A former firefighter at the Cradle of Humankind Team, Refilwe Moshoeshoe, is now a Beauty Therapist at Rhinos Estate resort, a stone’s throw from Lanseria Airport on the West Rand.

Moshoeshoe completed her beauty therapy course part-time at the Fourways Hotel in Randburg, using her monthly stipend to finance a change in her life.

“The Working on Fire job opportunity was the only opportunity available to me to earn a living, which then turned my platinum into gold in a way,” says Moshoeshoe, who joined the programme in 2013.

“At times I used to attend the course in the evenings and studying was hard. I don’t have matric but I knew that something needed to be done for the future of my kids. That is why I went for this course,” she says.

Moshoeshoe grew up in a squatter camp, but says that it did not demoralise her. Instead, the circumstances pushed her to succeed against all odds. Her new job is to provide body massages to clients. “I am earning a decent salary at this stage,” she says, adding that she wants to run her own massage business in future.

Giving a word of advice to former colleagues, she says, “Fear is the biggest impediment for many to succeed. We need to challenge ourselves and unleash our true inner dreams.”