Now in its 8th year, Fondation L’Oréal’s Beauty For A Better Life(BFBL) programme 2024, in partnership with Malaysian non-profit organization WOMEN:girls, continues to uplift and empower Malaysian women from underprivileged backgrounds.
This year’s programme welcomed 53 new participants who received training in two key beauty fields – professional hairdressing and makeup artistry.
The graduates received their certificates in a graduation ceremony held at 1 Powerhouse @ L’Oréal Malaysia, Petaling Jaya on Nov 7. 2024.
The BFBL programme in Malaysia has successfully nurtured 249 graduates to date, with a 90% employment rate achieved within three months post-graduation.
L’Oréal Malaysia managing director Tomas Hruska said the Beauty For A Better Life initiative represents a long-term mission at L’Oréal Malaysia to help individuals make meaningful breakthroughs in their lives.
“We are immensely proud to empower this new class of graduates whom we believe will serve as beacons of inspiration in their communities through the skills they have developed here.
“Our collaboration with WOMEN:girls has been integral to this programme’s success. Seeing the passion and dedication of these graduates inspires us all.
“We hope their journeys as beauty entrepreneurs will demonstrate to others the power they hold to transform their lives and communities,” he said.
WOMEN:girls executive director Izza Izelan said many of the participants have not only developed professional skills but have also grown in confidence.
“This year, we also saw some of the impact coming back into the programme with one of our past participants contributing as educator.
“At WOMEN:girls, we believe in education’s power to create lasting societal change, and BFBL exemplifies this commitment,” she said.
The programme focuses on empowering women facing vulnerable situations, many from lower-income groups, by offering skill-building and interpersonal development that equip them to pursue successful careers as makeup artists or hairdressers.
This year’s graduates include Vinmalar Rabil, a 20-year-old unemployed SPM leaver who always love make-up but faced financial constraints in pursuing formal training. Through the programme, she now has the foundation to pursue her dream career.
Another graduate Cheong Yi Wen said the programme has enabled her to rediscover her creative side, and she now plans to expand her skills into special effects makeup.
Nursyasya Afina Suhaimi, a 2022 BFBL hairdressing graduate who returned as an educator following her own transformative experience in the programme, has mentored this year’s cohort in the BFBL 2024 hairdressing course.
She now owns two hair salons in Malacca and recently launched her own training academy.
