December 2019

The end of another year is fast approaching! Christmas is coming fast and the heat is upon us in more ways than one!

It has been a huge year for EmpowerAid - click here to read  reflections from Jennifer Quartermaine, founder and CEO of EmpowerAid who has done 2 trips to East Timor and one to Bangladesh since April.

2019 has been an intense year for EmpowerAid, having engaged with Pro-Ema in Timor Leste to provide Pathways For Employment for 16 young women living in extreme socio economic vulnerability. This is  alongside the ongoing monitoring and providing professional development for our Training College and income generation parlour in Mymensingh.
Our Timor Leste partner Pro-Ema, who manage a vocational training college in Dili, have this year added Hairdressing and Beauty training to their existing empowerment programs for at risk young women. It has been both exciting and harrowing to see the level of pain and suffering Pro-Ema are confronted with on a daily basis in Dili, as violence against women is so prevalent.
Three teams of our talented volunteers have invested training time into the Timorese girls this year, with fantastic results.
During training blocks the students have been highly engaged and responsive to learning. One student has been employed full time as a result of her first year of training, an outcome we were blown away by.
When our teams are not on site, the Pro-Ema Training Salon is open to the general public 3 days a week for the students to maintain skills practice, with models paying a small donation to cover the cost of consumables and utilities. 
Another significant component to 2019 has been the growth of our technical volunteer teams.  Our volunteers have been incredible teams of dynamic hair and beauty professionals, who not only have great expertise but also enormous hearts to serve the girls. We are so grateful for the passion and generosity of every one of them.
We look forward to all that 2020 holds as we continue to work with our partner organisations who continue their amazing work day by day.