Caring for her mother, and finding her way back: Diana Atieno's journey

After two and a half years caring for her mother after a stroke, a customer experience professional finds remote work that fits around care. Illustrative story: a composite example, not a real person.

Watch on YouTube: Why Pregnancy Is So Dangerous for Black Women | Perspective

Illustrative story: a composite example, not a real person.

Diana Atieno was four years into a customer experience role in Nairobi, and she was good at it. Customers asked for her by name, and she had just been asked to train new team members. Then her phone rang one evening. Her mother had suffered a stroke back home in Kisumu.

There was no one else to care for her. Diana took leave, then more leave, and finally resigned. For the next two and a half years, her days revolved around physiotherapy sessions, medication schedules and hospital visits. She was proud to be there for her mother. But in the quiet moments, she worried that her career was slipping away.

"I was learning to be a nurse, a cook and a driver all at once. Somewhere in there, I stopped seeing myself as a professional."

As her mother grew stronger, Diana began applying for jobs again. She hit two walls. Most roles needed her in a Nairobi office five days a week, which was impossible while her mother still needed her. And the online jobs she found asked for software and tools that had changed since she left. Each rejection chipped away at her confidence.

Then a former colleague shared GraceWorks with her. Diana created a free profile and set her working preferences honestly: remote work, with fixed hours she could plan her mother's care around. She enrolled in a free course in the Growth Room to catch up on modern customer support tools, and studied with her headphones on while her mother rested. She also requested a mentor. Speaking to a woman who had returned to work after her own career break helped her rebuild her confidence.

A member of the GraceWorks team reviewed her profile and introduced her to a verified employer hiring for a remote customer support role, with clear hours and clear pay. Today, Diana works from home in Kisumu, close enough to make her mother's lunch.

"Caring for my mother made me more patient, more organised and better under pressure. GraceWorks helped me see that, and helped an employer see it too."

Supported by Raji Global