A lot has happened with our Estetica School since our last post, and unfortunately we have not been able to give updates as often as we’d like, but let us try to catch you up on the recent highlights and exciting accomplishments this program has enjoyed over the past few months.
We are coming to the end of our second generation beauty school class. In only two terms, this school has already made a name for itself in not only its immediate community, but also in the surrounding villages. Currently these classes have a capacity of about 16 participants, and the waiting list guarantees that every seat is filled. Still, the benefits of this program reach well beyond the students enrolled. Each week on class day, locals line up at the door in order to wait their turn for whatever service they have come for. Not only do the students utilize their newly learned skills in the classroom, they also put them to use doing outreaches in schools as a service to give back to the community.
Last month the focus was on hair coloring, teaching techniques and styles for dying hair. It is always fun to drop in on the class because you can see at a glance what it is they are currently working on. They take turns practicing on each other in each discipline they learn, so when it comes time for learning about hair dye, you will find all ofthe students done up with new hair colors and highlights.
Recently they had a guest teacher come in from a local barber shop to give a special lesson on the most hip and popular male do’s, including cool hair design work with electric clippers. Things like this are exciting because we know that the graduates of this program are truly going to be well rounded in their skills and equipped to provide desired services that are in current demand, therefor being able to effectively make it a realistic source of support for their families.
Beyond everything that has been mastered over the past semester, it is the culture established among the group that is most impressive. A close knit community has been woven within the participants. The entire class work together as a family, going beyond the scope of the program to put on holiday events and get-togethers. They have taken ownership and pride in their education here, pulling their own funds together to design and order custom uniform smocks for each of them. It is refreshing to watch how they have grown, and the commitment they give to their self-development.
We are currently planning the graduation event which will be held in August. This is a time to celebrate all that the class has accomplished, and to recognize them for their hard work and dedication. As each of our Technical School students Graduate, we like to send them off with a gift that will be useful to them when taking their new skills out into the professional space. At this time, we still do not have anything to give to our Estetica School students. So if you are someone who is interested in partnering in this program, this is definitely an area we could use your help. Ideally our hope is to give each graduate electric clippers, which would be an amazing gift, and equip them with something vital for success in their new career. Other great gifts would be hair scissors, and heat tools such as blow dryers and straighteners (even quality used tools would be awesome). Also, small donations of hair brushes, hair clips, hair ties, and other salon essentials would be a treasured addition to their graduation gift/kit as well.
This class has truly been successful at “teaching the man how to fish,” in order to feed him for a lifetime, rather than “giving him a fish” to feed him for a day, but beyond the blessing this program gives to the students, these classes also provide a time of fellowship. Our students are made up of all walks of life, and it gives us an opportunity to not only bridge the gap between separations of different social and ethnic groups, but also to share and show Gods love and goodness to individuals who might otherwise keep a distance between themselves and the gospel. We feel so fortunate to be able to facilitate such a program, and blessed to watch it grow. Thank you, to those, who have previously partnered in making this program a possibility!
If you are someone who has connections to local salons around you, or know someone who does, and would like to partner in the everyday needs of the program there are various ways to do so. These courses are run on donations and gifts, so everything, no matter how small, can make a difference, now and in the future. We could even use half full products, used tools, yesterday’s solon equipment. Please don’t feel that if you can’t make a large donation it won’t help, even small gifts are greatly appreciated!
For more information on our Estetica program you can visit the Beauty School Page on the IDT website.
You can also reach out to our missionary partner, Hope Manzano, and she can direct you to where you can go to make one time or ongoing donations towards this class. Since our graduation is coming up in just a few weeks, we are hoping to identify sponsors soon in order to make their graduation gifts a reality.