LAKE VICTORIA LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME (LVLP)

Good and Promising Practice Stories

Basil Kandyomunda Maude Mugisha

May 2011

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Table of Contents 1.0 MFANGANO ................................................................................................................................. 3

1.1 LVLP CREATES FIRST FARMERS ON MFANGANO ISLAND ........................................................... 3

1.2 COMMUNITY-FRIENDLY POLICING: THE CASE OF MFANGANO ISLAND ..................................... 6

1.3 “I WILL NOT REMARRY”: A CASE STORY OF GLADYS ADHIAMBO ............................................... 8

2.0 KASEKULO .................................................................................................................................. 10

2.1 KASEKULO: A CHANGED PEOPLE, A TRANSFORMED VILLAGE .................................................. 10

2.2 THE “OMUMBEJJA”-TURNED-FARMER ................................................................................... 13

3.0 OSIRI .......................................................................................................................................... 15

3.1 “FAITH AND HOPE” – A STORY OF DELTA ARK WOMEN GROUP .............................................. 15

3.2 FROM A FISHERBOY TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN ............................................................. 17

4.0 SIO PORT ................................................................................................................................... 19

4.1 NAMASALI VOCATIONAL CENTRE: THE COMMUNITY EFFORT ................................................. 19

4.2 GOAT FARMING IN SIO PORT.................................................................................................. 21

4.3 MANGULA DAY CARE CENTRE ................................................................................................ 23

5.0 MURUTILIMA ............................................................................................................................. 25

5.1 “THE FOOT LAWYERS OF UKEREWE” ...................................................................................... 25

5.2 “THE CANOE STORY” .............................................................................................................. 26

6.0 OTHER PROMISING STORIES ...................................................................................................... 28

6.1 THE STORY OF BEATRICE KANGI (Sio Port) .............................................................................. 28

6.2 A CASE OF SUCCESSION AND INHERITANCE (Mfangano) ......................................................... 28

6.3 A FISHERWOMAN OF KASEKULO ............................................................................................ 30

6.4 FROM EMPOWERMENT TO EMPLOYMENT (OSIRI) ................................................................. 30

6.5 A CASE OF SUCCESSION AND INHERITANCE (Osiri) ................................................................. 31

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Photo 1: Canoes are the only means to reach Mfangano

Photo 2: The writer on the way to Mfangano

1.0 MFANGANO 1.1 LVLP CREATES FIRST FARMERS ON MFANGANO ISLAND About Mfangano Island Mfangano Island lies at the mouth of the Winam Gulf. west of Rusinga

Island, in the part of Lake Victoria that belongs to Kenya. The island is 65 km² in area and rises to 1,694 m at Mount Kwitutu. Administratively, Mfangano is one of five divisions of Suba District in Nyanza Province. It is home to the Suba people believed to have migrated from Buganda. There are also many members of the Luo tribe who inhabit the eastern part of the island. The languages spoken are Suba, Luo, Swahili and English. The Suba language is becoming far rarer due to local men marrying Luo women from the mainland, as it is traditional for children to learn their "mother tongue", that is, the language of their mother. Most inhabitants live near the water for ease of fishing and collecting the day's water supply. The shore of the island is quite rocky with a few black sandy patches. The

inhabitants move from one place to another mainly by walking and by use of small, wooden hand-made canoes that sometimes have sails. The government has recently constructed a road that goes around the whole island. The first car to ever be driven on the island was on February 2, 2007. It was driven over 500 metres only, and the lucky passenger was none other than the Minister of Roads and Public Services, Hon. Simeon Nyachae, MP. There is a small dirt landing strip for small planes. It is used mostly to fly in tourists and occasionally religious mission workers.

LVLP comes to Mfangano Mfangano was selected by ADS as its site for the LVLP in 2006, because it was one of those marginalized areas of Kenya which no organization or government agency would want to serve. It had very high rates HIV and AIDS prevalence, crime, and was generally marginalized. Up to 2007, the main source of livelihood was fishing.

