Alex Beru, the Training Manager for Solar Sister Kenya, exudes calm, rigor, focus, and sociability. Meeting him, one would scarcely guess the transformative journey that has shaped him into who he is today.
Alex has been with Solar Sister since the beginning in 2010, when the organization, then LivelyHoods, opened its doors to help train young people to sell and distribute clean energy products. He joined as one of the first Sales Agents.
Alex’s story is one of resilience, determination, and grit.
“With only a class-8 certification, I was a street boy and homeless, collecting recyclable material from garbage pits to make a little money for food and those drugs that street boys use. Sometimes, we’d pretend to be going through garbage but pick up people’s shoes and any valuables they left outside their doors. We would even snatch phones from people on the streets to resell.
As a street boy I met a man named Wycliffe who wanted to start an organization to help street families. My peers attacked him and were ready to steal from him, but as the gang leader, I stopped them. This action would change my life forever. He talked with us, became friends, and, with others, helped us start an organization of street boys called Kito. The goal was to get street boys money to start-up businesses.
“I got a wake-up call when I saw my friends getting shot dead by the police for a crime. I was once almost killed by a mob after I snatched a phone from a passenger in a car. I escaped death by a whisker on that day.”
Alex discusses clean cookstoves with a potential customer in Nairobi while he’s out training sales agents.
The Kito program initially provided loans to street children, enabling them to start their own businesses. As these young entrepreneurs repaid their loans, Kito evolved. It later became LivelyHoods, which employed sales agents and has now become Solar Sister Kenya, focusing on entrepreneur recruitment and training. Through his experiences with Kito and later with LivelyHoods, Alex honed his skills in entrepreneurship and business management. Eventually, Alex was given the opportunity to lead the training for agents. Today, he is responsible for training and supporting all the Business Development Associates, essentially equipping the next generation of trainers.
“The transition from street boy to an accomplished business trainer resulted from my willingness to change. It wasn’t easy, as I had to let go of a lot. I changed friends from the streets and all that bad peer pressure. I was rejected and dejected, and even dogs would bark at me.
Training Manager Alex Beru, Nairobi Kenya, hands out Solar Sister t-shirts to new sales agents.
“I was the best agent at the time. When an opportunity for expansion and promotion came, I went for it and thankfully got it! I had a two-week orientation on recruiting agents, but I got 70 agents within the first week because of my hard work!”
“Who would ever have imagined that a person from the streets would ever be where I am today? I have literally raised myself growing up, and so having mentors like the current Solar Sister Country Director Finorah Manyala and the former director Tania, among others, who have supported me throughout this journey to make me who I am today. Solar Sister is home for me. I have passion for my job and impacting the lives of communities from where I come. I have tremendous convincing power and have trained many agents , most of whom are now employees of Solar Sister.
I have been trying to rehabilitate street boys but realize that often they are not interested in changing. Some even steal from me as that is the street mentality, to rob. I do work with those who are ready to change, though. The world can be a better place for all of us. Who knew that a street boy from Kawangware would be where I am today?”
“My satisfaction comes when former trainees/agents tell me, ‘Teacher, thank you, I am here today because of the training you gave me,’ or ‘I am running my own business,’ etc. This makes me want to continue impacting more lives.”
Alex as a young trainer.Alex today as Training Manager.
My advice to anyone on the streets would be that change starts with them. You must be thirsty for change.
“When I started selling the products, I became the best salesperson because I put forward the motto of, ‘I want to make it, or make it, or make it!’ Love what you are doing. Believe in what you are selling, that your clean energy products are changing not just your lives but other people’s lives as well. It starts with your own belief”.
I want to serve the community at large. I even have the urge to become a political leader to serve as many people as possible.
For fun – Music makes me happy. As a street kid, I did hip-hop music and would like to go back to pursuing this passion in music. Talent doesn’t die.”
Alex with Country Director Finorah Manyala and some of the Nairobi staff and sales agents.
