Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya – In the sun-scorched expanse of Northwest Kenya, where the earth is a canvas of cracked silt and thorny scrub, Kakuma rises as a sprawling, resilient crossroads of nations in Turkana County, a home of approximately 310,709 refugees and asylum-seekers, comprising 35.6% of Kenya’s total refugee population, a quiet bearing is taking place. Inside a modest training space, young refugees huddle around computers, their faces illuminated by screens that connect them not just to the internet, but to clients thousands of miles away in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. At Kakuma 2, Generation Jobs arises, a refugee youth-led community-based organization that attests that with the right support, refugees can transcend the limitations of the camp and step onto the global stage.
A Personal Vision Born from Adversity: Hubert’s Journey
The journey began in 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt. For Hubert, a refugee with limited access to livelihood opportunities in the camp, the lockdowns became an unexpected gateway. “I started it based on my own personal experience,” he explains, his voice carrying the weight of those early struggles. “I was looking at being limited to accessing opportunities and employment around the camp. So, I thought of trying to share my skills online, especially on Amazon in the US.”
What happened next felt like magic, though it was really the result of determination and skill. Hubert secured his first employment with a US company. The first payment covered his basic needs. The second payment allowed him to survive for three months without working. “I saw that as a huge opportunity,” he says, his eyes lighting up at the memory. “I thought, I can share these skills with the community so they can start earning for themselves and become self-sufficient.”
With that vision, Hubert began training others. He started with ten people, teaching them the digital skills they would need to access global online work. Five of them soon followed his path, securing employment with US companies. Generation Jobs was born with a clear vision to empower refugees with livelihood, education, and entrepreneurial skills, bringing them and the host community into the global economy. Hubert trained more people, then trained those people to train others, and a movement began to take root.
But as the organization grew, so did the obstacles. Every funding application hit the same wall. “Lack of documentation was a real backslash,” Hubert recalls, frustration still evident in his voice. “I could see the right funding opportunity for us, but they would say, we need a certificate. That was a huge setback.” Donors were interested in their work, but without official registration, they could not release funds. The organization existed, it was active, it was changing lives, but on paper, it was invisible.
Wezesha project and the Power of Registration
The path to registration, however, was shrouded in confusion and misinformation. Hubert and his team attempted to register on their own, approaching the government offices without understanding the process. They were directed to a local chief who had never heard of them or their work, a dead end that left them discouraged. Rumours circulated in the community that working with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya meant years of waiting. “My thinking was that when we connect with RCK, the process is too long, it’s going to take years,” Hubert admits. “But I thought, let’s try anyway. If it takes years but we get the certificate, that’s what we need.”
That decision to reach out to RCK, made in early 2024, would prove to be the turning point. Through the Wezesha project, Hubert found not the bureaucratic maze he had feared, but a guiding hand. An RCK staff member provided step-by-step guidance to help him understand the requirements and draft a proper constitution. More importantly, Generation Jobs was invited to participate in a comprehensive training program as part of the 51 CBOs in Kakuma, where they attended a 2-day session with the Social Development Officer (SDO). Additional support came during the mandatory vetting process required for CBO registration. The vetting, conducted by the SDO and the Security Committee, included RCK as a key member of the panel that facilitated the session.
The training was transformative. Over several sessions, Hubert and his team learned about governance structures, financial management, resource mobilization, and the legal framework governing CBOs in Kenya. “The training was very helpful,” he says. “It helped us to understand the rights of refugees, what a CBO is, the process of registering, and how you can do amalgamation. It was so detailed. Some of us were just working without knowing where we were going. But after the training, we could understand where we are going and where we are from.”
Armed with this new knowledge and supported by RCK’s capacity building and legal guidance, Generation Job navigated the registration process with unexpected speed. Where Hubert had anticipated a wait of two or three years, the process unfolded in months. They underwent vetting by the Department of Refugee Services (DRS), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and government officials, and by December 2024, they held their official registration certificate in their hands.
Community Impact and Job Creation
The impact was immediate and dramatic. Even before the certificate was physically issued, the fact that they were in the process, had opened doors. “We had applied for two different grants for funding,” Hubert explains. “We managed to have at least three organizations that were interested in giving us funding. They asked for documents we didn’t have, but we let them know we were in the process. Now we have actually been selected for all three.”
Those three grants include USD 30,000 from Comodo Fund, a Netherlands-based philanthropy organization, USD 10,000 from the Refugee Point’s Well grant, and approximately USD 15,000 from Accountability Lab, an international organization with activities across Africa. In total, over USD 55,000 in funding has been unlocked by the registration facilitated through the project. “Without this certificate,” Hubert states emphatically, “I don’t think we could have been shortlisted, not even shortlisted, but selected. It is a big win for us. The more we have the certificate, the more opportunities open up.”
With this funding, Generation Jobs is dramatically scaling its impact. In the previous year, the organization reached 850 individuals through its various programs. This year, with the new resources at their disposal, they have set an ambitious target of impacting over 1,800 individuals. Currently, they have 100 active beneficiaries in their programs, including 30 individuals working on a project or contract basis with clients in the US, Australia, and the UK. Another 70 are enrolled in their first education cohort of the year, receiving training in English, computer literacy, and artificial intelligence skills.
But Generation Jobs is not only creating jobs, but they are creating a sustainable model for long-term impact. When they connect a digital worker with a client, they structure the contract at USD 400, with USD 300 going directly to the worker and USD 100 returning to the organization to cover operational costs like internet and infrastructure. This model ensures that even as they grow, they can sustain themselves. They are also exploring additional income-generating activities, including micro-loan programs for women and agricultural projects that would involve single mothers in vegetable farming, with a portion of the proceeds supporting both the women and the organization’s sustainability.
The vision extends beyond immediate employment. “We don’t just teach them how to work with us,” Hubert explains. “We teach them how to look for jobs for themselves. Our clear vision is to see each refugee and host community member have at least a way of income. We train them, we skill them, and then we show them where to go, how to find companies, and how to approach clients. Within three weeks, we’re confident they should be able to land a job.”
As Generation Job looks to the future, Hubert acknowledges that there is still much to learn. The organization has 15 members, nearly half of whom are women, and they are eager for continued capacity-building in leadership, project management, and organizational development. “We are new to this field,” he says. “It’s a process for us to learn more things from those who have already gone through these challenges. If RCK can provide leadership mentorship and capacity building, that would be really important for us.”