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Photo 3: A fresh garden of improved cow peas

Photo 4: A garden of Sweet potatoes at Mfangano

From time immemorial agriculture had not been known to be a possible source of livelihood for the inhabitants of Mfangano Island. There was belief that the island’s soils could not sustain any crop since they were sandy and stony. Indeed, up to 2007, Mfangano Island was a net importer of food – anything agricultural had to be bought and brought from the mainland. Dwindling Stocks of Fish When the stocks of fish in the lake started decreasing, which meant less incomes for the people, the most viable option for majority of the islanders was “to shift with the fish” – which meant going to look for other landing sites with higher stocks of fish. Others would shift to the mainland to look for alternative livelihoods such as charcoal burning, sand mining or petty trading. Business Training

With the launching of LVLP, and particularly the economic empowerment component training

sessions from Agina of Ufadhili and ADS staff, some individuals reluctantly took to the hoe. One snag, of course, was that this involved securing land on the low-lying

shoreline areas since the greater part of Mfangano is hilly and not quite suitable for agriculture. Many, with little inputs and funds to hire labour, ploughed about one or two acres and started planting. “This was of course exciting to see fishermen farming. It was something out of the ordinary,” commented the sub- location chief. However, one by one individual farmers planted their crops which turned out reasonable yield during the first harvest. For the first time the Mfangano

people tasted food grown on their own Island. This attracted more and more people. It is now not strange to see gardens on the Island. It is increasingly becoming another viable alternative means of livelihood. “I had 5 boats which I abandoned and took to farming,” remarked Mr.Joshua Kepha, a member of the Mfangano CBO. “Yes, I might have been getting more money from fishing but it had become very unpredictable. With farming, it is more predictable. I am still earning less from this farm but I have opened up another plot and I believe in the next few years – yes maybe about two years, with improvements in farming skills which I am learning I might double the income I used to get from fishing,” he stated with a sense of hope.

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Photo 5: A Garden of Spinach and maize

Asked whether farming is a viable alternative to fishing, Mr Kepha, retorted with many questions, probably not expecting answers from me: “If it was not viable why are there many people following our example? What other options do we have? Leave the Island? To where?” The people at Mfangano believe farming can turn fortunes for them. “We can improve our farming practices and earn big. Look, when we went to Kisumu on a

learning exchange visit we were overwhelmed by the

good and promising farms of cow peas. We came with some improved seeds which seem to be doing well. We are experimenting with them and they seem to do well here too,” observed Mr. Kepha The fishermen-turned-farmers of Mfangano need knowledge about marketing their produce. There are vegetables growing and no market for them. They also need more knowledge on

improving their farm productivity. “What we now want is to get more knowledge in farming, but also we need markets for our produce. I have a lot of vegetables which I cannot sell now. So I am leaving them to grow that they can give me seeds,” Mr.Kepha said. Prospects for the future Even if the fish stocks improve, farming has already proved itself as a viable livelihood alternative. It could even yield more than the fishing business. It is safer than the risky busisness fishing of fishing on the unpredictable lake waters. The Mfangano farmers, if adequately supported, could start supplying the mainland with agricultural produce and have their livelihoods more secure and sustainable.

Story written by: Basil Kandyomunda

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1.2 COMMUNITY-FRIENDLY POLICING: THE CASE OF MFANGANO ISLAND The Situation before

The above reads like a scene from a fiction story but that is a true story describing Mfangano about 5 years ago. The situation at Mfangano has changed tremendously. It is almost the oppositeof what it was at the beginning of the programme. This story documents why the situation was that bad, what has happened or what has changed and what facilitated that change. Mfangano Island, in the heart of Lake Victoria, is home to approximately 19,000 people of Suba and Luo descent. The smallvillages that line the shores of the main island and other small ones are accessible from the mainland only by a three-hour ride on wooden outboard canoes. Fishing has hitherto been the primary occupation for the majority of residents. People here speak English, Swahili, Luo, and Suba—a language spoken nowhere in the world other than the shores of Lake Victoria. Just about three months ago, the Government of Kenya installed a generator that supplies electricity to the island. Mfangano also has one road that circles the base of the island. Mfangano the haven of crime One of the major problems of Mfangano too, was crime. Criminals running away from the law on the mainland would find their way in Mfangano, and it was very problematic as these could commit any crime with impunity. Maintaining law and order was itself a risky business as one would never know who the criminal was and who was an accomplice. Yet up to as recently as 2007, Mfangano did not have a police post to maintain law and order. When finally a police post was opened at Mfangano Island, any police personnel that was posted there would work their way to be transferred from the place as soon as possible. Those that did not have the heart for Mfangano actually were not interested in engaging with the community through people-friendly approaches. According to Corporal Frederick, OCP, Mfangano Police Post, this was the situation members of the public had to contend with. The police was terrorizing people although it was not the policy of the police institution.

