Jazza Centre is a for-profit social enterprise professionalising the domestic service industry. Jazza primarily trains vulnerable young and middle-aged women with the necessary skills to manage homes and business premises. Skilled personnel are deployed into households and offices as housekeepers, nannies, cooks,caregivers, gardeners and drivers.

Challenge

Rapid urbanisation has led to the rise of informal settlements with a lack of access to water, sanitation and housing facilities. Illiteracy and a lack of access to higher education have resulted in a significant number being unemployed or working in the informal sector. It is estimated that over 2 million people are employed as domestic workers in Kenya. This informal sector is rife with exploitation with no minimum wages, no statutory benefits, and unfair working conditions.

Solution‍

Jazza Centre's mission is to train and empower domestic workers and match them to discerning clientele looking for professional staff to manage domestic work in their homes and business premises. They have a vision to match 10,000 trained, domestic managers with dignified and well-managed employment opportunities across the East African region in 10 years.

Jazza increases recognition and rewards for domestic workers through skill development and by formalising employment in two ways:

a) enrolling domestic workers on its payroll and offering their services to customers, and

b) placing trained domestic workers with households and offices desirous of employing them directly and encouraging them to sign formal employment contracts.

Impact

Jazza’s work has transformational impact, both for individual domestic workers and the care economy collectively.

- Professionalising the domestic services industry can ensure that women have access to better employment opportunities as professional domestic workers. They command greater respect, receive better salaries and are able to exercise their labour rights.

- Jazza also contributes to the enabling of women to participate in the work force (both domestic workers, and also female employers).

1. Dignified Job Creation: Jazza creates jobs for a population that are marginally employable, whilst ensuring their rights are safe-guarded.
2. ‍Industry transformation: Jazza is a leading change in an industry that has traditionally been exploitative. They engage stakeholders, customers and clients to influence policies and standards, and recognises the value created by household managers.‍
3. Holistic transformation and redemptive entrepreneurship: Jazza sees the individual - both households, as well as the household managers they train. Values and recognition of human value is laced throughout the ways they strategise, operate and make decisions

Conclusion

Intentum has journeyed with Leah and Joseph as they work to build a viable business model,consider the scalability of their vision, and establish systems and processes. Our desire, together with other stakeholders, is to support Jazza as they continue to create financial and social impact, contribute to direct job creation and transform an industry. Joseph and Leah are both intentional about being values and faith-driven, and we love seeing how they work this out in their vocation. We look forward to journeying with them!

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