VOLUNTEERS ~ HAIR CUTTING SESSION

I have to feature them. They are 2 ladies who give up their free time to give free hair-cuts to the students of Spastic Children's Association School. Jonathan used to get hair cuts for them but since I have started volunteering to co-ordinate the line-up of the students, it has become my "off-day" from Jon. H watches over Jon at home while I help. My job: make sure the line up is orderly and also sweep the hair that falls on the floor after each cut.

The hair-cutting session is on every last Wednesday of each month, except the June and December holidays. They hold the hair-cut session at the backstage changing room in our school hall. We go from class to class for students whose parents gave their consent for the hair-cut.

Jasmine and Maggie are the regular hair-dressers. They are actually professional hair-dressers who are very fun loving people. Their love for the children {despite the un-washed hair, oily hair, saliva drooling, heads full of dandruff or sores} are shown so clearly. They don't care what condition the children are in and their main aim is to provide very nice and neat hair-cuts for our children because most of them cannot go to any salons.

Once when I thought the hair-cut for one child was enough because we needed to rush, they told me simply "No...when we cut, we do our best. We don't want to just "anyhow" cut. They must look nice"

That's their professionalism. I am like that when I'm doing my work. To them, it's no fooling around...do your best and make the children look great.

I admire them...I truly do. They have been doing this service to our children for many years. They come around 9.30am. First batch of 30 plus students in the morning. Break for lunch and continue wth the afternoon session. All in, they stand and cut for more than 60 students.

Why do the children get free hair-cutting service? Most of them are on wheelchairs. Then...there are children who react badly to hair-cuts that they struggle, cry or kick people and have to be held down to have their hair cut. So you can imagine what Jasmine and Maggie go through each month.

Yesterday, they decided that I should start learning how to cut children's hair as well. So....with the simplest hair cut style (the GI cut), they gave me the shaver and taught me how to do it.
The boy who was my "specimen" was Rafii who is the greatest and bestest child ever! He sat there, let me cut his hair with me saying as I cut "Thank you Rafi"...to the amusement of Jasmine and Maggie. It was a precious lesson for me. So next time when I'm able to, I'll help them cut the GI cuts. But they will do the tidying up. That will at least free them from the shortage of time.

Next was Zakaria. He wasn't sure if he wanted me to cut his hair. But when Jasmine and Maggie told him that they charge a fee, he immediately say "Aunty, you cut my hair!" LOL! that was really funny. But it was a good experience.

If there is anyone out there reading this blog, the school does need more capes/apron for the children while they are having their hair cut. We need more than 40 pieces of capes because when each child drools on the capes when they get their hair-cut, the smell is unbearable and it cannot be used for another child. Most of the capes we are currently using are already old because of the constant washing after each hair-cutting day.

We need donation of capes that cost more than $10 a piece. Also, the hair-dressers, who use their own equipment, have to pay for parts of their shavers if they break down. If there is anyone out there who is willing to donate some money so that we can replace the blades whenever they break down, please contact SCAS at 65855634.

Here are the 2 special ladies:

This is Maggie...who is cutting Kheng Tiong's hair {below}

Jasmine with Piravin {below}