Evance Omondi Osee
Evance Omondi Osee's path to becoming a Business Development Manager at National Bank of Kenya began in a Homa Bay village, where his father's death in 2003 derailed his education plans. Despite qualifying for university with his high school results, he had no means to continue. Instead, he moved to Nairobi in 2009, washing buses at night for $3, then working as a bank cleaner for $30 a month. A perceptive bank manager helped him land a sales position, but when the bank downsized, he returned to construction work. In 2011, living in Kariobangi North slum, he heard about Digital Divide Data's recruitment and qualified with a typing speed of 27 words per minute—an achievement considering he'd never owned a computer to practice on.
At DDD, Evance earned his first stable income while completing both a diploma and a bachelor's degree through the organization's work-study program. He built his first house in his village with a loan secured through his DDD salary. "My growth to where I am today is largely due to the learning experience and foundation I got from DDD," he says. Though he was terminated in 2017 during his second year of university, the technical skills and work discipline he gained at DDD carried him forward. He returned to construction briefly, then landed a data entry role at Optica Limited, where his computer skills led to rapid promotions. He went on to complete his degree, earn professional insurance certifications including a distinction from the London School of Insurance, and now recruits other DDD alumni into opportunities at his own workplace. His advice to DDD: consider reabsorbing struggling alumni and provide stipends during training, because not everyone who left has stayed on an upward path.
