By Sonia Isaacs
FOR many years, local hairdresser and educator, Natalie Hazelden, has been a part of the Hair Aid initiative, with a team of hairdressers who visit the paradise island of Bali to make a difference.
While many people visit Bali to relax, Natalie and the Hair Aid team are committed to visiting the island to teach haircutting skills to the most vulnerable people.
Some of the destinations the team visit are far removed from tourist hotspots, and recently include prisons, orphanages and a community of dump dwellers. Natalie said these people were some of the most resilient people in Bali.
“These people we visited were the dump dwellers, the scavengers, and those whose daily survival depends on what many would consider the most undesirable jobs. We were utterly overwhelmed by their living conditions,” explained Natalie.
Collaborating with charity organisation the Bali Life Foundation, Natalie said she was able to gain further insight into the many challenges experienced by people living in the dump community.
“We were told the community had only recently been able to build a toilet block. We heard a baby had been born amongst the community, so we organised to bring some baby clothes and supplies to the mum – which was greatly appreciated,” she said. Natalie said employment and financial prospects were limited for many in the dump community. She said part of the Hair Aid initiative was to teach people to cut hair, which they could then use the skills to earn a living.
‘We had a past student visiting us, and she invited us to her home to cook dinner for the whole team. She was a dump community worker whose family lived and worked on the dump for their whole life. She successfully finished our five day course in 2018 and is now a proud owner of a house and works at a salon in Denpasar and could relocate her family,” said Natalie.
Natalie said she had also extended this years’ mission to include a visit to Bali’s men’s and women’s prisons.
“This initiative also about igniting hope and providing a pathway to a new beginning for incarcerated individuals to impart valuable skills that can lead to self-sufficiency upon release,” she explained.
This has been Natalie’s fourth venture to Indonesia, with the project supported by community fundraising. Donations to support the June 2025 trip can be made to : Hairaid Inc. BSB : 034676 Account number :419851 Reference Natalie Hazelden.
