Hairstylist
and activist Chante Herries uses her hairdressing skills to fight drug abuse in
her community.
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Growing
up, Chante was affected by the scourge of drugs in her home and community. ‘I
come from a drug-infested household,’ she says. ‘My siblings were addicted to
drugs.’ Chante (36) is the breadwinner at home, taking care of her father,
sister and her child. On top of those responsibilities and her siblings’
battles with addiction, she is a transgender woman who faced frequent abuse
from some members of the community.
‘I
used to be bullied, robbed and had stones thrown at me, but I survived,’ she
smiles. ‘There are so many times you want to go home and cry, but you have to
be strong.’ Her personal hardships made her realise that in spite of her
problems, she has to be strong for those who are worse off than her.
Quote: “ I always tell
myself that I am strong enough, and good enough.”
PLANTING THE SEEDS
Chante
decided to be proactive and make a difference in her community in Parkwood,
Cape Town, as she derives joy and fulfilment from empowering those around her,
especially helping those affected by drugs. ‘It was sad to see all these women
going through so many difficulties, and I felt I had to help somehow,’ she
recalls.
She
came up with the idea of taking women in rehabilitation centres under her wing
and helping them to develop skills in hairdressing as part of their recovery
programme. The seeds of Heavenly Hands were born in 2018.
‘I
had to start in my community, where there is a lot of drug abuse, violence and
gangsterism,’ she
says.
She approached rehabilitation centres and safe houses in the community and told
them about
her
plans, and the programme began operations last year.
‘A
lot of the ladies lived on the streets and have been abused,’ explains Chante,
‘so we first have to help them pick up the pieces of their broken lives before
they can face the world again.’ She devotes two days a week to giving lessons
on basic skills in hairdressing, in theory and practical sessions. When she’s
not teaching, she runs her own hair salon, Heavenly Hair Studio in Parkwood,
which opened its doors seven years ago in a Wendy house and has just kept
growing.
Chante
was named the Dark and Lovely Golden Scissors Cape Town Regional Winner in
2016. Here she is styling one of the models for the Grand Finale showcase.
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
‘We
don’t do typical practical lessons, with models coming into the salon,’ says
Chante. ‘We go into the community and give back by styling women’s hair in
old-age homes and at organisations such
as
the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children.’
The
Heavenly Hands programme started with 15 ladies, and four are currently
employed in various hair salons, while others have signed up for advanced
classes. ‘I’ve told the ladies that I can’t promise that they will get a job,
but I will try my utmost to help them,’ says Chante.
FIGHT TO THE BITTER END
The
Heavenly Hands programme runs for six months of the year and can only accept an
intake of 12 to 15 ladies at a time because of limited resources – but lack of
funds is not Chante’s only challenge. She has been threatened by drug dealers
and told the programme won’t last, and that she shouldn’t be talking about what
she is doing for her community when she comes from a drug house. ‘But I’ve
always been open about my background,’ says Chante, ‘and my response will
always be that I will fight to the bitter end. I won’t stop until my community
becomes better and all this gangsterism and drug abuse stops, but we will have
to work together as a community to make things better.’
HOPES FOR BIGGER
THINGS
The
programme currently relies on donations of hairstyling products and tools from
the public as well as
supplies from Chante’s salon. She hopes to move to a bigger building before too
long, so that she can sign up more ladies at a time. ‘I want them to build a
range of different skills so that they are employable,’ she says.
For
more information about Heavenly Hands or to donate, contact clintonherries44@gmail.com
DIRECTORY
If
you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact:
SOUTH AFRICA
South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence
+2711
892 3829 or 076 535 1701
BOTSWANA
LESOTHO
A CUT ABOVE
Reviewed by Mitasha Haripal
on
April 06, 2020
Rating: