By Maggy June | Program Assistant
We Meet Mercy
Mercy is from Kuresoi, and has spent most of her life carrying responsibilities that were never meant for a child.
“I came here to learn a skill. I didn’t know I would also learn who I am.”
Growing Up Without Stability
Mercy grew up in Kuresoi Division in Nakuru County, one of four siblings in a household shaped by circumstances she could not control. Her mother lives with a long-term mental health condition, making it difficult for her to care for the family. Mercy never knew her father, and neither did her siblings.
Responsibility fell to her grandparents, both now in their eighties. The family survives on a government stipend of about KES 2,000 ($16) per month, stretched across food, school fees, and the most basic needs. It was never enough.
School was not a steady place for Mercy. She attended Kuresoi Primary and later secondary school, but her education was interrupted by financial strain and the emotional weight of her home life. She completed her exams with a D grade—not because she lacked ability, but because she was trying to learn while managing everything happening around her.
“I always knew I was capable of more. But I didn’t have the environment to show it.”
Stepping Into Something Different
When Mercy joined Kijiji Mission in January 2026, she came with urgency. She understood what limited options looked like, and she knew she needed something practical that could change her direction.
Three months in, what stands out is not just how quickly she is learning, but how she approaches learning. She asks questions early, pays attention to detail, and works with consistency. There is a kind of discipline in her that comes from having had to manage life early.
Learning Skills That Matter
In tailoring and knitting classes, Mercy is developing her skills with focus and care. She is learning how to measure, cut, and construct garments properly, building both technique and confidence.
But the learning goes beyond sewing. Through life skills sessions, she is gaining tools she has never had before—how to plan, manage money, and think ahead. Counseling sessions are helping her process her upbringing: the instability, the absence, and the pressure she carried quietly for years.
Thinking Beyond Training
In business and entrepreneurship classes, students are challenged to think beyond employment and consider what it means to build something of their own. Mercy took this seriously from the beginning. Her business plan is already clear. After graduation, she intends to open a tailoring shop near her home in Kuresoi. She has identified a location and outlined what she needs to begin—equipment, materials, and basic setup costs.
What makes her plan stand out is how grounded it is. Mercy has already identified her first market: her church. Members wear a uniform that is not currently produced locally, and she sees an opportunity to serve people who already know and trust her. From there, she plans to expand into general tailoring work.
“I am not just learning to sew. I am learning to build something.”
Finding a Sense of Belonging
There is also a quieter shift happening. Mercy is part of a community where she is seen, supported, and encouraged. Through shared moments of reflection and guidance, she is beginning to experience something that was not always present in her earlier life—a sense of belonging.
Counseling continues to help her process what she has carried, while the community around her reinforces something just as important: that her life has value, and her future is not fixed.
“I have never had people pray for me the way they do here. It makes me feel like God actually sees me.”
A Story Still Unfolding
Mercy is only three months into a fifteen-month journey. But even now, there is clarity in how she thinks, how she plans, and how she shows up each day. She did not arrive without strength. What she found was a place where that strength could be shaped, directed, and given room to grow. And that is where her story begins to change.
Mercy is still at the beginning of her journey. With eleven months of training ahead, what she builds from here will depend on consistent support, practical resources, and the environment that allows her to keep moving forward. Support from people like you makes this possible—not just for Mercy, but for many other young women who arrive with potential but without opportunity.
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