Developing a Beautiful Thing

A wonderful little development years in the making has recently reached a milestone.  My cousin’s wife Zayoun always had a natural touch as a beautician.  Ladies in the community would often come to her before wedding or engagement celebrations to receive some make-up or hair work, and she gained quite a reputation for her skill.  My mother noticed this and recognized that there was potential for a small business, so she began hunting outlets, thrift stores and personal contacts in the U.S. to gather a collection of cosmetics to be sent to Lebanon.  I remember returning from my 2010 U.S. visit with a fair number of pounds of Mary Kay and other products in my suitcases.  These supplies were enough to get Zayoun going with a little home-business, and from time to time her house was transformed into the neighborhood beauty salon. 

The success of this understudy encouraged Zayoun to take her skills more seriously and pursue formal training.  With the support of her husband, Sami, and my parents, she enrolled at a technical institute in a nearby city and began working towards an official certificate.  This qualification would allow Zayoun to expand her services and do bridal make-up, which is another level of skill, prestige and profit potential.   It’s one of the few cases of anyone from the community receiving advanced formal education/training, and she did it all while balancing the demands of home. (During her time as a student she and her husband had their third child, who they named Becky!)  After a lot of work Zayoun had her certificate in hand.  The next step was the biggest: opening a beauty salon.

Again, with support from Sami and my parents, work began this past fall to build a salon above Zayoun’s home.  It took a number of months to finalize the project and the financial investment was significant, but there was always a lot of excitement and good-will about the venture.  The huge milestone was reached last week when a small gathering was organized to mark the official opening of Salon Zayoun!

In the field of international development there is a model called assets-based community development (ABCD).  ABCD approaches poverty alleviation by looking at the assets (skills, resources, etc…) available within a community and working in partnership with locals to design and execute projects.  One of the advantages of ABCD is that it focuses on a community’s offerings rather than needs, thus leading to programs that are high in sustainability and low on dependency.  Many times development processes are extremely sophisticated with extensive amounts of time, money and expertise invested into applying the best practices.  Sometimes, however, development just happens.  There was no strategy, theory or analysis for Zayoun’s situation.  It was simply a matter coming alongside people to see a goal achieved.  I personally had a good feeling about the venture when,  shortly after receiving her initial cosmetic supply, Zayoun informed me that we do not need to send any more.  The income from the start-up supply was allowing her to buy her own make-up.  That’s a good indicator that things are starting on the right track.

We can look at Salon Zayoun in verious terms of success.  One is the economic benefits.  A family has now expanded its source of income and created a more stable financial situation.  The community has its first salon for women; therefore, the local economy will be strengthened as money remains within the community.  We could look at it as a testament for education.  Zayoun lives in a community of around 800 people, of which only five individuals have achieved a grade nine education.  Many people think that they have one chance at school, and when it’s lost, it’s lost forever.  Now we have an example of someone in her 30’s with a family of her own going back to school to continue her education and build her future.  Salon Zayoun could also be seen as a breakthrough in women’s empowerment.  While cultural tradition may limit women to a role in the house, Zayoun and Sami have demonstrated how the home can become a vibrant place of business, innovation and asset utilization.

All these takeaways are on base, but I personally see something more simple and sincere.  Salon Zayoun is a testimony of a family who believed in a little dream just enough to make it happen.  It is an example of what can happen when a few people (mainly my mother) make someone else’s dream their own and put a little bit of action into their belief.  Ultimately, Salon Zayoun is evidence that good things are happening in this little community of people that I dearly love.  The fact that I can play a very, very small role in it all is a great personal pleasure.  Life is not about being part of the biggest or the best; it is about the precious and the sincere.  Beauty salons are by their nature concerned with the pursuit of beauty, Salon Zayoun just happens to go deeper than skin.

The Grand Opening of Salon Zayoun

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

A first look a the nearly-completed salong