RUNDU - 26-year-old Clytinah Lifasi is busy preparing to share her talent of makeup artistry with youths in Rundu and Katima Mulilo, she says the makeup industry is booming and offers an opportunity to young women who are just home due to the high rate of unemployment.
Lifasi operates her makeup business between Windhoek and Okahandja and she does makeup at events like weddings and TV and for photo shoots.
As part of her first youth empowerment programme, she will be hosting makeup training for the youth of Rundu on the 10th of April at Werah Cafe and in collaboration with Home of the Arts (HOTA) and on 16 May, the training will be held in Katima Mulilo in Zambezi region.
The young gifted Lifasi promises to train participants in everything she has learnt about the makeup industry.
“After training, they will be able to do makeup as a small business and make money by way of self-employment, you know many young women are just at home unemployed, so I’m urging them to sign up for this empowerment programme and they will thank me later,” Lifasi said.
The course will have a charging participation fee to sort out the logistics, venue and so on.
The makeup artist has been making a living through doing makeup for her clients and has seen just how it has financially aided her and now feels the need of giving back to the community that has helped her grow.
“I want to empower others, by showing them the ropes to pull themselves out of poverty in this tough economic situation we are in,” she said.
Lifasi started her journey into the makeup industry in 2017 after thoroughly teaching herself the skills of makeup with the help of YouTube and a few individuals that were already familiar with the trade.
“I am a small-town girl who had always had a zest for art. From a young age, I stole my mother’s pencils and paper just so I could draw something. My mom noticed my passion, started motivating me by getting me art supplies. I always thought I was going to be a painter or a designer, but instead of painting on a blank canvas, I paint on faces,” she noted.
“Which is more interesting and exciting though a little challenging because I get to work on different faces every single time,” she added.
“I have never worked a day in my life, never been employed by anyone or any company. Because I stood up and used the one thing that no one can take from me which is my skills, I used my God-given gift to put food on the table, to take care of myself and my two kids,” she said.
- jmuyamba@nepc.com.na
* The talented Lifasi can be reached via Instagram @clytinahlifasi