Global Days of Service began as an initiative at Walden University in 2006 and has since grown to include the entire Laureate International Universities network. Local institutions have found many ways to participate in this initiative, hosting community events, serving those in need and partnering with other organizations already doing great work. The 2015 Laureate Global Days of Service were scheduled for 12th to 18th October, 2015.

At Pearl Academy, celebrated these days across four campuses through multiple community service projects. Our students and staff to participated actively and contribute towards the betterment of society.

In the Naraina Campus at Delhi, a special workshops was organized by Pearl Academy for the acid attack victims. The workshop was centered around ‘making it easier to live with the scars’, an initiative under community service in Laureate Global Days of Service, 2015. The workshops aimed at creating awareness amongst the victims of the acid attacks towards the non-surgical ways with which they can camouflage their scars.
The initiative was spear headed by AVP-SDS Reena Mehra. Pearl Academy had tied up with “Atijeevan”, a charitable organization started by our Alumni Pragya Singh, who is a survivor of an attack herself.  The workshop was conducted in three parts- Dermatology, Make-up and Styling demonstrations. Our educators for the workshops were- Dr. Anuj Pall, Dr. Shalini Pall, Ms. Anu Kaushik, Liz and Pragya.

Dr. Anuj Pall and Shalini Pall run a NGO named ‘Mehaan’ which works for disaster management, education and women empowerment. The doctors educated the victims about the treatment available for the various kind of burns sustained. Dr. Shalini Pall gave a graphic description as well as explained to the minutest detail about the treatments of burns and the equipment used to treat the same. Dr. Anuj Pall explained the cost effectiveness and the ease of the treatment. Dr. Anuj runs a clinic called “La Skinnovita” and has promised free treatment to all the attendees of the workshop. Pragya further added that the cost of the equipment would be borne by the “Atijeevan” foundation. The second part of the workshop involved make-up and styling tips for the victims which help them conceal the scars and feel beautiful. The make-up workshop was conducted by Ms. Anu Malik and Liz, renowned make-up artists in the industry who now run the MAMA Academy in Janakpura. Ms. Anu Kaushik has recently concluded a photo shoot for Vogue with acid attack victims. She demonstrated ways in which one could revamp their scars and merge them with their skin color. Ms. Anu and Liz gave make-up kits to the victims and also offered free learning of the make-up techniques.

The last segment of the workshop involved styling where the students and faculty of FSID taught the survivors about the various body types and the colors and attire well suited for their body types. They even demonstrated how to style themselves with scarfs. The workshops concluded with a vote of thanks by Pragya and Reena Mehra.