AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian hairdresser Nihad Dabbas hopes to bring smiles to the faces of cancer patients, particularly children and women.

Dabbas founded the initiative called Hareer (Silk) in 2017, which collects strands of hair from volunteers. The strands are then woven into natural-looking wigs for cancer patients, particularly children, who have lost their hair during chemotherapy.

Dabbas hopes that Wissam, a 7-year-old leukemia patient, will pass a happier Eid al-Fitr when the hairdresser completes a wig that resembles what Wissam’s hair looked like before chemotherapy. Dabbas plans to give Wissam his wig in mid-June, before the Eid.

Dabbas came up with the idea of making wigs when 13-year-old Ahmad walked into the salon with a friend who wanted to get a haircut in early 2017. But Dabbas noticed that Ahmad, who was wearing a hat, looked sad. When Dabbas asked his friend about the boy, it turned out Ahmad had leukemia and used the hat to hide his scarce hair. Dabbas approached the boy and asked him if he wanted his hair to return to the way it was by wearing a wig. Dabbas wove a wig for Ahmad, and the boy left for treatment abroad with his spirits lifted, at least partially.