Earning a Living After Leaving a Children’s Home

Posted byNicole KinuthiaPosted inIndependent living, Work

How to Make Money and Build a Career

Leaving a children’s home marks the beginning of a new chapter, one filled with both freedom and fear. Suddenly, you’re expected to figure out how to earn a living, support yourself, and build a future, often with no safety net. And for many youth in Kenya who grew up in care, this transition can feel overwhelming.

But here’s the truth: you can still build a meaningful, financially stable life even if you’re starting with nothing. Your past doesn’t define your potential. In fact, many successful people began with even less than you.

Entry-Level Jobs That Open Doors

When you don’t have formal work experience, start with what’s available but don’t stop there. Every job is a stepping stone.

Here are some common entry-level opportunities in Kenya:

  • Supermarket attendants or cashiers
  • Housekeeping or cleaning work
  • M-Pesa agents or shop attendants
  • Waitstaff in restaurants or hotels
  • Construction workers (mjengo)
  • Security guards or parking attendants

These roles may seem small, but they build your work ethic, teach responsibility, and can lead to better positions over time especially if you show up on time, dress decently, and work with excellence.

Side Hustles That Bring in Cash

Earning a Living After a Children's Home: How to Make Money and Build a Career

Sometimes jobs are hard to come by but money still has to be made. That’s where side hustles come in. With creativity and consistency, you can turn a simple skill into income.

Here are a few side hustles young people are using successfully:

  • Selling mitumba (secondhand clothes) at the market or on Instagram
  • Boda boda riding, if you can get access to a motorbike
  • Plaiting hair or doing nails for neighbours
  • Making and selling snacks like samosas, mandazi, or smokie kachumbari
  • Cleaning services for offices or homes
  • Online gigs like writing, transcribing, or digital marketing (even with just a smartphone)

Start small but start. Hustling isn’t shameful. It’s courageous.

Vocational Training: Learn and Earn

If you’re not ready for formal employment or want to build a long-term career, vocational training is a smart move. It’s often cheaper and faster than university, and it equips you with hands-on skills that are always in demand.

Great courses to consider:

  • Hairdressing and beauty
  • Electrical installation
  • Welding and fabrication
  • Motor vehicle mechanics
  • Tailoring
  • Plumbing or masonry
  • Hospitality and catering

In Kenya, organizations like KYEOP, NITA, Ajira Digital, and others offer training and sometimes even internships.

Building Employability Without Experience

Earning a Living After a Children's Home: How to Make Money and Build a Career

You may not have a CV full of jobs, but you can still make yourself employable. Here’s how:

  1. Volunteer: Offer to help at church, an NGO, or a business even for free. It builds confidence and gives you references.
  2. Create a personal brand: Be known for something. Whether it’s baking, organizing, fixing things, let people associate you with a skill.
  3. Practice professionalism: Show up on time. Be respectful. Dress decently. Speak well. These soft skills matter more than you think.
  4. Learn online: YouTube, Google, and free courses can teach you everything from digital skills to customer service without paying a cent.

Real Stories of Youth Who Made It

Mercy, 20, left a children’s home with no job and no relatives. She learned how to braid hair from YouTube and started charging friends Ksh 100 per head. Word spread. Two years later, she owns a small salon and is training two girls from her neighborhood.

Kelvin, 22, did construction work right after leaving care. He saved bit by bit, enrolled in a welding course at a polytechnic, and now works full-time in a Jua Kali workshop and even takes freelance gigs from Instagram.

Their stories aren’t magical. They just did what they could with what they had and God blessed the work of their hands.

Your Life Isn’t Over, It’s Just Beginning

You may feel behind, confused, or angry about being on your own. But you are not powerless. You were created for more than just survival. You have skills, dreams, and a future God still wants to use.

It starts with one step:

  • One job application.
  • One client.
  • One course.
  • One skill.

You don’t need to have everything figured out. Just keep moving forward.

“The Lord will bless the work of your hands.” – Deuteronomy 28:12

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