13 years ago, I became the father-figure that I never had. Now I am open to work and need to become financially sustainable so I can keep doing it.
This is not the blog post I imagined writing.
I imagined writing about expansion, new programs and the direction that Lifesong Kenya is going to take for the next 13 years.
Instead, I’m writing about something harder: I am open to work and need help to find opportunites where I can earn income.
What we have built so far
In 2013, Lifesong Kenya was born out of a simple, stubborn belief that every boy deserves someone in his corner. It is a belief that was birthed from my personal life experience.. After dropping out of college in 2003, I came to Nairobi to pursue my dream of becoming a creative writer and journalist. In 2005, I was staying with a friend of mine when I got arrested and spent 8 days behind bars.
The challenges I faced during and after spending 8 days behind bars exposed me to the challenges that inidivuals who had been arrested face. While the society often treats people who have been arrested as potential perpetrators, most of them are often innocent individuals who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. My case of getting arrested is a very good example.
Due to the stigma that is attached to getting arrested, I ended up facing hostility from people in the community. No one wanted to know why I had been arrested and why I was released to come back home. Instead, parents withdrew their children from the tuition program I was running and earning a stipend from. All this happened simpy because the community considered me as a potential perpetrator and harm that risked their children’s safety. That is why I founded Lifesong Kenya.
In 2021, our Halfway House started housing boys who needed a safe space for healing and restoration. Our Halfway House is becoming a cornerstone that is now providing:
- Housing for boys who have nowhere to call home
- Coaching through the Co-Active model — because transformation happens in relationship
- Mentoring from men who show up consistently
- Counselling for trauma that runs deeper than words
- Skills training so boys leave with more than memories — they leave with futures
Over the past 13 years, we have built partnerships with the police, probation officers, local chiefs, social workers and shelters supporting women and girls.This is our referral ecosyste that enables us to receive and support boys. We also collaborate with GlobalGiving, Benevity and Omprakash who have stood by our side. We are members of Ubuntu Community, Court Users Committees, the Kajiado County GBV Sector Technical Working Group, the National Shelters Network and Brave Movement Kenya.
Since 2021, over 20 boys have slept under our roof. Eight stories of brokenness being rewritten.
But here’s what no one tells you about running a grassroots nonprofit:
The founder is also the fundraiser, counsellor, accountant, mentor, plumber and a jack of all trades. He is the man who pours into others even when his up running on empty and there is no one who can step up. That is why I am open to work.
Why I am open to work
I am open to work, not because I am abandoning the mission I have committed my life to since 2012. I am open to work because Lifesong Kenya needs sustainable funding, and I — James Ouma, founder, coach, advocate, father-figure — needs sustainable income.
Not instead of this work, but for this work.
I am actively seeking roles that will:
- Provide me with sustainable income
- Amplify the reach and impact of Lifesong Kenya
- Complement — not replace — the mission I have committed my life to
What I Bring
If you’re reading this and you have a connection, a role, or even just a prayer, here’s what I offer:
- Founder-level nonprofit leadership — 13 years of building something from nothing
- Child protection advocacy — especially for boys, especially in spaces where boys are invisible
- Co-Active coaching — certified, practiced, transformative
- Cross-sector partnership building — from police stations to global platforms
- A lived-experience story — of fatherlessness, healing, and choosing to become the man you needed
What I’m Open To
I am open to work in the following roles:-
- Remote or hybrid roles
- Consultancies
- Speaking engagements
- Coaching contracts
- Board positions
- Advisory roles
In: Child protection, youth development, social impact, leadership coaching, nonprofit strategy, male engagement, GBV prevention.
The Ask
If you know of an opportunity, or someone I should know, I would be deeply grateful for an introduction or a share.
This is not a resignation. This is not a goodbye.
This is a founder saying: The work is too important to do unsustainably. These boys deserve a man who is whole, not just heroic.
Every connection you make is a step towards keeping the doors of our Halfway House open for the next boy who walks in broken and needs someone to believe he was born for greatness.
Thank you for reading and for sharing. Thank you for seeing us.
