Juliet Menza, 26 – Vessel Repair and Maintenance Beneficiary

“I wanted to start a new life”, Juliet Menza, 26, from Kakuyu, Malindi constituency says as she narrates her journey. Before Juliet joined the Go Blue project, she stayed home and helped with house chaos and raising her siblings. Juliet comes from a polygamous family, and her hope of joining college was running thin because her siblings were also going through primary and high school and the fees were draining her parents.

Juliet heard about the Go Blue project from their village leader, who advised her to try it out. She enrolled at Gede Vocational Training Center for the Vessel Repair and Maintenance Course. She took the six-month course and after she finished, she was employed at Kilifi boatyard where she repairs vessels and maintains outboard engines. Being an entrepreneurial person, Juliet saved her salary and started her enterprise “Mnarani Mechanical Enterprise” which is a partnership business; she currently works at the boatyard and runs her enterprise. 

Even though Vessel Repair and Maintenance is considered a male-dominated career, Juliet was received with joy, her customers believed in her and didn’t see her as lesser than her male counterparts. She encourages the girls and young women to join the course, “I want more girls with me, I want to be an inspiration to the girl child”

Juliet says her entrepreneurship skills course has helped her business, she is now able to keep records and run her business professionally. She keeps her records well and does her marketing with confidence; she categorizes transactions for repair and spare part sales, and handles reconciliations for the business.