Case study: Child from Ladimirevci, Croatia

Jose Eber, Sally Hershberger, Vidal Sassoon, stand aside! Matea from the SOS Youth Facility in Osijek (Croatia) cuts and styles hair and is on her way to becoming the next big name in hairstyling.

Styling for the future

When Matea moved from the SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci to the SOS Youth Facility in the near-by town of Osijek, all she wanted was to finish school and get a job with a decent salary at a local hair salon. A year later, the once shy 16-year-old is confident that she can shape her future as she chooses!

When Matea was asked to participate in the annual inter-city contest for hairdressing students as the sole representative from the town of Osijek she did not hesitate to agree, but she did tremble with fear. Insecure about her talent, Matea registered last minute, after she had been persuaded to do so by her teacher and her youth facility teacher.

"At the time, I think they believed in me more than I myself did," Matea talks about her debut in a large contest. "When the day of the contest came, I was a nervous wreck. I was so convinced that I would be knocked out in the first round." The challenge was to style a woman's hair both for during the day and for an evening out.

"My hands were shaking. I was so thankful that we were working on dummies," Matea recalls. By the time she had made her second cut, she was no longer afraid and her skilful hands made an impression. "I won first place in the practical contest, but I came second in the overall ranking because I did not do as well in my theory test," says Matea with a smile, admitting that she should have studied more.

Growing up at Ladimirevci, Croatia

"I focused on the practical part. For two and a half weeks I worked almost double shifts," explains Matea. The third-year student is doing her compulsory work experience at a local hair salon in Osijek. The owner, Ms Zorica, is very satisfied with Matea's work. "Like Matea, I am still excited that she came second place and has qualified for the tenth national hairstyling contest in Zagreb this April," says Zorica.

"Matea's success seems all the more important when you know that she grew up without her parents and had to work extra hard to prove her worth," adds Ms Zorica. "In the future, I just intend to take on young people from the SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci and the SOS Youth Facility in Osijek (for work experience at the salon). Matea has opened the door for them."

Matea is looking forward to the national contest. "I guess I just did not realise that I was good," she says. "I knew I could cut and style hair, but I never thought I was good enough to win a contest. I don't think I'm the best or even that I am that good. I'm just 16 and have lots to learn. But, I will be the best one day!" says the confident young lady.

Apart from enjoying her calling, Matea is a very sociable girl who takes every opportunity to make friends. "I loved hanging out with the other young people at the contest. I made new friends and I still exchange tips and hints with them. I hope to make many new friends from around Croatia at the national contest."

Matea still has not disclosed what her hairstyle will be like at the national contest, but she has told us about her future wishes and plans. "I would, of course, like to continue to work as a hairstylist and learn everything I can from Ms Zorica. She has promised to let me in on the secrets of ethnic hairstyles, which are very challenging to do. I hope I can master these styles and maybe make them popular around the world one day," says Matea in conclusion.

SOS Children has been working in Croatia since 1993 when the first children's village was opened at Lekenik, near the capital Zargreb. Another children's village opened in 1995 at Ladimirevci, in the east of the country near Osijek. More than 120 children have a loving family home at these children's villages.

You can support children like Matea by becoming a child sponsor.