HAIRDRESSERS AGAINST AIDS, ACTORS FOR PREVENTION!

In 2001, after an official visit to South Africa in her role as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Lady Cristina Owen -Jones brought to the attention of the L’Oréal Group the impact that the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus was having on the local population. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization which numbers 191 member countries around the world, has issued an open invitation to firms to join forces with it in supporting prevention campaigns targeting the HIV/AIDS pandemic, alongside governments and NGOs.

In 2005, L’Oréal and UNESCO signed a cooperation agreement to roll out a prevention campaign that would be supported by hairdressers all over the world. Since 2007, under the title “Hairdressers Against AIDS”, this preventive education programme has been a core element of the causes pursued by the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, which is committed to supporting education, and has made its mark as a major strategic campaign.

L’Oréal Professional Products has swung into action to roll out the programme on the ground, and every year its worldwide network of trainers provides training for thousands of hairdressing professionals on issues linked to HIV/AIDS. Together, L’Oréal Professional Products and its partner salons make a significant contribution to fighting the spread of the disease.

The global prevention education campaign, unique of its kind, has already reached out to 1.3 million hairdressers in 26 countries, raising awareness and providing information by introducing HIV/AIDS prevention modules as part of their professional training courses. Once they have received training, the hairdressers go on to play a fundamental role, in their turn, in awareness raising and education. Hairdressers make up a large community, whose close personal links and ability to communicate with their clients are a highly effective way of passing on vital information for the prevention of HIV/AIDS.