About Us

Over the past decade, SYSC has empowered tens of thousands of young people through job and life skills training, mentorship and health education.

Team

Where We Work

SYSC operates in some of Kenya’s most underserved urban communities — the informal settlements of Shauri Yako, Manjego, and Kiawara in Nyeri County, as well as Ngong in Kajiado County. These areas face deep social and economic challenges, like access to safe and secure housing, sanitation and wages that cover basic needs, but they are also places of resilience, enterprise, hope and determination.

Our Story

“Shauri Yako” means “you’re on your own”, which was once the reality of life in Nyeri’s informal settlements, where families lived in crowded conditions, poverty and precarity.

SYSC’s roots go back to 1996, when Anna Kyokabi Karanja (Mama Mugo) opened a small drop-in centre in her home to support children living in Shauri Yako. Mama Mugo understood the impacts of hunger and landlessness on families, having been displaced herself during Kenya’s war for independence.

In 2000, SYSC became a registered Kenyan charity to grow her work by providing programs that restore dignity and opportunity. SYSC has been recognized by the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Kenya for its outstanding contribution to youth development.

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Our Focus

Kenya's youth unemployment issues are part of a larger global crisis. 600 million youth are out of work, education, or informally employed worldwide. 90% of these are in Africa and South Asia, and 75% are women (Global Development Indicator, 2024). 1.8 billion young people will enter the workforce over the next 10 years (United Nations, 2024).

Yet, in Kenya and across much of East Africa, there is a critical shortage of skilled construction workers. Kenya is experiencing a boom in infrastructure development and struggling to keep pace with the demand for new, affordable housing. According to Kenya’s National Construction Authority, only 30% of construction trades workers have the needed skills, in part because high college tuition fees are out of reach for many. This drives up the cost and slows development.

Providing youth with training, apprenticeship, certification and job placement opportunities is a clear pathway to a quality livelihood, and also supports national development goals.

About Us

Where We Work

Our Story

Our Focus

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