Wasada’s determination to thrive through acquired vocational training skills

Wasada is the firstborn of 5 siblings. She lived with her parents in Kericho until the age of 13 when the parents separated. Wasada and her siblings moved to Nakuru County with their mother, who landed a job at a flower farm, earning a monthly wage of 68 euros. They lived in a single room with no water and shared bathrooms and latrines. Wasada’s mother struggled to make ends meet and this affected her children. Wasada would wake up at 5:00 am, prepare herself and her siblings for school on an empty stomach since they could not afford meals daily. She was often out of school due to lack of school fees and this negatively impacted her final examination. She completed her secondary education in 2022 and scored a D plain. Despite her willingness to proceed to higher education, her mother could not afford to pay for her fees. She resorted to looking for any type of job including washing clothes which earned her 1.6 euros, in order to support her mother and provide for the family.

Due to economic hardships, Wasada was unable to dress properly and she always felt left out in the group of her peers. This made her vulnerable to exploitation and she ended up being sexually exploited from the age of 18 years up to when she joined the project at 19 years. She was exploited by older men aged 30-45 years who would give her money for food and clothes. All this was done when her mother was not aware as she was spending most of her time at the flower farm. Sadly, in May 2022 she got pregnant and she was in total despair. “I felt hopeless, I did not see any hope in my life, everything looked like it had crumbled down”, she said. 

Wasada’s life took a positive turn when she was identified by her area chief who linked her up with the Training and Employment of Children and Youth at Risk of sexual exploitation project, implemented by TdH NL and KNOTE. After an assessment visit to Wasada’s home by the Community Resource Person, she was successfully inducted in January 2023 and enrolled at a vocational training centre. There, she received training in hairdressing and beauty therapy, life skills, entrepreneurship, communication and sexual and reproductive health. Wasada successfully completed her course in August 2023 and is currently in an attachment in a salon earning an average of 1.6 and 4 euros. She is now an empowered youth who is able to support her mother and siblings. “I am able to earn clean money through the skills that I gained during my vocational training. I am busy, and people don’t take me as a useless person as they used to, now they value me because I am doing something,” she explained.

Wasada is now full of hope for her future and is confident through the skills she received. In addition to her course, she is taking the initiative to learn barbering so as to increase her knowledge base. She now wakes up at 6:00 am, does household chores and proceeds to work until 6:00 pm. “I cannot believe that I earn my own money, this has been made possible through the training. I am usually busy throughout the day unlike before,” Wasada expressed. She is closely monitored by the project staff to ensure that she copes with any challenges she faces.