For as long as she can remember, Victoria Mumbua has always had an eye for detail, especially when it came to painted walls. She would notice the uneven strokes, the bumps, the cracks and silently think, “I could do better.” That quiet curiosity led her to Buildher, one of the partners under the Jasiri Program, which equips young women with hands-on skills to help them participate meaningfully in the world of work. At Buildher she is learning painting and decoration.

As a mother of two, Victoria juggles motherhood, studies, and an internship that runs six days a week. Her days begin at dawn and end after sunset leaving home at 6 a.m., attending classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then heading home to care for her children.

By the time she walks through the door, she’s exhausted. “Sometimes I feel like I’m losing touch with them,” she says quietly. “If someone told me one of them misbehaved, I wouldn’t even know whether to believe it or not.”

The demanding schedule has also strained her social life. But Victoria now sees that as a blessing. “Before Buildher, I didn’t know how to say no,” she admits. “Now I have boundaries. I know what matters.”

Through the Buildher’s training, Victoria is learning not only painting and decoration techniques but also discipline, financial literacy, and resilience. The program has given her access to trainers who challenge her to stay consistent, and to mental health support that helps her cope with the emotional toll of her journey.

Her sister occasionally helps her with food, rent, and school fees, but Victoria has learned to hold on to her bigger goal to complete her training and secure sustainable employment.

There are moments when she feels like giving up. “I’ve wanted to leave this program a million times,” she laughs. “Every week I say I’m done. But then wonder what would happen should I quit.”

She finds motivation in the women she meets at construction sites who tell her they earn Ksh 2,000 a day. “It reminds me that there’s something better waiting on the other side of this hard work,” she says.

Today, Victoria speaks with quiet confidence and determination. She’s learning to see beyond the struggles of the present to the promise of independence and stability ahead.

“I’m not just learning how to paint walls,” she says with a smile. “I’m learning how to rebuild my life.”