Carlos Chilambe shaving a customer
Carlos Chilambe runs a barbershop right in Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust campus. He has been running this salon since 1990. A Zimbabwe born hairdresser had a chat with the web office. Excerpts:
Can you share with us your academic background?
I did not go far with my education. I only went as far as standard five because my father quit his job and he couldn’t support me.
How did you become a hairdresser?
It was in 1986 after I dropped from school that my mother bought manual shaving equipments for my brother. During this time, I was selling fried birds. So my mother asked me to learn how to shave because the selling of birds did not please her. I started learning how to handle the shaving machine and it took me a year to be able to shave all the styles customers were asking for.
Does this job have any secret?
Absolutely yes! One needs to be patient and have respect for customers to be a good hairdresser.
How rewarding is this career?
It is. Since I started working as a hairdresser, I have managed to buy 40 Iron sheets and I am able to feed my 9 children and 3 grandchildren and also support my relatives.
Can u share with us your experience in this job?
Since I started working here in 1990, I have a vast experience in this career and I have been doing haircut to prominent people in our community like Sir Paul Banda one of the music legends in the country, Mr. John Loga, White fathers, some government officials, Chinese, Italians, Hindus and also our founding trustee Father Mario Pacifici.
I know even to do a haircut using a pair of scissors and also able to identify a good shaving machine. So you can see that my experience is quite big.
What can you say about Andiamo?
Andiamo is a nice place and it has a good working environment. If youths can use this initiative seriously they can become good citizens.