Empowering Young Women in the Care Economy | Mombasa County, Kenya

Youth Alive! Kenya (Y.A.K) | Muoroto & Kibarani Settlements

 Project Overview

Wezesha Dada, Swahili for “empower a sister” is a three-year initiative by Youth Alive! Kenya to economically empower 540 young women and girls aged 18 to 35 living in the urban informal settlements of Muoroto and Kibarani (Birkani Location) in Mombasa County.

These two communities have long been shaped by exclusion. Kibarani grew up around the city’s former dumpsite; Muoroto emerged from the wave of rural-to-urban migration in the 1980s. Today, the women who live here carry a double burden, many work as domestic or care workers in insecure, poorly paid jobs, while others provide unpaid care for children, elderly relatives, or family members living with disabilities, with no recognition, no savings, and no safety net.

Wezesha Dada directly addresses this gap. Through skills training and job placement, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) the project equips young women with the tools, networks, and financial resilience to move from precarious survival into dignified, sustainable economic participation, and to be recognised for the essential work they already do.

As part of this initiative, Youth Alive! Kenya is strengthening the capacity of eight Member Organizations by supporting improvements in governance, internal systems, and organizational sustainability helping them deliver stronger programs for young people.

Why This Work Matters

In Kenya, an estimated 80% of all care work is unpaid and women and girls perform more than three-quarters of it. This invisible labour sustains families and communities, yet it is rarely counted, valued, or rewarded. For young women in informal settlements like Muoroto and Kibarani, this burden is especially heavy: limited access to training, financial services, or formal employment keeps them locked out of economic opportunity.

When care work goes unrecognised and unrewarded, the women who perform it face compounding disadvantages in income, in health, in voice, and in dignity. The stakes are high: without targeted support, Kenya’s national ambitions for gender equity and inclusive growth will remain out of reach for the women who need them most.

Wezesha Dada turns that tide, not by asking young women to do more, but by ensuring they are seen, supported, and given real pathways to economic power.

Our Approach

Wezesha Dada works through three interconnected streams:

Skills, training, and job placement for paid care workers — Y.A.K is training 300 young women engaged in domestic and care work, starting with skills mapping to understand local labour market demand. Participants receive training in life skills, financial literacy, career mentorship, and professional housekeeping and caregiving skills, delivered in partnership with specialist institutions including the Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD) and Cleaning School Kenya (CSK). Trained participants are then linked to job placement networks, with a target of at least 30% post-training job placement.

Financial inclusion for unpaid caregivers: Y.A.K is identifying and organising 240 unpaid caregivers, many looking after persons with disabilities, the sick or the elderly into Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). Groups receive training in VSLA methodology and financial literacy to strengthen their internal lending capacity and support micro-enterprise development.

Organisational strengthening and policy advocacy: Y.A.K strengthens the capacity of its Mombasa Member Organisations, conducts awareness campaigns on key policy days, and advocates for the recognition of care work in national and county-level policy including the Persons with Disabilities Act 2025 and Kenya’s National Care Policy.

 Change and Impact So Far

• 53 domestic workers identified and enrolled, with the first cohort of 20 women from Birikani Location completing a week of intensive professional cleaning and housekeeping training and being onboarded onto job placement platforms including the Mamafua app.
• 120 unpaid caregivers successfully mapped across Muoroto and Kibarani, with VSLA training commencing building the foundation for 5 savings groups that will give women access to credit and income-generating capital for the first time.
• Y.A.K project staff undergoing SIYB (Start and Improve Your Business) training to strengthen their ability to support caregivers in business development and microenterprise.
• A PWD Act 2025 awareness session held on International Day of Persons with Disability (5 December 2025), bringing together organisations working with persons with disabilities and their caregivers to identify shared advocacy priorities.
• Partnerships established with CDTD, CSK, and national employer networks, creating direct employment pathways for programme participants through formal certification and job matching systems.

A Story in Their Own Words

“Nashukuru sana Youth Alive! Kenya kwa kushirikiana na Mama Fua App. Nimejifunza mambo mengi muhimu, hasa kuhusu usafi wa mazingira kama vile jinsi ya kuosha choo kwa njia sahihi. Awali sikujua umuhimu wa kutumia scrapper, wala kwamba kuna aina tofauti za scrubbers kama soft, medium na hard, na kila moja ina matumizi yake maalum kulingana na sehemu unayosafisha.” – Grace Karembo

What’s Next

In the next phase, Wezesha Dada will expand its reach by enrolling more young women into training programmes and supporting graduates to transition into job placements within the care sector. Community Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) will also move into active monitoring and technical support, with cash transfers provided as groups demonstrate readiness and stability.

At the same time, Youth Alive! Kenya will strengthen its Member Organizations in Mombasa through targeted organizational development support building the local leadership and systems needed to sustain this work.