Since 2016, 945 beneficiaries from 37 counties in Kenya have benefitted from KCB Foundation’s sponsorship and business support under 2jiajiri’s Domestic Services sub-sector.

In an effort to ensure professionalism in the domestic services sector, KCB Foundation has partnered with vocational training institutions to train domestic service professionals.

KCB Foundation Executive Director Jane Mwangi said domestic service sector remains a salient contributor of jobs in Kenya with socio-economic attachments.

“There is need to ensure professionalism in the Domestic Services sector, which remains a key contributor of jobs in Kenya; yet domestic workers continue to be viewed as people at the absolute bottom rank of the social hierarchy. More effort should be put towards changing this outdated notion,” she said.

She spoke on 8 December 2017 when KCB Foundation graduated 24 beneficiaries of the Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme who have completed a three- month intensive domestic services training at Kibondeni College in Nairobi. The training involved provision of high-level skills on housekeeping, cookery and laundry.

“There is need to have a clear training strategy and programme for domestic workers. This would help professionalise the sector, make it a sector of choice and give it the required profile,” Ms Mwangi said, “It is for this reason that KCB Foundation and Kibondeni College forged a working relationship that seeks to support vocational training of domestic workers under the Domestic Services sub-sector of our 2jiajiri programme.”

During the colorful graduation, the graduands were issued with certificates, positioning them as professionals, ready for the job market. She underscored the crucial role played by the domestic services industry, saying they can be more professional through training and business support.

“Most domestic workers are seen as poor young women who come from the marginalised areas, with little skills and education to enable them to earn a decent living,” she said.

Since 2016, 945 beneficiaries from 37 counties in Kenya have benefitted from KCB Foundation’s sponsorship and business support under 2jiajiri’s Domestic Services sub-sector.

Apart from Domestic Services, other skills given by KCB Foundation through partnerships with recognised institutions, include, construction, automotive engineering, beauty and personal care and agribusiness.

KCB Foundation continues to carry out several graduation ceremonies with the recent being on Automotive Engineering in partnership with Toyota Kenya and on Beauty and Personal Care which involved various professional institutions in the sector.

2jiajiri is a KCB Foundation flagship enterprise development and wealth creation programme for the youth, launched in March 2016. Since its launch over 12,000 Kenyan youth have so far benefited from the programme. The programme seeks to empower 10,000 youth every year to start small businesses that will employ at least 5 people each. This translates to 50,000 jobs for young people directly created through this programme by the end of the 5 years.