FROM LECTURING IN SAUDI TO A PHONE TECHNICIAN IN NAIROBI.
Jul 26, 2021
First story
Sarah Mulaga worked in Saudi Arabia as a physics and mathematics instructor until Covid-19 struck in 2020.
On March 13, she took a flight back home, tried her hand in business, but it flopped.
Her husband had a job in Kenya, but he too was rendered jobless in the wave of collapsing and shrinking businesses.
In 2011, Sarah Mulaga flew to Saudi Arabia excited to start a new job as a physics and mathematics instructor in one of the colleges.
Life was good. Every month, she sent a minimum of Sh30,000 back home for the sustenance of her family.
Then came 2020, and life took a deep. Covid-19 was moving so fast from East Asia to North America and stretching its thread far and wide. It finally reached the Middle East. Saudi Arabia reported its first positive case on March 2. The closure of learning institutions followed the outbreak.
At that point, Ms. Mulaga thought it wise to return home. On March 13, she took a flight back, hoping the disease would be contained in two weeks. She was wrong.
She is now on her 15th month as an unemployed teacher.
“I never imagined I could suddenly be jobless. If I had the chance to return to Saudi Arabia, I could, but I can’t afford to meet all the regulations,” says Ms. Mulaga, a mother of four.
Her husband had a job in Kenya, but he too was rendered jobless last year in the wave of collapsing and shrinking businesses.
To make ends meet, Ms. Mulaga baked and hawked cakes and donuts in Nairobi’s Lower Kabete. Unfortunately, the business did not pick owing to “a flooded market,” as she says.
In desperation, she turned to Facebook to scout for income-generating opportunities. She then saw the call for expression of interest from a Nairobi-based organisation, empowering women with laptop and phone repair skills.
She joined Franky’s Foundation last February, and two months into her training, she is earning a living.
“This one is my savior,” she says with a sigh, referring to the opportunity to learn new marketable skills.
When enrolling for the three-month free training, her family had been locked out of their house due to five-month rent arrears.
The organization’s founder lent her some money which paid the bulk of her rent. Her promise to her landlord was to start clearing the balance the following month.
To get the skills faster and start making money, she extended her learning hours to 8 pm instead of 5 pm.
Ms. Mulaga now earns 20 percent commission from each item, including laptops and phones she repairs every day. The figures range from Sh400 to more than Sh2,000 per item, depending on the extent of the damage.
“I don’t know how my life could be without this job. I am at peace I can pay rent and feed my children. That’s my greatest joy now,” says Ms. Mulaga, whose lastborn is three months old.
As frankys foundation, We wish to PARTNER with interested parties and IMPACT more WOMEN in the community. We propose you SPONSOR 20 needy WOMEN from our community and the Frankys foundation to EQUIP them with SMARTPHONE and LAPTOP REPAIR skills. Through our placement method, these skills will enable them to make a regular income and help them address the various societal disadvantages they face daily upon completing the course to meet the growing market demand.
Our contacts details:
+254726264409
