A greek storyteller, Aesop once stated that every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either.
In the case of Mary Wanjiru Waweru, her tale reveals a different side of the coin that emanates from Kenyans who have worked in Saudi Arabia.
In particular, she worked for eight years in the gulf country and described the experience as rejuvenating. While speaking on the Lynn Ngugi Network, she narrated her experiences in the gulf country that ultimately led to her building a Ksh2 million house for her parents.
Born and bred in Limuru in 1992, Waweru hailed from a humble background as both her parents did menial jobs to fend for the family. As the second born in a family of eight, she aspired to work hard to elevate the family’s impoverished status.
After completing her secondary education at Kinyogori high school, she decided to delve more into employment opportunities in the gulf country.
“I overheard that my neighbour had travelled ‘abroad’ and I was instantly interested. My sister finished school first and went to Saudi Arabia and due to the nature of her life, I was interested to have my own experience and work in Saudi Arabia,” she stated.
Waweru’s father supported her throughout the journey and in 2012, she travelled to Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Narrating her experience, she acknowledged that it was not all rosy as she encountered several challenges including lack of training on the usage of electronics, language barrier, and culture shock.
Despite reports of mistreatment and harassment in the gulf country circulating online, Waweru was a hard worker and remained disciplined throughout her time.
“I helped raise their baby from three months to two years in my first contract. I never experienced any abuse in Saudi Arabia during my two years and eight months tenure.”
When the contract expired, Waweru pointed out that her employer declined to review the salary should she agree to extend her contract. At the time, Waweru was earning Ksh20,000 per month.
“They declined to increase my salary upon the extension of my contract. I requested them to release me back home so that I can further my studies. I had to sweet-talk them for them to process my documents without any issues. Fortunately, they bought me clothes, suitcase, and took me to the airport,” she stated.
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Source-https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
Kenyan Househelp in Saudi Arabia Surprise Parents with Ksh2 Million House
