From recycling trash to graduating class
Karla paints an acrylic nail during her beauty school training courses.
Currently there are four training locations throughout Mexico City with more than 75 teens participating.
MEXICO CITY – In just three months, Karla went from trash to class—graduating class, that is.
Like so many other children in Mexico who drop out of school to work and support their families, Karla too became a statistic, joining the estimated 8 to 11 million children in Mexico who are under the age of 15 and working.
Instead of learning history, math and science behind a desk at school, she spent her days sorting recycling at the local dump and falling farther and farther behind in her education.
But then at age 17, she got the opportunity of a lifetime.
Karla was invited to participate in Operation Blessing’s skills training program which teaches at-risk teens marketable skills in courses such as electrical wiring, beauty, sewing and appliance repair.
For three months, Karla attended daily classes where she learned how to cut hair and work as a manicurist in the beauty industry. As part of the curriculum, she also attended character building and values classes, and received training on how to prepare her resume, assemble a portfolio of work and interview for jobs.
In her free time, Karla also began attending the church that is the host site for the classes, and is now involved in their street drama ministry.
“The program helped me spiritually, mentally and socially,” Karla said. “I have changed a lot of things I was doing before. The character manual has helped me grow a lot.”
But perhaps the best part for these students is the sense of accomplishment that comes when they don their caps and gowns for a formal graduation ceremony and receive their certificate of completion.
For Karla, the successful journey from the trash dump to the beauty salon has inspired her to begin her studies again, and she is planning to take a test to officially graduate from middle school so she can be eligible to attend high school.
She’s also eager to share her new skills with other teens in similar situations.
“I think if I could teach this to other people, it would so cool,” she said.
Currently there are four training locations throughout Mexico City with more than 75 teens participating.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more.
Please make an online contribution toward OBI's orphan care programs today and help us continue to reach those in need.