Becoming an adolescent mother did not define her future, Amisi the Congolese hairdresser

Lilian Amisi, 22, is a single mother to a 5-year-old boy who she lives with at a rented house in Kakuma Camp. Through her job at Destiny Salon in Jitegemee Business Centre, she has been able to take her son to a private school and provide basic needs for herself and her son.

This was not the case when she arrived in Kakuma from Congo in 2017. “I was 15-years-old when we arrived in Kakuma and after my family was settled, I joined class 5 at Bar El Naam Primary School” she said. A year later when she was in class 6 (16 years old), she had sexual relations with an older man who took advantage of her naivety. Unfortunately, she became a victim of adolescent pregnancy, news which was not well received by her family and community.

“I am the first born in a family of 6 and getting pregnant was a very bad example to my siblings. My mother was furious and she sent me away from home” Lilian said. The matter was reported and became a police case which led to the man escaping after catching wind that police were looking for him. As this was happening Lilian had to seek refuge at her friend who was her classmate, for a month, until things cooled down at her home. A member of their church spoke to her mother who finally allowed her back at home.

At the time LWF-Kakuma implemented Child Protection Projects in Kakuma Camp with funding from UNICEF. The office got wind of Lilian’s story and acted promptly, and after visiting her homestead and establishing her situation she was recommended to join a group of adolescent mothers and women who were learning income generating skills through vocational training.

“I chose hairdressing because I had basic skills” Lilian shared that in 2019, she managed to complete a six-month hairdressing training at the Jitegemee Business Centre which has a fully operational salon where they would do practical sessions. Lilian’s road to sustenance wasn’t without challenges, she experienced stigma from her community who shun teenage mothers, “they used to say, ‘this one has lost her way’”. This didn’t slow down her ambition to learn and find a means to take care of her child. With the support from ALWS, she attained grade III and II certification from National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) which is a recognized body for administering trade test exams for the vocational skills and this has enabled her to have different hairdressing skills that sets her apart from her colleagues

Working at Destiny Salon has gained Lilian friends from different nationalities “we are all like family, whenever anyone lacks anything there’s always someone who steps in to help” she said and added that having her own money boosted her confidence “you know when you have your own money, no man can lie to you”. In a day, she makes at least Ksh500, which translates to around KSh15,000 monthly income.

Miss Amisi uses the money to pay her rent, school fees for her son who studies at a private school and the rest goes to buying food and household items. She also sets aside some money for savings through a table banking system with members of the salon.

With her trajectory Amisi’s future looks bright; her current goal is to continue upskilling in the field of beauty and cosmetics, “I want to learn how to do nails” she said.

Lilian recognizes that her experience and has taught her important life lessons and that’s why she speaks to young girls who have found themselves in a similar predicament “I talk to adolescent mothers because I know how lost one feels at that time, I also warn young girls against engaging in unprotected sex.”