Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) A free beauty and makeup workshop for Indonesian migrant workers turned out to be a hit on Sunday with scores of participants packing the Indonesia Exhibition Centre in Taipei, eager to acquire entrepreneurship skills in preparation for their return home.
Over 60 Indonesian women migrant workers attended the “Pelatihan Makeup Level 2” course, which is part of a series of workshops organized by the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (IETO) to empower its migrant workers so that they have a chance to open small businesses when they return home.
The makeup course on Sunday was headed by four instructors – one Indonesian-Taiwanese and three Taiwanese — who taught makeup skills and techniques for Indonesian weddings and other formal occasions.
The instructors taught in front of the class while being projected on a large screen so that all of the participants could follow the steps at their own makeup tables.
Indonesian-Taiwanese instructor, Jenny Ho (何雅玲), who is known within the Indonesian community as “Jenny JR,” told CNA she feels very fulfilled when her students are able to learn from her and successfully open their own business when they return to their hometown in Indonesia.
“Being able to help them to be successful when they return to Indonesia is of course very fulfilling, because they are my fellow countrymen,” said Jenny JR, who operates beauty salons in Taipei and Taoyuan.
One of the participants, 32-year-old caretaker Sry Susi Susanti, told CNA she finds the course very important because she wants to start a makeup business for weddings in her hometown after she finishes working in Taiwan.
Susi currently works in a private home in New Taipei, while her husband, also a migrant worker, works in a factory in Taichung. The couple also have a 12-year-old son in Indonesia being looked after by relatives.
“My future plan when I return to Indonesia is to open my own makeup business for weddings where I can be together with my husband as he can be the photographer,” said Susi, who has been working in Taiwan for eight years.
She finds the makeup course really useful as there are many weddings and celebrations happening in her city of Bima in central Indonesia’s province West Nusa Tenggara.
Noerman Adhiguna, an analyst with IETO’s labor department, told CNA they plan to continue to hold various lessons to teach migrants handicraft making, culinary, makeup and beauty skills, as well as other-related training programs free of charge. The goal is to teach up to 500 Indonesian migrant workers this year.
There are 240,509 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, of which 170,023 are women, according to data released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor at the end of August.
(By William Yen)
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