At May Beauty Place and owner May Helfenrath, female beauty is at the heart of their daily work. With the "Lashes against FGM" campaign, the beauty salon wants to draw attention to the issue of FGM and support the work of TARGET.
How is TARGET supported?
Donation boxes are available in the salons of May Beauty Place (Hamburg), Besonders Schön (Bad Segeberg) and CK Beauty & Wellness (Neu Wulmstorf). A portion of the proceeds from May Beauty Place will also be donated.
The face of the campaign: Ayan
As one of 13 children, Ayan (see picture above) grew up in Burao in Somalia in East Africa. At the age of 12, she came to Germany with her uncle via detours. For a long time, she lived in youth hostels and aid organizations in Hamburg. In contact with her peers and caregivers, she realized after a while that she had been wronged at an early age. Ayan was circumcised at the age of 5. This brutal custom takes place in the presence of the mother, usually at her request, and is passed down from generation to generation. Ayan was circumcised two more times. Many girls die as a result of circumcision, on their wedding night or during childbirth.
Ayan survived it, but struggled with severe after-effects and psychological impairments. In 2016, she decided to go to the "Waldfrieden Desert Flower" clinic (www.dfc-waldfriede.de). The clinic in Berlin specializes in the reconstruction of female genitalia and helps women who have been victims of mutilation. Ayan is now symptom-free and happy to have gone this route. For May Beauty Place, she has agreed to be the "face" of our "Lashes against FGM" campaign to raise awareness of the issue and encourage other women.
Further information
All information and background information on the May Beauty Place fundraising campaign is available on the website: www.maybeautyplace.com