“In Homa Bay county, many women and depending on fish within fishermen community and fishermen are exploiting them every day and this is how HIV spreads and deaths occur. According to the recent statistics every 1 out of 4 persons is HIV positive. Many are dying, like my mother and sister leaving orphans behind.
So what we can do about this? We have to turn the tables around. Women have to get direct access to the resource; fish. Therefore I started Wa-Wa, a fisherwoman academy where we are going to train women and teenage girls from the age of 18 and above in fish farming, boat building and fishing.”
– Cavin Odera, founder of WA-WA, 2018 kanthari participant, Kenya
When Cavin’s parents and oldest sister died of HIV/AIDS, he was mocked and discriminated. This experience eventually triggered his passion to empower girls and young women, to equip them with skills to earn sustainable livelihoods without falling victim to “sex for fish”, which is rampant the Lake Victoria region.
More about Cavin’s work at http://www.wa-wakenya.org/
Go Kenya, go future! 