Youth Works trains a chef to wear many hats

Davis is at school in Voi Town, Kenya, preparing to write exams for the food and beverage diploma course he’s enrolled in. His story is just the kind to capture the meaning and spirit of World Youth Skills Day, which takes place annually on July 15.

“My life has really changed for good,” he says. “I look at Davis before World Vision, and I can say I am better. I can now relate well with others and cope with life.”

When Davis first encountered World Vision, his self-esteem was at an all-time low. It had been three years since he’d graduated from high school—a feat he’d accomplished through pure determination. Since then, his friends had all embarked on their futures while he’d remained at home in limbo.

Persevering through family struggles to achieve an education

The trouble had started when Davis was entering high school. His father, who’d had a regular job at the largest dairy in Kenya, was fired for drunkenness. The family lost the ability to cover Davis’ school fees dependably, and when the fees weren’t paid, Davis would be sent home by the school administration. He was so determined to learn that sometimes he’d sneak back in.

“Sometimes I was being sent home for school fees during exam periods, which really affected my performance, but I kept my hopes alive,” he says. Amid this instability, he managed to graduate.

Finishing high school by the skin of his teeth was one thing, but affording post-secondary studies was another. As Davis watched his friends register at college and university, his spirits languished. When a friend passed along information about World Vision’s Youth Works program, Davis was eager to apply. He was accepted into the program and completed training in life skills, before going on to enter a food and beverage certificate program. Not wanting to stop there, he pushed to continue his education with the food and beverage diploma program that he’s currently working on.

Balancing school, a side business, and family expenses

Today, Davis’ main challenge is balancing school with the tough reality that he is his family’s breadwinner. His dad remains unemployed and his mom is sick, so Davis is covering the finances, which includes his two younger siblings’ school fees. To do that, he finds work in Voi, close to school.

“I can’t afford to go home,” he says. “I have to look for hotel casual jobs and bake pizza at my friend’s house, so that I can be able to pay for my accommodation and school fees for my siblings.”

This pizza-delivery business has potential since, according to Davis, “Voi is a growing town.” He’s making good use of the interpersonal skills he learned through World Vision’s training as well. “I can say my biggest strength is communication and the way I interact with people, which has really helped me,” he says.

Naming big dreams

Inspired by chef Gordon Ramsay, Davis has lofty goals: “To own the best pizza places in the coastal region and to become the best chef in the world.”

Given the tenacity and heart he’s already displayed in his first 27 years, we’d do well not to underestimate Davis. As he advances in his career, Youth Works will continue to be an ally, providing entrepreneurship training and small business support.

“I am passionate about creating magic in the food industry,” says Davis, “and changing my community.”