SA & CAS

Project Pamper!

I had never thought that I would be exhausted because of a haircut. I founded Project Pamper, a charity group that provides hair services for women in need, after visiting an Orphanage near my house. I went to the orphanage "Panti Asuhan Mekar Lestari" to visit and see what services I could help with in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I went along with Mr. Muljadi, the chairman of the orphanage. He showed me around the orphanage to see the current status of the orphanage and allowed me to interact with the kids there to get comfortable. After that I had an interview with Ms. Meliana, the caretaker of the children, and found that the local salon they often visited was permanently closed. I offered my hair cutting services and they agreed. Little did I know there were so many people in need of hair cuts, especially during the pandemic. Founded in 2001, the orphanage housed 48 children whose ages ranged from 2 to 20 years old. I was very excited to begin this project because hairdressing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. With the experience I have, I was confident that I would be able to spread joy through Project Pamper and make people feel good about themselves.

However, with such a large amount of children, I decided to invite some of my close friends (Daffine Anindya Putri, Celine Leonora and Tiara Shafa Sudijono) to help me out. They were able to assist me in many things that made the hairdressing process a lot more efficient. With such a wide age range of children I learned the differences in caring for different hairstyles and mentality. Project Pamper’s first program helped 26 girls and women in total, only focusing on hair cutting and styling services. Ofcourse, everyone involved had to follow COVID-19 safety protocols. We ensured that everyone wore masks, changed gear, and sanitized throughout the project.

After spending 2 days completing an average of 13 haircuts a day, we were able to help toddlers, teenagers, and adults wear fresh new cuts with a smile on their faces. Shout out to Tiara, Daffine, and Celine for participating in Project Pamper’s first program and making it possible. The four of us ended the days with sore feet but satisfied hearts. Thank you to my supervisors Mr. Muljadi and Ibu Widy for their endless support.

- Claudia Kelly Waliliong