women
“I believe that love expands. As you give love out, it’s received and reciprocated and it grows. That’s the beauty of it.”
- Hill Harper
There is a lot more to beauty than what meets the eye. For some it may be the outward appearances, for others, it is skin deep. At the end of the day, what truly matters is one’s compassion and empathy. In a world where everything is money-driven, it is refreshing to see that some companies have something more to give the world than just their products. It could be their position to advocate for worthy causes, the expertise of their employees, or the financial resources to help a community project succeed.
Keeping this in mind, L’Oreal Foundation started a philanthropic initiative that aims to facilitate professional makeup and hairstyling trainings for members of underprivileged communities who aspire to pursue careers in the field of beauty - but can’t afford to do so. The ‘Beauty for a Better Life’ programme is effective across the globe in 30 countries in partnership with local NGOs like ‘I-CARE’, and IFAP (International Fashion Academy Pakistan) - to bring a positive change in the lives of the programme’s beneficiaries through top quality, extensive and hands on training programs based on global standards, free of cost. The initiative was launched back in March 2016 and it has already enabled access to employment for 30 beneficiaries. With the Punjab Skill Development Fund (PSDF) joining hands in 2018, L’Oreal Pakistan aims to scale up the ‘Beauty for a Better Life’ programme further, with a mission to train more than 500 beneficiaries to become beauticians and lead empowered lives.
Recently, the class of 2018 completed their extensive 3-months training under the mentorship of Mehreen Syed at IFAP, where the students learnt the latest techniques and trends in makeup and hair styling. CEO PSDF, Mr Jawad Khan, spoke in support of the initiative as he sees tremendous growth in the hair-styling and grooming sector for women, “These trainings lead to formal employment as well as self-employment opportunities. With this in mind, PSDF is committed to support the ‘Beauty for a Better Life’.”
Speaking about the third edition, Managing Director L’Oreal Pakistan, Musharaf Hai said, “The programme is designed in accordance with the international standards in theory and practice of the L’Oreal Foundation. We primarily want to cater to the youth, making them technically proficient and financially independent. Our goal is to reach deserving women and impact talented entrepreneurs. We are always seeking innovation and encourage creativity along with entrepreneurial spirit as our core values.”