By :Mohamed Gelle/BORESHA Project.
Abdiweli Daud Hussein is a 24 years old youth from Rhamu Sub County, Shantoley location. He is the 7th born in a family of 12 children. He is a form four leaver who did his KCSE in 2015. Abdiweli’s parents are elderly with huge burden of catering for large family sustenance, education and medical expenses. The parents are not on stable income hence depend on extended family and well-wishers for the support of the family well-being.
Abdiweli faced challenges after completion of his Secondary School education. Due to limited resources of the family at his disposal, he was stressed and hopeless and almost gave up on his dream to enroll for college education. After staying without progress of education and job prospects for 5 years he got relieved when he saw BORESHA advert for skills training in Rhamu. He applied for driving skill course and was offered the opportunity through rigorous selection process done by DRC staff and community selection committee on the strength of his vulnerability and the need to boost the family income.
I met Abdiweli a month ago in Mandera Town working as a taxi driver. He was joyous to see me, and this is what he had to say, “my life has changed dramatically for the better, I am grateful to BORESHA and their donor EU for sponsoring me to obtain driving skills. My hopes for a better future have been revived. I hire this car for 8 dollars on daily basis and able to make 25 dollars per day after paying the owner and fuel cost. I also learnt electrical skills on my own and make an average of 300 dollars monthly from it hence able to support my elderly parents with the family bill and School fees for my siblings. BORESHA breathed hope into my stressful life. With the savings I am planning to acquire my own car in the next 2 years and start a family thereafter.’’
Photo: Abdiweli one of the TVET Beneficiary working as a taxi driver in Mandera.
Mandera County is fast expanding with infrastructural development as a result of devolution increasing accessibility of roads within the county hence improving the transport sector. For the first time Mandera town is covered with 25 Kilometers of tarmac road thus opening up opportunities for more people in the transport industry. There is high demand for qualified drivers for matatus, taxis and tuktuks operating within and outside Mandera Town. There is influx of cars in Mandera with an average of 5 cars daily with no enough manpower to match the supply of cars. DRC is supporting youth to tap this upcoming opportunity.