“We are still in class right now as we speak,” says Fathma Mwalimu with a smile.

Although she is still learning, Fathma is not waiting for the future to arrive. She is already applying her skills, earning an income and steadily saving towards one clear goal: opening her own salon.

Fathma is one of the young women participating in Youth Alive! Kenya’s Wezesha Dada Project in Mombasa, an initiative that equips young women with practical vocational and entrepreneurial skills to improve their livelihoods and create sustainable economic opportunities.

Through the project, Fathma has received hands-on training in hairdressing, massage and facial care. While each skill has broadened her opportunities, hairdressing has become the one she values most.

“Hairdressing is the most useful skill I have learned,” she says.

Her learning has gone beyond the classroom. As part of the training, Fathma completed an industry placement where she applied her skills in a real salon environment. The experience helped her build confidence, improve her technical abilities and understand what it takes to succeed in the beauty industry.

Today, she is working as a hairdresser while continuing her training. Every client she serves helps her sharpen her skills, build trust with customers and save towards launching her own business.

“I am saving so that one day I can open my own salon,” she says.

Like many aspiring entrepreneurs, Fathma understands that talent alone is not enough. Starting a business requires equipment, quality products, a suitable workspace and financial capital. Until she reaches that milestone, she is taking every opportunity to grow both her income and her experience.

Her story reflects the vision behind the Wezesha Dada Project. For many young women, access to practical skills can be the difference between unemployment and opportunity. Vocational training provides more than technical knowledge. It creates pathways to dignified work, financial independence and the confidence to shape one’s own future.

At Youth Alive! Kenya, learning is intentionally practical and participant centred. Young women are encouraged to ask questions, collaborate with one another and connect classroom learning to the realities of everyday life. This approach recognises that participants are not simply receiving knowledge. They bring valuable experiences, ideas and aspirations that strengthen the learning environment and prepare them for life beyond training.

When asked whether the course had met her expectations, Fathma says it has equipped her with the practical skills she needed. Yet she believes learning should never stop. She is particularly interested in expanding her knowledge of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

For an aspiring salon owner, digital skills could become a powerful business tool. They can help promote services through social media, manage customer appointments, communicate with clients, keep business records and reach new markets. By combining vocational expertise with digital innovation, young entrepreneurs like Fathma can build businesses that are more competitive and resilient.

Her ambition reflects the spirit of the 2026 World Youth Skills Day theme, “Skills for a Shared Future.”

“To me, skills for a shared future means that I can share my knowledge and skills with others, as they share their skills and knowledge with me,” she says.

Her words capture what Youth Alive! Kenya believes in youth empowerment. When a young woman gains practical skills, the impact extends far beyond one individual. She can generate an income, support her family, strengthen her community and eventually create opportunities for others through employment, mentorship and shared knowledge.

This is the ripple effect that the Wezesha Dada Project is creating across Mombasa. By investing in young women’s skills today, the project is helping build stronger families, more resilient communities and a generation of confident entrepreneurs who are ready to contribute to Kenya’s economic growth.

Fathma’s salon has not opened its doors yet, but its foundation is already taking shape. It is being built through every lesson she attends, every client she serves, every skill she masters and every shilling she saves.

She may still be in class, but she is already building her future. And with continued investment in programmes like Wezesha Dada, many more young women will have the opportunity to build theirs too.