Give a man a fish...

"Give a man a fish," the old saying goes, "and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man how to catch a fish and you feed him for life."  The young barber in this photo is a former resident of Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center.  Last year, he asked us if we would help him purchase professional hair clippers so that he could work as a barber.  A year later, we visited him at his place of employment and saw that he was making very good use of our gift.  It turns out that he also cuts hair, once a month, at the Bahay Pagasa Youth Center - where he learned how to do it well enough to work as a barber.  This summer, he asked if we could help him buy a blow dryer and a hair iron (for straightening and curling hair).  So we went shopping and got very curious stairs as the "follicly-challenged" Br. Dan told stunned sales ladies that he needed to buy a hair-straightening iron and a blow dryer.  We plan to visit Kabankalan, where this young barber works, and give him the tools he needs to develop his professional skills and services.  These are the kinds of gifts that we are happy to give, because they allow young people to develop professional skills and earn an income to support themselves and their families.  Thanks to all our donors - you made this possible!