Wahl South Africa gifts street barbers in Alex
The Wahl South Africa Team alongside the Wahl CEO and Wahl EMEA president brought gifts for Alexandra's street barbers.
CEO of Wahl Clipper Corporation Brian Wahl accompanied by Wahl EMEA president Gökhan Yilmaz met with local street barbers supported by the brand to gain insight into the Wahl-led initiatives created to enhance the skills and opportunities afforded to barbers within the informal sector.
Wahl’s initiative is meant to empower individuals from the barbering community, particularly in the informal barbering sector and provides essential grooming services to marginalised communities in South Africa.
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The director of Wahl South Africa Pat Knight said this commitment to enacting self-sustainable positive change is exemplified by the Wahl Barbering program offered at Leeuwkop Prison which is a program that aims to reduce re-offense rates by offering barbering courses to prisoners, provides parolees with critical skills that can be employed to generate income post-release.
Nkuna with a new clipper for his barber shop. Accompanied by the Wahl South Africa Team,
Philemon Matome; Gracious Ncube; Pat Knight and Jason Knight
“Trained to the highest standards in prison, parolees are given a start-up business pack upon release. During our event visit, we found parolees working, earning a living, having dignity, a hope and a future for both the ex-offender and their families,” Knight said.
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During the meeting, barbers were supplied with a host of Wahl tools, including clippers, bags, and capes. The barbers also shared personal narratives illustrating the profound impact of Wahl South Africa’s training and upliftment initiatives in their lives.
An informal barber who first received Wahl tools in 2017 and has now opened his salon Themba Nkuna said, “My dream is to open a franchise, so I can create job opportunities for other people around the community.”
Brian Wahl also expressed excitement at the opportunity to learn from these local initiatives and expand this approach globally. Thereby, allowing the organisation to enact widespread positive change through innovative approaches that build meaningful connections with barbering communities and support barbers in both the formal and informal sectors.
Related article: Unemployed in Alex train as barbers
