The United States International Agency (USAID) Tumikia Watoto project, in partnership with stakeholders, held a graduation ceremony for 77 women from Kiambu County under the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe) programme that trains and certifies women in plumbing, electrical work, and painting skills.
The partnership has seen 80 per cent of the young women trained transition to internships and acquire decently paid work at various construction sites. The Shs. 30 million partnership is aimed at enhancing the employability, income, and livelihoods of vulnerable young women within the DREAMS programme, aged 18 to 24, from Nairobi and Kiambu Counties, while boosting their technical skill sets.
USAID Kenya Deputy Mission Director Dr. Bert Ubamadu said the graduation of the third cohort of trainees was a celebration of perseverance, triumph, and collaboration, and they were proud to support the young women as they contributed to Kenya’s development.
“The U.S. government is proud to support this DREAMS cohort. Construction is a field that is largely dominated by men. Young girls and women hold unlimited potential as they constitute more than half of the productive population and can therefore make significant contributions towards Kenya’s development in the construction sector. I want to congratulate all the graduates. We are inspired by their hard work and perseverance,” he said.
The partnership has initiatives that aim to empower women in construction, entrepreneurship, development, and business management services by providing them with technical training and access to labour markets, financing, and linkages to other strategic partners.
To better prepare the trainees for the job market, the USAID DREAMS programme also equips all the graduates with state-of-the-art construction tool kits at no cost, which are usually an expensive investment for new professionals in the blue-collar economy. The tool kits equip the young graduates for the labour market and set them apart as employees of choice for construction companies.
The partnership also seeks to increase households’ economic stability to enable them to care for and protect orphans and vulnerable children and to strengthen the capacity of community systems and structures through practical soft and hard skills training. The young women are not only trained in technical skills but are also equipped with soft skills in communication, financial planning, as well as sexual and reproductive health information through the Tumikia Watoto programme.
“We are proud that our graduates exemplify each of the DREAMS ideals. DREAMS works to empower at-risk young women to access gainful economic empowerment opportunities, thus reducing their predisposition to HIV/AIDS and its effects,” said Dr. Ubamadu.
Mercy Wanjiku, 21, a graduate of the programme from Thika’s Kiganjo area, said she grew up in an impoverished family that lacked resources for basic needs, which forced her to drop out of school at an early age.
“I took menial jobs that paid me very little as I had no skills until I joined the DREAMS programme. I was taken through a thirteen-week training on the basics of construction, financial literacy, sexual reproductive health, and communication skills in both business and relationships. I am confident in the skills I’ve acquired here and have already secured an internship in a construction company to further practice the techniques for the next six months.” She said.
The technical skills training is executed by Arc Skills, a leading provider of skills and development solutions for schools, universities, and businesses. The training provided for young women is certified by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and the National Construction Authority (NCA).
In June 2022, 17 young women and adolescent girls under the first and second cohorts graduated into the trades of plumbing, electrical, and painting, with 77 in 2023, bringing the total number of technical and vocational graduates to 253.
By Hellen Lunalo
