Government Accredited Qualification Boosts Employment Opportunities for Students in Dadaab Refugee Camp
“I would like to start my own business in tailoring and dress-making. I believe that with the training I have received I will be able to satisfy my customers. I believe I will use my skills back home in Kismayu, Somalia, when I finally go back.”
Zeyneb Aden Shekow, a 22 year old Somali mother of 3 who is expecting her fourth child is another example of the importance of access to NITA qualifications. She is studying to qualify as a Grade 2 dress maker and hopes to soon graduate to Grade 1. She attends class with her 1 year old son strapped to her back.
Refugee students in Dadaab Refugee Camp are being given the chance to acquire government accredited qualifications they say will improve their livelihoods and employment opportunities.
The qualifications are being issued by the National Industrial Training Authority, known as NITA, under Kenya’s, Ministry of East African Community, Labour & Social Protection.
The Ministry sets out to create employment and promote community development. It is giving refugee students the chance to officially qualify in fields such as motor vehicle mechanics, electrical wiring, welding, plumbing, dress making, masonry, and beauty therapy.
Refugee students say they believe getting the qualifications will help them boost their income. Particularly those students who believe they will return to their homeland, for most refugees in Dadaab, that is Somalia.
Istarlin Hussein Ahmed, a 19-year old refugee from Somalia, has just qualified as a tailor.
“Their work is impressive and despite the many difficulties they face, they are still able to attend classes regularly. They are very resilient.”
“I would like to start my own business in tailoring and dress-making. I believe that with the training I have received I will be able to satisfy my customers. I believe I will use my skills back home in Kismayu, Somalia, when I finally go back.”
Aden Ali, a 35 year old father of 9, who has been a refugee in Dadaab for the past 7 years sat a NITA exam too. He is now qualified to make shirts, jackets, trousers, shorts and hijab, a veil traditionally worn by Muslim women.
“I am convinced that back in Kismayu I will be able to run a good business. Previously I have sold clothes worth approximately 100 US dollars. I have also learnt wiring and electrical skills and I believe that I will find work.”
Getting NITA trade qualifications is no easy feat. 35,000 Kenyans sit NITA exams each year with a pass mark of only 59.5%. The course runs from Grades 3 to 1 and it takes 1 year of hard study, before students can sit the exams for the different fields in each grade.
“I have also learnt wiring and electrical skills and I believe that I will find work.”
Some of the students going for NITA qualifications do so due to difficult life circumstances which forced them to have to improve their skills and qualifications to change their lives. Medina Ibrahim Issack, a 42-year old mother of 5 in Grade 1, is one such student. She’s been a refugee since 2010.
Grades I, II and III students in Dadaab sit for their NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) final examinations. ; The National Industrial Training Authority is a Kenyan State Corporation established under the Industrial Training Act. The Dadaab refugee camp training project started in 2013 and is implemented by the Danish Refugee Council under support from UNHCR. With voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Dadaab refugee camps in high gear, skills like tailoring, building and construction, information and communication technology, beauty therapy and metalwork prepare returnees to find jobs when they get back home.
Medina Ibrahim Issack, a 42-year old mother of 5 is in Grade 1. She has been a refugee since 2010.
Istarlin Hussein Ahmed, a 19-year old refugee from Somalia, has just qualified as a tailor. “I would like to start my own business in tailoring and dress-making. I believe that with the training I have received I will be able to satisfy my customers. I believe I will use my skills back home in Kismayu, Somalia, when I finally go back.”
Grades I, II and III students in Dadaab sit for their NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) final examinations. ; The National Industrial Training Authority is a Kenyan State Corporation established under the Industrial Training Act. The Dadaab refugee camp training project started in 2013 and is implemented by the Danish Refugee Council under support from UNHCR. With voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Dadaab refugee camps in high gear, skills like tailoring, building and construction, information and communication technology, beauty therapy and metalwork prepare returnees to find jobs when they get back home.
“My husband fell sick and I had to look for a way to earn income and support my family. I have stitched jackets, trousers, Diiras, shirts, hijab and shorts. I am also able to make my children’s school uniforms ensuring that they attend school regularly,” narrated Medina.
Zeyneb Aden Shekow, a 22 year old Somali mother of 3 who is expecting her fourth child is another example of the importance of access to NITA qualifications. She is studying to qualify as a Grade 2 dress maker and hopes to soon graduate to Grade 1. She attends class with her 1 year old son strapped to her back.
“We are very happy with the level of dedication and commitment shown by the refugee students.”
“I started this course so that I could earn my own income and be self-reliant. I do not want to depend on anyone. I can stitch my own clothes and during Ramadan I get many customers hence earning money which supports my family. I also thank UNHCR, other donors and DRC (Danish Refugee Council) for the opportunity they have given us to acquire very important skills that will help us in future,” she says with a smile on her face.
Rosemary Mwaura, a NITA examiner, says they are very impressed by the hard work and determination of refugee students in Dadaab seeking the qualifications.
“We are very happy with the level of dedication and commitment shown by the refugee students.Their work is impressive and despite the many difficulties they face, they are still able to attend classes regularly. They are very resilient.”
The NITA qualifications are taught in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council and UNHCR.
“Our focus is to change the lives of refugees and move them from dependence on aid to self-reliance. After the learners have acquired the skills, we give them start-up kits which include sewing machines, fabrics, threads and other equipment to help them start their own businesses. We also train them on how to run their business by being paired with mentors who guide them,’ said Douglas Muthii, DRC Livelihood Officer.
NITA started testing and accrediting refugee students in Dadaab in 2013 with the first batch graduating in 2016. The results for the current batch of students will come out towards the end of 2017.
The Dadaab refugee camp has a population of 243,357 refugees and asylum seekers as at 25 July 2017, and consists of four camps: Dagahaley, Hagadera, Ifo and Ifo 2. 96.21% of the refugees are from Somalia. The first camp was established in 1991, when refugees fleeing the civil war in Somalia started to cross the border into Kenya. A second large influx occurred in 2011, when some 130,000 refugees arrived, fleeing drought and famine in southern Somalia.