From shadows to "Paradise"
In the peri urban area of Yangon, Hlaingtharyar, a beauty salon named Paradise represents a change for its owners. The women running this shop are all survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Today, they have left that life behind to become successful business owners and professional beauticians.
The path from survival to ownership began with the support of Women Federation for Peace (WFFP) under the A2JFS project. These women were referred to a safe house where they spent three months receiving essential counselling. While focusing on their recovery, they also looked toward the future by gaining vocational skills in massage, shampooing and nail art. To turn these skills into a livelihood, they were provided with a startup grant (1960000 MMK per person) and business management training. Together, they collectively run the Paradise as a shared business, combining their skills, effort, and responsibility in its daily operations.
Since opening in April 2025, the Paradise has seen remarkable growth. What began as a small group providing basic shampooing services has expanded into a full-service salon offering hair, makeup, nail art, massage and foot cleaning.
For the owners, the salon truly is a paradise - not just in name, but in meaning. It is a safe space where they feel respected, valued, and empowered to dream again.
The project’s community-based collaborative approach was a vital part of this success. Members of the Self Help Group (SHG) – another local project working with survivors of GBV that also received support from A2JFS - were instrumental in helping the women find a location and marketing the Paradise. The synergy between the salon and the SHG created a strong foundation for the business, illustrating the power of local collaboration and support. Now, the owners of Paradise are giving back. Because they understand the challenges of GBV, they act as a safe point of contact for their customers. When they encounter women facing similar struggles, they provide a listening ear and refer them back to the SHG for protection and support.
Although the project has already ended, Paradise continues to operate successfully and sustainably because of the strong peer bond among the women. As survivors who share similar experiences, they support one another with deep empathy, trust, and mutual understanding. This connection has become the foundation of both their business and their continued journey toward confidence, healing, and independence.
What makes their journey even more powerful is how their dreams continue to grow. The women continue to hope for opportunities to strengthen their skills further, particularly through advanced training in professional makeup and other specialized beauty services. They also shared a heartfelt dream to build something that carries their own name; “One day, I want to open my own salon in my native town”.
Behind these hopes is a quiet but powerful transformation. Today, the women are not only rebuilding their lives but also generating their own income, earning around 250,000 MMK per month collectively through the salon. What began as a path of survival has become a journey of possibility. Each new skill, each customer served, and each shared experience has added to their confidence in what they can achieve.
Their story reflects how far resilience can go when it is met with opportunity. Paradise is not only a place of work - it is a space where healing continues, and where new dreams are taking shape every day.
