Beauty Academy wants to change lives
Wilna Ruiters has come a long way since growing up on the Cape Flats. With a beauty course under the belt, she started her career at Dream Nails in Cavendish Square, Cape Town and soon she was travelling the world as a beauty therapist aboard luxury ocean liners and an exclusive Spa resorts. From Barbados to the Maldives, from Copenhagen to St Petersburg she has seen it all.
Back in South Africa, Wilna worked at the Arabella Spa near Kleinmond for more than 10 years before deciding to take the plunge and open her own beauty school.
“I realised that I had the opportunity to change people’s lives irrevocably,” says Wilna. “So many young girls in this area who come from disadvantaged communities have bleak prospects. Even if they finish school, meaningful employment is difficult to find and they often end up pregnant and in an abusive relationship. I wanted to give these young women, caught up in unfortunate circumstances, a chance to turn their life around.”
Realising the importance of getting a qualification without spending a fortune on tuition, Wilna’s’Beauty School of Excellence’in Kleinmond offers a series of short and affordable part-time courses of between four and eight weeks.
The full-time beauty course which covers all aspects of Skincare, Massage and Manicure/Pedicure offers six months of training, and includes transport and lunch daily, from Monday to Friday. “You can’t concentrate on an empty stomach,” says Wilna. She plans on involving members of the community to cook the lunches for an extra income and to arrange transport so that women from surrounding areas such as Bot River and Caledon will be able to attend classes. She will also advise students on bursary applications and payment options.
“After my students have qualified, I will help them to find jobs or paid internships to set them on their new career path in the exciting world of the beauty service industry.”
The next six-month course starts on 15 January 2018. So what are you waiting for? Visit www.beautysoe.co.za or contact Wilna on 082 544 4473 or info@beautysoe.co.za.