The hair and beauty course starts!

Cheryl and Maleena from the training academy with the trainees

On Monday, 14 young women from Athidiya arrived at the centre for the start of the hair and beauty employment training programme.  An excellent indicator of their enthusiasm is that most of the trainees arrived early!  Cheryl  and her team from the hair and beauty training academy engaged the trainees from the start and the centre was a hive of activity all morning.  

The plan is for the course to take place 3 days a week in the centre at Athidiya for the next month or so and Cheryl will gradually move the trainees to her training centre in Colombo 7 as they gain in confidence.  Cheryl’s course is practical from the start and the trainees were practising make-up techniques on each other within about half an hour of the course starting! 

Cheryl is confident that she can find work in salons for those who complete the course.  There are a few trainees who due to childcare commitments may not be able to travel to Colombo to work in salons but the good thing about this course is that women can do this type of work from home.  All of the young women taking part in the course have been unemployed for some time; some have never worked since leaving school.  From speaking with them prior to them starting the course it is clear that they are keen on learning a trade but up to now have had little opportunity.

Cheryl and her assistant Maleena are keen to give the trainees as much support as possible and are aware of the difficulties the young women face in their daily lives.  They have put together training records for each trainee to keep track of how they are progressing and they have a very hands-on approach with them.  It will be exciting to see how all the trainees get on in the next few weeks!

 

Over the last month or so I have also been working with the local team and the RCCI school in order to develop the support for children and adults with disabilities living in Athidiya.  Teachers from the RCCI run sessions twice a month on a Saturday for these people and with the help of Mrs V (one of the community workers in Athidiya), I have been visiting the disabled people in the area to see what support they need and to encourage them to attend the Saturday sessions.  There are various reasons why some children/adults are unable to come to the centre for support, from parents being at work to mobility issues, and together with the teachers from the RCCI school we will be looking at overcoming these barriers.  One of the most important areas of work is encouraging the families that education/skill development is important and possible for these children and adults.

There is lots of work to be done but I am confident that all involved with this project will work to find the best way to support these people.  Some of the children/adults with disabilities are very isolated within the community and it would be hugely beneficial for them to be less isolated on a long-term basis.

Katherine