With increased reports of mistreatment of domestic workers in the Middle East countries, particularly in Saudi where the workers are subjected to human rights violations, many of which have resulted in death, very few success stories are told of those that found greener pastures in the foreign land and come out successfully.
Katerina Murigi has one inspiring story that will motivate Kenyans to travel abroad in search of greener pastures that will better their future lives.
She went to Saudi Arabia in 2014, accompanied by her three friends, to earn a living, but things did not go as well as expected.
The agent who had facilitated her trip to the Gulf had promised her that she would be employed as a driver, only for her to be assigned as a househelp with a monthly salary of Sh. 18,000.
After working for five months, Murigi was hosted by another Kenyan in Saudi Arabia who linked her to an employer supplying baking goods.
In an interview with a local news website , she said that she found out that her new employer was looking for someone who could bake. She said she was a fast learner and was interested in the job.
Murigi managed to land the job and said that they would make up to 500 cakes for supply every day. Her monthly salary was Sh. 60,000, and she ended up staying at the job for four years.
“I used to learn some new techniques from the boss and was inspired to establish a professional cake shop in Kenya. I watched so many YouTube videos on how to bake then I bought some equipment and shipped them to Kenya,” she told Kenyans.co.ke.
Murigi arrived in the country in December 2018 to start her own bakery shop.
However, thing did not go well as expected after realizing that the savings she had sent her sister had been squandered.
Murigi had wired back home Sh. 500,000, hoping that her sister would buy land on her behalf but she was shocked to find out that the deal had gone sour.
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Unfortunately, her mother and her loving husband came to her rescue. They helped her raise the capital she needed to set up Leo Delicacies, a bakery specializing in making cakes.
She claims that the business has sustained her with the help of clients by referring her to other people.
My business sustains me. I am grateful to my clients who refer me to others with events like graduations, weddings, birthdays, etc,” she shared.
Her advice for those going to Saudi Arabia or any other country is to follow the country’s rules. She said she knows many who have succeeded due to discipline.
