Click to view full size

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Charlie J Franta III has officially opened Foreign Exchange, a barbershop that not only offers free haircuts but provides a viable employment opportunity and skill for formerly incarcerated individuals.

In a media release on September 25, the US Embassy said the barbershop, which is based in Diego Martin, helps increase citizen security by equipping formerly incarcerated individuals with marketable skills, helping them secure stable employment and reducing the risk of recidivism.

The US Embassy said it partnered with the non-profit Incarceration Nations Network (INN) and the prison service to establish the barbershop. The embassy invested US$18,000 to fund barbering courses for 15 youths incarcerated at the Youth Training and Rehabilitation Centre, and ten formerly incarcerated adults, and to provide essential equipment and supplies.