Justice & Soul Foundation adds new partners

The Justice and Soul Foundation has announced two key partners in the global effort to provide vocational education to survivors of sex trafficking.

The Justice and Soul Foundation is focused on providing vocational education to survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia and the United States. Co-founder Matthew Fairfax, owner of the James Alan Salon and Spa in Shoreline, is working to establish a high-quality cosmetology school and salon in Cambodia designed to teach sustainable skills to survivors to ensure career opportunities.

Stefano Moglia, Davines

Davines has agreed to donate hair color and hair care products to the Justice and Soul Foundation for a period of three years, to be used in the cosmetology school in Cambodia. The training program will teach cosmetology skills to survivors of sex trafficking and provide sustainable career options. The total value of the donation is $15,000.

“Davines is a family-owned company, and we would like to congratulate the Justice and Soul Foundation team on their initiative. What they are doing to help women and children is so amazing and generous, and Davines is very proud to be part of it,” explained Stefano Moglia, International Trade Marketing for Davines.

Melanie Kopeikin, President, Pivot Point

The second partner, Pivot Point, has agreed to donate training materials and supplies, and team with Justice and Soul Foundation educators to assist with curriculum development. “Pivot Point is completely committed to donating the training materials to this program,” explained Melanie Kopeikin, President of Pivot Point.

“The purpose of this effort is to provide the survivors with sustainable career training that will allow for transformation and a brighter future. We have targeted the beauty industry as the vocational training of choice because beauty and fashion are priorities in the Cambodian culture, and in demand in the United States,” explained Fairfax.

This year, Fairfax and his team are working to secure a building in Cambodia to establish the cosmetology school and salon, and develop systems that will drive the training. In January, Fairfax will be joined in Cambodia by Brianne Chappell, a New York- based make-up artist who will implement and lead the esthetics curriculum.

By the fall of 2014, Fairfax anticipates the Cambodian school will see the first class of students.

“Students will be awarded scholarships, as we don’t want money to be a barrier. They will need to learn how to develop confidence, greet and interact with clients, and maintain a clean salon -- all before they learn how to do hair, makeup or nails. In Cambodia, the top 15% hold all the wealth and power. I want to train these students to serve this clientele because this will provide the most direct path to financial independence. These generous beauty industry partners are critical to the success of this program,” he explained.

Davines is a family-owned, international hair care brand distributed in 70 countries around the world, and guided by the principle of sustainable beauty.

For more than five decades, Pivot Point has been a leader in beauty education, training premier beauty professionals around the world. From hair designers to estheticians, to competition stylists and those who go on to teach future professionals, Pivot Point’s educational methods are trusted to provide a solid foundation for success.

The Justice and Soul Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on eliminating the sexual exploitation of young women and children globally as well as the restoration of the survivors. Through the Founders’ shared connections to the salon and fashion industry, and, after several years of research, planning and interviews, they are enlisting the support of the beauty industry to create a sustainable, systemic solution that addresses sex trafficking.