rs.20000. Hair To Help collects hair and receives donations that are later used for the production of the wigs.
In the past, the Hair to Help has had to deal with several queries and allegations against their cause. Whether people chose to use religion against them or accused them of using the hair for magic, the team stood strong in the face of all opposition. In fact, they simply responded with the following post:
Islamic Ruling on Hair Donation/Wearing WigsAll perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that…
Posted by Hair To Help on Samstag, 11. Juli 2015
Hair To Help is truly doing a remarkable job at helping those who are often shunned by society in their hardest times. We salute the team and the donors for their effort.
Have you ever donated your hair? Or would you like to donate your hair in the near future? Let us know in the comments below.
For more stories from our series about extraordinary Pakistanis check out “14 Days, 14 Stories“.
Cover image via: dawn.com