In a world filled with difficulties, one ought to not give up in order to survive the hardships. The Syrian crisis caused many to displace, live in tented camps, lose their homes and jobs, and lose some of their dignity. Tarek Yassin El Sheikh, 16 years old, is one of many Syrian refugees who suffered extremely due to the crisis. Both of his parents are unemployed, and they can hardly provide for the 8 children that they have, Tarek being one of them.
Refusing to live in such conditions, Tarek registered to participate in the “Promoting Adolescent and Youth Empowerment and Engagement in Baalbeck through Learning and Skills Programs” program. This program is implemented by The Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), in partnership with UNICEF, and funded by the governments of Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Tarek was part of the “Competency Based Skills” (CBS) training in the program and took male hairdressing trainings. He knew he had a passion for hairdressing, he learned rapidly, and once he became good enough at it, he started giving haircuts to kids in his camp. It is noteworthy that he only has a razor blade, a pair of scissors, and a comb for equipment. He is yet to register for a new cycle and a higher level of training. At the end of the new cycle, he will be provided with more equipment such as a shaving machine, which will assist in expanding his market to young adults and adults as well.
Although his age forms a small obstacle since some adults don’t trust him enough to give them a haircut, he did not give up and managed to generate income from giving haircuts to children. He believes that once he grows a bit older, he will be able to prove himself better to his community and generate more income by expanding his market and acquiring new equipment.
