At this beauty school, survivors of human trafficking become hair stylists

Based on the most recent estimates from the International Labour Organization, approximately 27.6 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given time. In Ghana, forced labor and sexual exploitation are devastatingly common.But the Max Steinbeck Women’s Empowerment Center, run by nonprofits Many Hopes and Challenging Heights, gives young women a new opportunity to thrive.

Students from the beauty school smile together. Photo by Madeline Pahr/Many HopesFounded in 2021, the center is home to 54 girls — along with their 12 children — rescued from trafficking, who enroll in a two-year course to participate in a beauty school, fashion program, or university prep track.

“Most of these girls come from situations of extreme poverty. Learning a trade gives them a skill where they can earn a stable income after graduation,” Madeline Pahr, the creative director at Many Hopes, told Good Good Good.

Nail and beauty supplies are available to students in the school. Photo by Madeline Pahr/Many Hopes“Most girls graduate and become the highest earners in their families, and are the first to break cycles of generational poverty.”The curriculum at the school goes beyond hair and nails.

Students learn how to run a business, the school helps them set up their first bank account, and donors provide them with microloans to start their own brick-and-mortar shops.Since many of the students also come in as young mothers, “there is a high probability that those children will become the most educated in their families because their mom learned a trade,” Pahr said.Students in action in the salon. Photo by Madeline Pahr/Many Hopes"When I got here I was alone. I thought my life was over. I was 13 and a mum.

I don't even know how to be a mum. My mum was never around. I had no future,” one student, whose name has been withheld for privacy, shared. “But coming here I am not alone.

We are raising our babies together. We are building futures together.” @madelinepahr The best and most wholesome minute you will spend today @Many Hopes #ghana #lakevolta #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #supportgirls #braids #humanity #hopecore #fypシ #beauty #beautyhacks #girlssupportgirls #dopamine #ghanatiktok🇬🇭 ♬ It's A Lovely Day Today - Ella Fitzgerald ‍You may also like: This women's shelter in Uganda is made of 18,000 recycled plastic bottles and gives jobs to women in need‍A version of this article was originally published in The 2025 Education Edition of the Goodnewspaper.‍Header image by Madeline Pahr/Many Hopes