Cameroonian Barber’s Free Haircuts Puts Smiles on Buea Central Prison Inmates’ Faces

Just with what he earns from barbering and little support from friends, Walters Ngalle will not wait until he has millions before touching the lives of the underprivileged

By Njodzeka Danhatu

“Sometimes, we feel so abandoned but once we see people visiting us and showing us love, we feel so very happy and have a lot of hope for the future,” these are the words of some inmates at the Buea Central Prison, in appreciation for the good gesture towards them.

They were expressing their thanks to Walters Ngalle, a Cameroonian Barber who is renowned for his philanthropic work.

The Buea Central correctional centre occupants said they “were extremely happy” after the barber and his team of volunteers donated a consignment of gifts to them.

Aside from the gifts which consisted of toiletries, and pads among others, over 200 detainees received free haircuts. This humanitarian gesture is something Walters Ngalle has been doing for years ever since he became a barber.

Some inmates being shaved by Walters Ngalle and team: Photo credit: Walters Ngalle

Always assisted by his trainees and volunteers, Ngalle has cut hair for free in many orphanages all over Cameroon. Aside from the orphanage, he has touched the lives of thousands of underprivileged, especially victims of the Anglophone Crisis.

The Buea Barber, in 2020, underwent a risky journey to Mamfe, at the heart of the conflict just to make sure that victims of the conflict and the underprivileged were kept clean.

This time, it was the turn of the Buea correctional centres to benefit from his humanism.

“I chose the prison this time around because in the prison we also have the needy, we have some people that are innocent but due to some circumstances they found themselves there,” Ngalle said “prisoners are also human and they deserve love and help too”

“We donated some toiletries and some pads to the female inmates. We choose to donate such items because of hygiene and sanitation” he added.

Ngalle is the CEO Glam Factor, a barbing salon in Buea. He raises money for his philanthropic works by putting aside a certain percentage of the money clients pay him.

“The resources came from those who followed me, some of my clients and from a certain NGO called God’s Hand International,” he said.

Walters Ngalle and team at the Buea Central Prison shaving the inmates. Photo credit: Walters Ngalle

Five years back, Walters Ngalle was unemployed and could barely provide for himself. He resorted to selling watermelon on the streets of Great Soppo Buea. It was tedious until one day when a customer of his requested that he should learn barbing. He taught Walters Ngalle for free.

Today, Ngalle, as a way of giving back to his community, has decided to use his skills to be helping those that cannot afford haircuts.

“I do what I have been doing because I simply want to use my skill and help my community any way I can. For now, I don’t have millions to help but I do have a skill, so that’s what I can offer now” Ngalle told AC.

Walters Ngalle shaves a child in an orphanage while a female trainee looks on

With eight volunteers, Ngalle is surprised at what they have done recently. “I  was very surprised, we had one volunteer that came all the way from Yaounde just to show love to these inmates. We gave a total of  200+ free haircuts to the inmates. I plan to train more than five youths and also start a special free training programme for 10-20 prisoners at the Buea Central Prison”

The Barber, aside from the work he does, is also an advocate for women’s empowerment. In the past years, he has given free training to some girls on how to cut hair. He says it is another little effort to curb the unemployment rate in the country.

In order to put the Cameroon barbering industry in the spotlight, he organises yearly competitions whereby the best male and female barbers are sorted and awarded.