Changing Refugees’ Lives in Kenya Through Training and Mentorship
Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning with local partner, CAP-Youth Empowerment Institute (CAPYEI) tested an innovative training approach that combined the technical skills of entrepreneurship and digital marketing strategies with the diverse creative talents many refugees already possess.
The innovation targeted 52 (28 women and 24 men) urban refugee entrepreneurs to overcome the barriers that prevent them from self-employment while creating an empowering and technologically forward space through digital entrepreneurship.
Benjamin and Alice were two of those entrepreneurs.
Benjamin Ruberintwari a 22-year-old refugee, first came to Kakuma camp in 2018 and later moved to Nairobi. “I am an orphan, having lost my parents in the war, and being all alone in a new town only worsened my mental state,” he said. “Life in Nairobi was such a culture shock. Everything and everyone was fast in everything they did.”
Alice Mugisha came to Kenya in 2017 married with five children. She faced many barriers and challenges in establishing her business.
Both Benjamin and Alice were ready to learn new skills and improve their lives. The innovation offered a 65-day training program that provided life skills training, financial literacy, computer skills, and digital entrepreneurship. Participants either created small businesses with digital components or added digital elements to their existing businesses. Alongside learning digital marketing strategies, entrepreneurs were trained on tools such as Canva, WordPress, and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram.
The training was followed by an 8-week mentorship with two phases, including hands-on and practical advice. To reduce barriers for women, childcare assistance and transportation fares were provided.
The first phase of mentoring allowed trainees to closely consult with trainers who assisted them on how to best prepare and execute the lessons they had learned during their classes – budgeting, preparing a business plan, saving, bookkeeping, financial planning, marketing, advertising, social media management, among many others. Life skills learned from the training class were also reinforced including self-confidence, goal setting, expectation setting and, gender equality awareness and tools in the context of business and social interactions.
The second phase of mentoring involved grouping the participants into 4-5 people with a specific interest area like comedy, art and general business. These groups were matched with mentors in the industry and included entrepreneurs who were social media influencers, conducted businesses online, and had sector-specific experience in comedy, art, general business, and other topics of interest.
Such personalized and focused mentorship proved to be very effective for Benjamin and Alice.
Since finishing the training in June, Benjamin has been dedicated to his business full-time. Using the new financial literacy training, Benjamin invested in kitchen equipment like a thermos, cups and a gas cooker. On the advice from the trainers, he took advantage of the course to sell tea and snacks to his fellow students during break time. In addition, mentors trained Benjamin in writing sales records and went through his books to offer advice where needed.
“With my savings I was able to rent a space in Sunton. I have two popcorn machines, a chapati maker and a display cart. My goal now is to have a hotel in town. CAP-YEI has really changed my life. I don’t know what mental state I would be in right now. I have grown mentally, emotionally and financially. I am forever grateful to CAP-YEI.”
Alice started the training project and was interested in discovering how savings and investments work. After learning more about digital marketing, she opened her own YouTube channel, Alice Mugisha, where she had all the rights.
“I was taught how to upload videos, and I have five videos up with a total of 1062 views and 132 subscribers.I've also been able to expand to new platforms such as TikTok. Using the app’s short video format to post clips featuring styling I've done to clients’ hair has brought me even more business. "
Alice also noted how her newly acquired skills helped build her confidence and increase sales: “I am now able to negotiate before any performance and always go home a happy artist.” Alice has combined all these skills to make her business ventures flourish.
“Through saving, I was able to buy second hand clothing, which I also sell. I normally dress the mannequins and take pictures or make videos to post on Instagram and Tiktok. This marketing strategy has really helped me get clients.[CAP-YEI’s training] has been an eye-opener as an artist and a businesswoman, and I am sure of a bright future ahead.”
The stories of Benjamin and Alice exemplified that given the opportunity to upskill and receive mentorship and guidance, livelihoods and lives can change for the better.
