about us.

We personally 'know' every individual who is a part of our program - they are not just a number. They have a face, a name, a family, a people group and are a part of a community. They also have hopes and dreams for the future - EmpowerAid helps show the way.

The EmpowerAid team is passionate about empowering women. We empower women to share their skills and experience with women who are living on or below the poverty line. teach skills, encourage them and enable them to live lives of dignity and independence. We empower each other by sharing our lives, our gifts, abilities, a good laugh and a cup of tea.

where we work.

BANGLADESH

Approximately 350 women have been trained over this time. We estimate that for every woman trained, another 7 family members are affected by the improved living conditions, including increased access to education for their children. We love that people gain choice through gaining skills. 

There are different lengths of courses offered, sometimes offered off site to suit different settings – again its about giving choice.

With increasing numbers of girls seeking training, opportunities to sponsor are always available. We are so excited too that our new parlour will help generate income to enable more girls to be trained.

EAST TIMOR

Since 2018, Pro Ema has helped empower girls and young women in Timor – Leste through training and education, in an environment of holistic support.

Having begun training young women in Dili in 2016, EmpowerAid now continues to work in partnership with Pro Ema to deliver training in Hair and Beauty skills to the young women they work with.

how we do it.

EmpowerAid is a training organisation. We believe we can help the poor and vulnerable, together. That’s why we volunteer and empower women with vocational training. But we don’t stop there! We also train students to teach, so they are able to spread empowerment further then we could!

When we are able, we travel and visit our students in person to deliver training packages. At the moment, most of our training happens online.

We love to see our students flourish, growing in confidence and hope. As they progress through the training and graduate, we seek to continue the journey and encourage them in their business of place of employment, or they can do further study with us and become trainers themselves! For others, we walk alongside them as they develop their own business.

We seek to see our volunteers flourish as well – preparing them for the challenge of travel and ensuring their wellbeing also.

Based in Perth, we have a team of dedicated volunteers who manage the admin, attending to the myriad of tasks necessary to support the operation of a full scale training organisation!

empowered journeys.

Malas journey

Mala, a true blue ‘Mymensingh Girl’, completed her course with us in Semester 2 of 2017. From here, she opened a home business - a hair and beauty parlour!

Her training has given her confidence and skills, and wow she is a talented entrepreneur! Her business has expanded and she is now able to find further professional development on her own within Bangladesh.

During September 2021 she has done further online study with us, and she is now ready to train other vulnerable women in hair and beauty skills.

What an amazing role model this lady is to her family members and community – an example of empowerment spreading!

Sharmains journey

Sharmin’s story is one that shows how the Hair and Beauty training has impacted the life of her and her family. She was fortunate in having schooling to Year 8. Living with her father and mother, divorced from her husband, she has a 5 year old daughter. Her dream is to own her own parlour and be independent.

She has progressed through the hair and beauty training – from a short course in 2013, to a long course then opening her own small home parlour, before gaining employment in a Beauty Parlour in Mymensingh in 2015. Sharmin’s plans for independence are well on track and her entire family benefits from the income she is able to generate.