Kenyan Cleaner in Germany Reveals How Her Job Helped Bring Her Sons to Europe

Kenyan migrant Charity Watetu says her work as a hotel cleaner enabled her to meet the financial requirements that allowed her sons to join her in Germany.

Watetu moved to Germany hoping to eventually bring her children to live with her. In 2010, she began working in hotel cleaning after realising that securing employment was necessary to meet the requirements for family reunification.

She had no previous experience and initially managed to clean only one room an hour. Her earnings were modest and often barely covered her expenses, but she continued working with the goal of bringing her sons to Germany.

With time, Watetu improved her skills and became one of the hotel's most reliable cleaners. Her performance led to better pay and greater financial stability.

She credits her earnings, as well as her faith in God, with helping her achieve the goal of having her sons join her in Germany. Watetu says migrants should not dismiss jobs because they are considered low-paying or lack social prestige. She argues that cleaning work, like any other honest employment, can provide an important path towards achieving long-term goals.

“No money comes with a label explaining how it was earned,” she said, encouraging migrants to take available work with dignity while remaining focused on their ambitions.