Every Minute Counts During Job-Skills
Training for Dominican Youths

Kayla works on her acrylic nail technique.

More than 4,300 kids living in poverty in the Dominican Republic are now sponsored through OneChild. But this figure is more than just a number.

It is lives. It is dreams. It represents the hope we have today for a better future for kids tomorrow.

That’s why Child Champions here are investing their lives every day into bringing out the best in each child.

At Hope Centers in the Dominican Republic, we use strategies to make every minute the child spends there count for their future.

One of these strategies is vocational classes. Throughout the country, each Hope Center provides a variety of classes such as driving, baking, hairdressing, acrylics, cosmetology, crafts, and more that provide kids with job skills and life opportunities in the future.

Youths learn about baking in one of the vocational skills classes.

Rescatando Ninos Hope Center, for example, is always finding ways to provide new tools and income-earning skills for their youths.

Recently they’ve been teaching teens about acrylic nail techniques and how to apply makeup.

Vocational Training and Leadership Lessons

 Kayla, a 14-year-old who is part of the nail techniques class, has participated in other classes in the past. She shares how these classes will help her now and in the future.

“I have been part of the Hope Center since I am 5 years old,” she says.

“Through the years I have taken crafts classes, embroidery, and bakery classes.

“I know in the future I can see myself doing anything because of all the knowledge I’m receiving in my Hope Center. And even today, all this is helping me get good scores in school.”

Karla, who is also taking the makeup classes, says, “The Hope Center to me is everything. I have learned so many things here that my friends who are not part of the Hope Center have not.

“I have taken classes such as painting, cooking, crafts, tinted eyebrows, nails, and now makeup.

“My dream is to have my own beauty salon and teach others how to do it, and all these classes are preparing me for that.”

When Karla took the eyebrow tinting classes, she was the most outstanding student and was chosen by her Hope Center to conduct her own eyebrow tinting workshop for her friends there in the coming weeks.

Karla, right, works on her eyebrow-tinting technique.

This is one of the ways the Hope Center prepares kids for their future.

By giving them opportunities to participate and allowing them to teach, Child Champions help kids realize from a young age that they have a voice and are capable of achieving their dreams.

Child Champions believe this will help them be more prepared for the challenges that life brings them.

From Child to Champion

Lisbeth, 16, is not only a sponsored child but also serves as a Child Champion.

In the morning Lisbeth attends the Hope Center with her class, and in the afternoon, she returns to serve the 7-to-9-year-olds.

She is also in charge of the nail classes and is teaching her friends.

“This is a safe place for me, where I get a lot of learning, where I not only learn from God but also equip myself for my daily life and for my future,” says Lisbeth, looking back on her years at the Hope Center.

“I have been part of the Hope Center since I was 3 years old. My life wouldn’t be the same without my center. Through all these years I have received so many tools and lessons from my Child Champions.

“They have really impacted my life, and that’s why I feel so motivated to serve.”

Hope Centers in the Dominican Republic are changing lives thanks to sponsors who make these programs possible. Change the future of a child by sponsoring today.

A Beautiful Job Market

Why do Hope Centers offer so many classes on beauty and cosmetology?

In the Dominican Republic, beauty is big business.

The beauty and personal care industry generates more than $700 million dollars every year in the island nation. And the market is expected to grow by 6.7% annually.*

Dominican women prioritize personal care. In fact, studies have shown that 85% of women in the country visit a beauty salon at least once a week. As small businesses, beauty salons rank second only to corner grocery stores in numbers.**

OneChild’s programs are crafted by leaders from the same communities they serve, who have an insider’s perspective on the most strategic ways to help kids in their communities.

And they know that for young adults in the Dominican Republic looking for a career to lift themselves out of poverty, beauty is a beautiful opportunity.

* statista. Beauty & Personal Care – Dominican Republic. Retrieved from  https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/dominican-republic

**Dr1. Vicioso, Dolores. (2015, October 30). Dominican women spend 12% their income on beauty. Retrieved from https://dr1.com/news/2015/10/30/dominican-women-spend-12-their-income-on-beauty/ accessed 3/15/2023