WHAT IS WIGS WITHOUT BORDERS®?

A surgeon in Botswana contacted The Wig Exchange to discuss the conditions in her country and the need for wigs among her patients with the hope that The Wig Exchange could help. The Wig Exchange, which launched in 2012, has received over 10,000 donated wigs from cancer survivors or those who have lost a loved one. All wig donors share the desire to pay it forward by helping newly diagnosed women. As a result of their generosity, we have been able to send approximately 2,500 wigs overseas to 10 developing countries. The outpouring of gratitude from the recipients has been heartwarming and motivates us to continue to grow this program.

Wigs Without Borders®, a program created by SOUL RYEDERS, helps provide wigs to women with cancer in developing countries where cancer-related resources are critically lacking. Through our interactions with professionals working in low resource countries, we learned that in certain cultures, cancer is thought to be contagious and women, in particular, are often shunned by their communities once they are diagnosed with cancer. These women, in certain cultures, are considered to have evil spirits, are no longer deemed useful members of their communities or tribes, and are typically treated as outcasts. For these women, wearing a wig is not simply about normalcy or vanity — it can literally alter the course of their lives.