From Learning to Earning: Skills for Employment Training for Women in Kenya

Kakuma refugee camp is home to over 250,000 refugees of over 23 nationalities, with a large population of youth between the ages of 18 to 35 years. These young people have aspirations to generate an income, be self-reliant, and support their families. Every day, they face a myriad of challenges in these efforts, including delays in access to legal identification documents, limited access to financial resources, forced marriage, and childcare. Young women and girls face additional barriers from the expectations of gender roles, unequal burden of providing care and domestic chores, and the expectation to provide unpaid services within the community such as cleaning the neighbourhoods.

The Learning through Education and Access to Skills for Employment Project (LEAP), funded by the Government of Canada, aims to address these barriers through holistic training, empowerment, and mentorship to support young women in their efforts to successfully transition from learning to earning. From 2020 to 2023, WUSC partnered with the Danish Refugee Council to facilitate access to market-driven trades accredited by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA). Through six-month practical classroom training and market-based mentorship, young women gain the practical skills they need to enter the job market through employment or entrepreneurship. 

In February 2024, 502 young women from ten cohorts of training graduated, having met NITA standards in their respective trades. Twenty of the young women pursued Electrical and Solar Installation courses, which are typically male-dominated. More than a pathway to employment, the confidence they demonstrated in pursuing non-traditional aspirations is also helping to challenge gender norms in the community.

‘’These young women are a testament of hard work and determination; they have proved what a man can do a woman can do’’ – Refugee Community Leader.

A key component of the project involves providing mentorship opportunities for women in the community. Elizabeth is one of the inspiring mentors in the program, providing training in hairdressing to young women in her community. She shares that her time as a mentor has been meaningful and that she has gained confidence from sharing her knowledge with others. 

To showcase their expertise in the trades, an exhibition at the graduation event invited graduates to display various market ready products such as upholstery items, tie dye t-shirts, and bedsheets, as well as services including electrical installation and beauty services. These creative products coupled with the digital skills training exposes graduates to opportunities for selling their products and services in the refugee camp and beyond. The digital skills training is in essential areas such as computer skills, content creation, and an introduction to online work and digital platforms.

Most of the graduates were enthusiastic to chart their own paths and had aspirations to  up-skill their training, pursue higher education, and explore possibilities for employment outside of the camp. One great challenge which remains prevalent is the lack of legal identification documents, which limits movements and access to employment opportunities outside the camp. In addition, access to finance for start-up capital remains a challenge to the Young Women’s Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA) groups due to the lack of a legal registration certificate, which is a requirement for accessing financial services. To support them, we have assisted them in registering and opening bank accounts and will receive a grant from the project.

WUSC continues to support market-based mentorship, linking graduates to successful practitioners in their respective trade to ensure they get exposure to the market and are able to succeed in their fields. The mentorship is further complemented with entrepreneurship and financial literacy training to strengthen transition and sustain skills utilisation for self-reliance. We are also working with the social development office to train and facilitate group registration to support access to business grants from the project and other financing opportunities.

Following the training program, graduates will now use their new skills to find employment in their field or start their own business. For young people, education can positively impact their lives and transform their communities. By providing quality education and economic opportunities to young people, especially women, we are ensuring that they have the skills they need to thrive and empower other young people.