In commemoration of the International Women’s Month, Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, Olori Atuwatse III, has flagged off the women empowerment arm of the Royal Iwere Foundation Skill Institute (RIFSI) with the training of 50 women in the business and intricacies of the beauty and makeup industry.
RIFSI is the brainchild of their Majesties Ogiame Atuwatse Ill, CFR and Olori, aimed at the qualitative education and empowerment of indigent children, youth and women in Warri Kingdom.
Through the support of well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations such as Providus Bank and others passionate about the plight of girls and women in remote parts of the Kingdom, the institute nurtures mentees spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.
The training which was held in collaboration with Ronald The 7th & The 7th Beauty took place in Warri Kingdom, Delta State from March 1 to 14, 2023.
The free two-week intensive training began with gruelling screening sessions for over 1,000 participants who applied for the programme down to 56 eligible persons selected across different tribes in the State.
Themed “Equipping and Empowering Beauty Artist and Educator”, the training was segmented into Gele, Business of makeup and Beauty photography and gave participants an insight into the practical and theoretical aspects of each business.
Speaking on the significance of the RIFSI training yo commemorate the International Women’s Month, HRM Olori Atuwatse III described women as integral forces of positive influence in society.
According to the Queen Consort, “Resources in the hands of a diligent woman goes beyond the home front: It exchanges hands at the market squares, local thrift cooperatives, societal contributions and so much more. It is beautiful that we take out time to celebrate women in the month of March but women deserve to be appreciated every other day.”
In opening the beauty sessions, Creative Director/Founder, Ronald The 7th & The 7th, Mr Ronald Mmeka Beauty, highlighted the key aspects of the makeup business such as the preparation of a business scheme of work, contracts drafting, pricing, building a client, the value of interpersonal relationships and other enterprise nuggets.
He deeply appreciated the King and Queen consort for prioritising human capital development in Delta State.
In his words, “Warri is so blessed to have such a king. It is one thing to love your people and it’s another thing to impact positively on their lives.”
Beyond the skilling of the participants, RIFSI will also equip selected trainees with initial capital to bring their business dreams to reality, under the supervision of some of the facilitators from the training sessions. This funding is expected to empower more women and alleviate their respective families from poverty.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Odin Toritseju, thanked Ogiame and Olori for the gesture and expressed joy for being part of the trainees.
RIFSI is one of the ground-breaking programmes created by the Monarch to herald a transformative era in Warri Kingdom towards the socio-economic development of the region.
