Fifteen women from Barangay Sto. Niño in Marikina City have successfully completed their three-month training and will graduate from L’Oréal Philippines’ “Beauty For a Better Life” program.
The program is developed to gift underprivileged communities with a free, international and high-quality training, equipping them with skills as they create a better livelihood for them and their families.
Led by the L’Oréal Foundation and implemented in different countries, “Beauty For a Better Life” is one of the Foundation’s key programs to help women in difficult situations regain their dignity, humanity, and femininity and help them reintegrate into society.
After officially launching in the Philippines last April 19, L’Oréal Philippines took the first batch of trainees through three months of classes capped by a one-week internship at a Metro Manila salon.
The students underwent daily classroom sessions for twelve weeks wherein they were taught different hairdressing skills such as blow drying, hair coloring, haircutting, and application of hair treatments—all under the tutelage of L’Oréal Philippines hair professionals.
Before graduation, each student underwent a one-week internship in L’Oréal’s partner salons to expose them to actual hairdressing jobs and potentially further their career options.
One of the very first graduates of “Beauty For a Better Life” is Mary Rose De Guzman. With the desire to provide for her family, Mary Rose managed to finish the program while attending classes as a fourth-year college student.
De Guzman’s story is one of dedication, as despite coming from a financially-challenged background, she did not let this get in the way of her education—making her the first in her family to finish college and at the same time graduate as the valedictorian of the first batch of the program.
Ultimately, the goal of “Beauty For a Better Life” is to ensure that education can break social barriers and create a more inclusive society. Through this livelihood program, the foundation is uplifting the lives of Filipinos and opening new doors in the beauty sector.
During their graduation, each graduate received a hairdressing starter set from L’Oréal Philippines, which will allow them to either pursue a career in salons in Metro Manila, or to become micro-entrepreneurs within their barangay.
“It is truly inspiring how these individuals have shown dedication and commitment to complete the program to build their confidence and more importantly, to build a better future,” said. Carmel Valencia, L’Oréal Philippines Corporate Communication Manager.
“This has always been what L’Oréal Philippines stood for and we are happy to witness firsthand how beauty can positively impact and improve lives through programs such as ‘Beauty For a Better Life’.”
The second batch of the program also launched on July 25.