"In the future, the dream is to be able to set up my own haircut salon."

Tomás Elías Raymundo de Paz (TR)

According to Tomás, a young man, 32, in Nebaj, Quiché, many of the people who have completed the diversified do not have the opportunity to work in the career they have studied, so they are engaged in informal trade and agriculture; situation that frustrates them, because even trying hard, with none of these two activities they have a stable income that allows them to have a decent life. He believes that job profiles for well-paid jobs are based on standards that are not easy to achieve, since they require an academic level that Guatemalan youth can hardly afford.

Such a situation forces them to emigrate in search of better opportunities, despite the difficulties that this entails. He believes that migration involves facing many risks. In principle, the family economy is committed for the amount of money invested for the trip and, many times, that capital comes from the mortgage of a house or land. In the case of migrant women, they are more vulnerable prisoners for human trafficking and, in many cases, are abused by those who transfer them. In his opinion, crossing the border without documents undoubtedly poses a risk to life. If, despite the difficulties that migrants live in, they fail to reach their destination, the situation on returning becomes extremely critical, given that, in most cases, they have acquired a debt that they cannot afford.

“I have realized that a good number of young people have left, always looking for other opportunities outside the country. Some who have managed to get to the place where they have thought to get, but, also, another group has returned and carry the trauma that they could not achieve the dreams they proposed in life ... Upon returning from that trip, they there is a trauma, where one feels that everything is over and that one cannot find opportunities in their own land, in their own country ”(TR).

According to what Tomás has observed, when young people decide to emigrate, they do not think about staying in the host country, but they intend to save enough to be able to return to their land to buy a house and start a business, which Let them live comfortably.

Supported by Save The Children, Tomás was awarded a haircut course for 80 hours. In this training he managed to develop skills for hair cutting and styling, both for men and women. Although it has not been easy to find clientele, it has already begun to work in that discipline.

"In my case, I was able to learn many things ... It has helped me to go to other places, to practice what I learned" (TR).

Tomás is part of a group of young people who, with the Save the Children support, are developing a collective venture, which consists of opening a beauty salon, in which everyone can practice what they have learned and exercise their new trade in a paid way. At the moment, each one has a basic work kit, which was provided during the course. They also have the offer of start-up capital for the assembly of the premises. From then on, they will assume the responsibility of covering the rental costs and services of the place. The main objective is to become known as stylists and, in the medium term, become independent and open their own salons.

"... Personally, I had never maneuvered a woman's hair and now I know where to start and where to cut and yes, it has helped me a lot ... I had the dream of being able to learn and, for the same reason, I enrolled in the course ”(TR).

Although he developed the necessary skills to start, he believes that he needs to professionalize and that he still has many things to learn, but he is sure that he has already begun to take the first steps to develop in a field that he likes and that he could give the economic stability he craves.

“I can see a positive future, as long as one can have support…” (TR).

Although at some point in life he saw it as the only option, Tomás no longer thinks about migrating, however, he believes that while there are not enough educational and work opportunities, there will still be young people who decide to escape from poverty, directing their steps towards others latitudes, because without solid training it is very difficult to enter the national labor market. He is convinced that technical training is a fundamental tool for social development.

“There should be more institutions, organizations that should focus more on technical courses, because they are the ones that can do more in society” (TR).