While it's hard for most of us to image, not everyone can afford to have their hair washed and trimmed, and that includes children. In eastern India, a new initiative is seeing around 4,000 barbers volunteer their services to school-aged children who could otherwise not afford a hair cut.
They'll be giving free haircuts to help improve hygiene and tidy up the physical appearances of the children in the state of Jharkhand, one of the poorest regions of India.
"We are hiring thousands of barbers as health educators in schools," said a Jharkhand human resources development minister.
"There are many poor children who can't afford to have regular haircuts and attend school with long hair which looks funny ... neat hair is also hygienic for students," he added.
This is one of the of those beautiful real life stories that make me excited about the underlying goodness of all people.
The photo shows a man receiving a shave from a barber on a Mumbai street back in 2006.
Free Hair Cuts For The Poor
4,000 Barbers Clean Up Indian Children
Trend Themes
1. Free Haircuts - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Develop mobile hair salons or hair cutting apps to bring free haircuts to underserved communities.
2. Volunteer Initiatives - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Create platforms or organizations that connect volunteers with opportunities to provide services to those in need.
3. Hygiene Improvement - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Develop innovative hygiene products or educational programs to enhance personal hygiene in impoverished communities.
Industry Implications
1. Barber Industry - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Explore partnerships with volunteer organizations or develop hair cutting technologies to provide services to underserved populations.
2. Mobile App Development - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Create mobile apps to connect volunteers with individuals in need of various services, including haircuts.
3. Personal Care Products - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Develop affordable and accessible personal care products targeted towards low-income communities.