|
|
Kabul Beauty School |
The Talibans issued a fatwa against such schools and destroyed many of them. Many were forced to close down. Deborah Rodriguez appeared as a savior in this wretched condition and set up a beauty school: Kabul beauty school. The beauty school provided them a ray of hope: to escape from the challenges faced by Afghan women in daily life, their ordeals and the negative forces, which aimed at snatching their self-respect.
Background of Kabul Beauty School:
After Talibans were defeated by the international forces and driven out of their former bastions, the author, Deborah took part in an aid organization's endeavor to reach and help the ravaged people. The organization's motto was to instill confidence among the scarred people and help them as much as possible. The team comprised mainly of medical hands. Deborah was the only non-medical member. She sometimes felt frustrated as being a non-medical member; she had little help to offer. While roaming through the country, she found that the Afghan beauty institutions are in disarray as the former rulers have shut down them. She decided to inaugurate and run a beauty training school.
The Birth Of Kabul Beauty School:
The aim of the school was to provide the backward Afghan women with companionship, self-respect, and ingredients to look beautiful. Though she could not go against the burka custom and head scarves, Deborah tried her best to take out Afghan girls in the lime light. An epitome of dream: The Kabul Beauty School began with 10,000 boxes of donated beauty products and supplies. She earnestly appealed to the US beauty companies to assist her. She got immense response with more than half million US dollars soon arrived to materialize cause. The school faced many challenges but started with a strong humane vision in eyes.
With profound knowledge about Kabul, where she mixed with local culture, her establishment is the magic potion for Afghan women. It may take time to reveal deep wounds, but these types of institutes will definitely Afghan women to the big world.
The journey of Kabul beauty school:
At Kabul Beauty School, Deborah took innovative training methods to gain confidence and support of the Afghan students. She taught them to treat undesired hair dyes as 'Satan' and get rid of them. The school has taught many Afghan women the basic techniques of hair dye, hair cut and hair style. The learners have sensed an opportunity to earn more than their husbands. Rodriguez's Afghan husband Sam helped her tremendously to make her dream a success.
Of course Kabul beauty school will not be able to utilize its full potential, until peace prevails in the war ravaged country and starvation, malnutrition and poverty are checked to a large extent. Deborah herself described Kabul as a city ‘dense with sadness'.
Future of Kabul Beauty School:
At the end of a dark tunnel there is always light. There is a substantial demand for such schools, as huge demand for such services, as elaborate hair style and make up styles are a popular trend among Afghan women, even though they remain behind veils.
Deborah has written a book on the experience of the school, which is running successfully. She has decided to contribute a large part of the loyalty for the progress of the school. Kabul Beauty School is indeed a hint of the future world; a world of happiness, peace and prosperity and a society where underprivileged women will get their due.
|
|
|
