Job Skills Training for Marginalized Kenyan Youth

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As another year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to share our sincere thanks for your generous support.

Your donations are critical to our work to empower youth with job and life skills. Below three of our program participants share their stories and provide a look at how your support helps us open new doors for vulnerable youth.

I found hope at SYSC

"Thank you SYSC. I had given up looking for a job, especially because every place I looked was looking for experience, skills, and training. In January 2021, I went to collect COVID19 response relief food at SYSC when I learned that the centre was providing a free masonry and plumber course. I  never thought that I would be interested in masonry work, but I wanted to do something. The next day I went back, applied, and was accepted. Ten months later, I am now working as a mason and I have a full-time job with Options for Homes Kenya. SYSC is a community grassroots organization that empowers the most vulnerable youth in Nyeri. I thank SYSC, their partner Options for Homes Kenya and all who support SYSC work for changing my life."

I now have an income, feel confident, and skills that earn me a living

"I am a tailor and self-employed. As a young, single parent and a mother of three children, I have done all kinds of things to put food on the table for my children and pay rent for the last 12 years. I became a parent at age 15 and dropped out of school. I am very grateful to SYSC for giving me tailoring and dress-making skills training that enabled me to create my own employment. I now have an income, feel confident, and skills that earn me a living. I am training my children too, I do not want them to go to the streets like me. I thank SYSC and those who work for the centre."

SYSC program empowered me 

"Opportunities of any kind or services are very rare in our community, that’s why it was named Shauri Yako, which means 'you are on your own'.  But not anymore.  SYSC is making a difference in our community. It endeavors to create social and economic empowerment for the community’s out-of-school and unemployed youth. I went to school up to form two and then dropped due to a lack of school fees. For the last 10 years, I could not find something to do. I joined SYSC Scouts program to pass time, and it’s through this program that my life changed. I learned life skills and received plumber skills training free of charge. Today I am self-employed as a plumbing contractor and have trained and created jobs for two more people. I owe it to SYSC."

Thank you again for your support. 

Happy holidays,

Joe and the team at SYSC