Rather than chasing those few white-collar jobs, CFK Africa argues that young people need skills to get ahead in the “Jua Kali” (literally “fierce sun”) sector: the informal world of tin-shack entrepreneurs who build, fix and salvage.
“If you look at people who are established in these communities, they are artisans, but it’s taken them a long time to develop their skills,” said CFK Africa’s head Jeffrey Okoro.
The charity hopes to speed up the process with an experimental apprenticeship scheme.
Its first cohort of 100 Kibera youth were matched last year with electricians, mechanics and other “master craftsmen” to “realistically transition young people into job opportunities”.
“We wanted to go beyond ‘Here’s a certificate’… to ‘Where is the money?'” said Okoro.
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