At just 11 years old, Laís, Ana Alice, and Helena made a decision: they cut their long hair to support women undergoing cancer treatment.
“Knowing that this will make other women happy is really cool,” said Laís Ferreira, a student at Boa Vista Adventist Academy in Brazil, with a shy but proud smile.
The girls are part of Locks of Hope, a hair donation campaign that began in 2016 and has since mobilized students, teachers, and families in acts of solidarity. This year’s edition collected 30 locks of hair, donated by students, teachers, and mothers from the school community.
For Helena Padilha, also 11, the experience was emotional.
“My hair has always been long. When it was time to cut it, I was nervous, but now it will grow back, and I want to help more people,” she said.
The donated hair will be used to make wigs for women experiencing hair loss during cancer treatment. This year, the campaign partnered with the salon of businesswoman Maria Leal, who has supported the initiative since 2024.
“We already have a habit of doing service projects,” she said. “When I learned about the project, I really got involved. And this year, we decided to do something different: we are going to extend the campaign throughout the year and benefit even more women.”
All donations are directed to the Humanitarian Center for Women's Support (CHAME), which provides assistance to women diagnosed with cancer. The center’s director, Hannah Monteiro, emphasized the importance of these contributions.
“Every week we receive a woman who is beginning treatment and will soon face hair loss. Having wigs ready to hand out, thanks to campaigns like this, is essential. And coming from such young children, but already with this sense of solidarity, fills us with hope,” she said.
Beyond collecting hair, the Locks of Hope campaign reinforces values such as empathy and compassion among students, principles central to the Adventist education model. The initiative develops academically strong students and inspires them to become socially responsible individuals.
Hair donations are accepted year-round at the CHAME women’s support center, part of the Legislative Assembly of Roraima.
The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese news site. Join the ANN WhatsApp Channel for the latest Adventist news.
