CARSI and YWCA teach youths to be paid barbers

The Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) is the United States Government’s top program for investing and promoting peace in Central America. CARSI has pledged six million U.S. dollars to go towards initiatives that combat urban crime and narco-trafficking while investing in programs that prevent youths from straying into illicit activities. Several weeks ago CARSI teamed up with the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA). News Five visited the YWCA’s Helping Early Leavers Program this morning and found that several city youths have been trained to become barbers.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

YWCA with the assistance of CARSI created a self employment program for youths in the Belize City. It’s the first of its kind, a Barbering Expo.

Sonia Linares, General Secretary YWCA

Sonia Linares

“This is the first time that the Y has embarked on such an initiative. We must say thanks to the U.S. government through the CARSI program in which we train for the first part of the program, twelve barbers. We try to get young men in the community who want to develop a skill and also to help them to generate income for themselves. It was an interesting sixteen weeks where the barbers came and were trained in haircutting, shaping and all different aspects of cutting hair. They even embarked on hair-coloring so that was a new area for us.”

They sought the skills of Fareed Ahmad for the project.

Fareed Ahmad

Fareed Ahmad, Barber and Facilitator

“I worked with the YWCA because I’ve been working with them for a couple years now with the HIV prevention program and stuff like that and we decided to do barbering. We had an ad out for the youths to come in and a few on them came in and they have been very receptive and learned a lot through the program. One of the aspects that we had to focus on is personal development; the ability to capture your customers and keep your customers. And that far transcends just the skills of barbering itself because you can learn how to cut hair, but probably your personality or the way you come across to your customer could be deterring.”

And the barbers showed their gift of gab while they cut.

Jack Martinez

Jack Martinez, Barber, CARSI Program

“From when I young, I loved to cut hair. One day I heard that they start a program at YWCA and I come and inquire about the program and right from there I started and then here I am now. Sometimes I go to Dave’s Barbershop to work on weekends; dah so I enjoy myself doing barbering.”

Steve Gaynair

Steve Gaynair, Barber, CARSI Program

“Since the beginning, I’ve been working at Dave also with my colleague and it has been very successful since the beginning of the program. It was a real pleasure to have started the program. Strongly consider this as a career. When people ask me why I became a barber, I say every day hair grows and every day I can see myself making some money.”

There is also a class that teaches how to do manicures and pedicures.  The business club took the opportunity to show off their skills in making dessert for sale.

Rehtse, Member of YWCA Business Club

Rehtse

“They teach us how to prepare our product; how to put it out there so that people can know that we make it. How to sell it, how to make back our profit and different things like that.”

Jose Sanchez

“What do you have and what were you selling?”

Rehtse

“Over the weekend, I do bread budding and I sell it.”

Jose Sanchez

“What did the other girls make?”

Rehtse

“They made different things like powder buns and sweet stuff.”

Jose Sanchez

“So this program does help young ladies like yourself?”

Rehtse

“Yes sir.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

The one day expo ended after the barbers participated in a friendly haircutting competition.