Sometimes all it takes is an outstretched hand and an open ear for a life to unfold. The story of a young man who seized his chance.
“As a teenager, I had to find a way for my family to survive,” said Collins Selifano (22). For several years, he worked in construction under the harshest conditions – for just under 3 francs a day. His father was ill and could not feed the family. His mother had abandoned her children and her husband. His two younger siblings were still at school.
“I felt very alone. It was a difficult time for me,” Collins continues. While he ensured his family’s survival, his colleagues attended college or university. He found out about a solar apprenticeship through an acquaintance in the spring of 2022. Collins applied and was offered a place in our Solar Learning Youth Centers project. “I was given the prospect of an apprenticeship and thus a chance at a new life,” says Collins Selifano. And he seized this opportunity.
Abigael W. Okello, the project manager on site, remembers: “Collins was shy at first. Then he suddenly blossomed! This is mainly thanks to Stanley Kung’u Nfuguna, who works as a psychologist at the youth center.”
Collins looks back gratefully on the conversations with Stanley Kung’u Nfuguna: “I was abandoned by my mother early on and felt alone. During my conversations with Stanley, I had the opportunity to pour my heart out. That helped me to do this training and overcome my loneliness.”
After completing his solar training at the youth center, Collins Selifano was able to start an internship at a solar company last spring. He is now a permanent employee. “I want to become a top solar engineer. My big role model is my boss here,” he adds with a broad smile on his face.
In Kenya, many young people like Collins are hoping for a chance to escape structural poverty. Please help today with your donation. Enable young people to have a future with prospects for themselves and their families locally.
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