hairdressers for hope: “ beauty bus” tohoku project on the new road to education!

After 3.11 in 2011, Tohoku area (north part of Japan) had serious damages where more than 5,000 hair salons were affected with difficulties to continue their business. Japan PPD team has visited the area several times and brought a decision to develop a support program in collaboration with hairdressers, called “Hairdressers For Hope”.

Concept of the project at that moment was
1) to bring an immediate beauty supports to the people affected living in evacuation centers, collaborating with local hairdressers.
2) provide a work space for hairdressers who lost their salons by tsunami.

To realize the concept, a mobile beauty hair salon, a “Beauty Bus” has been made by a great support of Nissan-Renault who gifted us a bus and Takara Belmont with their beauty equipments. Salon-lost hairdressers made use of this Beauty Bus to manage their business until little by little, Tohoku area enters in revival process and temporary hair salons were made where salon equipments were in better conditions compared to Beauty Bus.

In 2013, the project was required to rebuild the concept as new phase and needs were recognized: 1) more stable life in temporary houses but mental support was even more required as people were not healed yet by the tragedy and family loss. They tend to stay indoors alone that bring them to a deep depression. 2) Many people lost their pictures by tsunami and wished to have their new nice ones.

The new phase of project has started providing hair styling and make ups by the hairdressers and after then, a professional photo shoot with gifting of the photo.

“Beauty gives smile” is the reaction received in the project, and the principle role by our partner hairdressers are the key of the project.

The milestone of the project has been for 4 years since 2011, and the project has entered the timing to be closed: life in the temporary houses is diminishing, people move over to the disaster recovering public houses which is far more comfortable compare to the temporary houses.

After shown to the media at Nissan global office / show room in Yokohama, our Beauty Bus will be exhibited permanently in Motorcar Museum of Japan (the biggest motorcar museum in Japan http://mmj-car.com/english/index.html) from the 5th of June 2015. We believe that our Beauty Bus in this museum will enlighten the fact of the disaster in Tohoku and proves that beauty can give smiles to whom ever wish to be happy in any situation.

Fact & Figures
Collaborated Hairdressers: 157
Collaborated Volunteers: 238
Total smiles given: 1,500
Project Period: From April 2011 to March 2015