As a journalist in the mainstream media, you encounter so many heartbreaking stories and among these is the perennial lack of unemployment in the country. This problem is not only for the people who have not had a chance to get some education but to everyone ranging from those with little education to those with Masters degrees.
It is a heartbreaking situation and after covering such stories with a sadder twist here and there, journalist Lillian Kaivilu decided to do something about it!
Lillian, who is the founder of a publishing startup Impact Hub media, decided to come up with Impact Jobs app that seeks to connect jobseekers with potential employees.
In her interview with TechMoran, Odhiambo said, “Interestingly, most of these graduates had given up hope and gone back upcountry to try farming. After doing the many stories I asked myself so what? Why keep a list of so many stories with no tangible impact/solution to the problem? That is how the idea of the Impact Jobs App was born. ”
While the idea was born and she was rearing to go, Lillian encountered a setback and that was lack of funds to bring it to life. She, however, did not remain in the limbo stage for long as just a few days ago she walked away with about Ksh.610000 (€5000) in funding from the WAN-IFRA and Min of Affairs, Denmark.
Lillian was among the finalists of the Innovation for Development grants competition that was part of strengthening media and society and that was held on the sides of the World Publishing Expo in Berlin, Germany.
“It was scary. This was a global stage with who is who in both print and digital publishing. But I would say it was the best experience for me as a journalist and media entrepreneur. This award and the preparations ahead of the pitching session made me a better person, both as a journalist and change maker,” said Lillian of the competition.
As usual, we are all curious to know how she is going to use the money she won at the event and to this, she said, “The money will be used to develop Impact Jobs app. We hope to address unemployment in Kenya by using an app that uses the simplest of languages. This way, we will reach jobseekers in the informal sector who are often left out by existing job sites. “