Life has never been easy it takes zeal and tenacity of purpose to stay through, to have a story to tell tomorrow about live intricacies. After all, if life were all a rose, without a thorn, man would have lost the power to reason. That is the story of a 24-year-old Junior High School (JHS) graduate, Paul Azoor, who has blazed the odds to venture into the only profession considered for female, thus hairdressing, in the Upper East Region.
Mr. Azoor hails from Da-meweo in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper Region. Growing up as a young man with a single parent, Ms. Anne as his father died when he was only four years old, he realises that life must be fought relentlessly in order to survived. While entering Junior High School (JHS) in 2012 after Primary six, Paul joined his uncle in his barbering Saloon to learn a trade since his desire was to make people look good. He graduated in 2015 with his English paper disappointing him with D7. He tried nursing and Ghana Police recruitment but to no avail. Rewriting the English paper too was difficulty as upkeep would have further divided his concentration in learning. He then decided to continue his skill in the line of hair dressing so he went online and contacted a certain man, a Nigerian called success, a hair dresser in Accra who agreed to enroll him and that he should come.
Ms. Anne, the poor widow, who rears few pigs managed to raise nine hundred Ghana cedes (900.00) for her son from the sale of pigs. Paul who never travelled to Accra before with determination left for the unknown land with faith. Favor located him and landed him in the hands of another uncle who accommodated his stay in Accra. According to Azoor, life was unbearable in Accra though he was accommodated, what to eat was a problem that he had to take up a sales boy, work at night in order to get some few cedis for food the following day, he will close around 5.00 p.m. and proceeded to the sales shop and close there at 2:00 a.m. This he did for his whole stay till the completion of the course in Accra.
Mr. Azoor indicated that, Success did not run all the courses he wanted and had to introduce him to another woman at Roman Ridge to do the rest. These two different beauticians require three years each to run their courses but Mr. Azoor said knowing where he was coming from and hardships was going through had to compress the three years programme each and learn them in six months with each Boss and was passed out in one year. Mr. Azoor is now the owner of 12 feet by 12 feet container saloon with three apprentices all females. He indicated that, he makes between ¢100.00 and ¢150.00 a day during peak seasons like Christmas, Valentine, Easter, Salah and ordinary days between ¢30.00 to ¢50.00. He added that, some days he earns nothing all. He intends to turn his saloon into a beauty college to also train upcoming youth in the profession.
Some of the apprentices told GBC Online that they prefer learning from Azoor because he so caring and understanding. That give them the urge to learn fast, however not the same, under their female counterparts. In his view, it takes only laziness and pride that some of the youth are roaming about without jobs. Mr. Azoor said he has a passion for his job and can fix any lady’s hair style including barbering and given any job alternative, he will not back out. He appeals to the general public if anyone could help him achieve his dream of turning his saloon into Beauty College.
Story filed by Emmanuel Akayeti.