Participant 1: “Seeing a policeman on the beach would send everybody scampering for dear life,”, commented participant during a focus group discussion with paralegals at the Mfangano LVLP Site office. Moderator: Now? Participant: No. Before the start of the LVLP programme. Before the paralegals were trained and before we raised awareness among the community of Mfangano about their rights. Moderator: But why would the people run away from the police? Participant 2: I think you do not know Kenya Police. The police here would terrorise anybody. They were corrupt and could arrest you for anything. Moderator: Anything? Without committing any crime? Participant 1: You see, when you do not know your rights you can fear anything. But anyway the situation has greatly improved. We sensitized the police but also complained to their bosses in Mbita, and there were transfers. We now have a very good OCP here at Mbita. Yes. When you do not know your rights, anybody can terrorise you and abuse your rights. Such was the situation at Mfangano, and probably in other communities that have not been lucky to have rights awareness.

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Photo 6: Paralegals during one of their meetings

“When a policeman was posted to a remote place like Mfangano, it was perceived as a punishment, and right on the day of reporting one would be thinking about the day he can be transferred from there. Secondly, the population was also full of criminals who would have run here as a safe haven. A criminal does not want to see the law enforcer anywhere near himself. ... Mfangano was like many other fishing communities -- a haven of crime, where anybody could violate any law and go scot-free. There were many cases of assault, rape, defilement, theft name it. .. in fact the criminals were more powerful than the police, and that is why this programme, which trains the people from the community about their rights is good and has indeed changed the people into law abiding citizens before even changing the police,” commented Cpl Ojwang. Interface with the paralegals The police is changing slowly. According to Cpl. Ojwang, “We are now working with the chief and other community structures to prevent crime but also to settle disputes. The paralegals have invited me and have attended their sessions in the community

when they are talking to people about their rights. We in the police also believe in community policing. But the number one crime preventers are the community members themselves”, he emphasized. “Mfangano East has changed. It is an ideal village – landing site where one would want to serve. The community is vigilant and report cases to the paralegals. I see more

cases being reported to the police through mainly the paralegals. But I also know there are several minor cases and disputes which are being resolved in the community by the paralegals”, he elaborated. “The paralegals have helped to bring the police and the community together. And that is what it should be. Why should the people run away from the police? Certainly no reason at all,” Corporal Ojwang concluded. So is the story of change brought about by the paralegals of Mfangano. With a population now vigilant, and aware about their rights, fear of the police is no more. The police has also become more accountable.

Story written by: Basil Kandyomunda

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Photo 7: Gladys in the process of smoking fish.

1.3 “I WILL NOT REMARRY”: A CASE STORY OF GLADYS ADHIAMBO Gladys Adhiambo hails from Mbita district, Mfangano Division, Mfangano East location Malamasa village, and is a member of Home Based Care (HBC) group. Her husband died in the year 2006 leaving her with three children. At the time of his death, she had nothing to depend on for livelihood. She was helpless and found herself in a hopeless situation. “After the death of my husband, I was faced with the hard life of struggle to make ends meet,” Gladys observed. In Mfangano community widow inheritance was part of culture. If one’s husband died, then the widow had to be inherited by another man (in most cases an in-law). It was a practice deeply rooted in the Luo culture, with belief that this act would cleanse the widow and her entire household of any bad omen (chira). “I resolved in my heart not to be inherited but to settle down and take care of my children,” Gladys, narrates.

It was not easy at first because Gladys did not get any support from her family members. Her in-laws told her that she would not get any support from them since she had refused to be inherited and that she would suffer for the rest of her life. During those days the practice of “fish for sex” was rampant. If one did not have a husband, then getting fish for food or sale was not so easy. “You could imagine how life was so terrible. In the year 2007 I had the opportunity to interact with IDCCS when I was elected to represent my village together with other women as HBC

providers,” Gladys narrates. The workshop talked about cultural and gender issues. “The HBC training opened my eyes and I learnt much on effects of HIV/AIDS, as well as the backward socio cultural practices that perpetuates the disease. This encouraged me the more and I felt that I made the right decision,” she narrates with conviction. After the HBC training the participants were encouraged to organize themselves into a group, Gladys recalls. The group completed the process and was registered with the Ministry of Social Development Services. The group started a self-help circle that would visit and sit at each member’s house. “This gave us the opportunity to interact with each other and share on how we can develop ourselves individually. Since we had to make a weekly contribution during the sittings which required constant source of income, I started to run a small kiosk,” she recalls. The profit margin from the kiosk though was very low so she had to think of another business with a good profit margin. Finally, she settled for fish trading which picked up well, returning very good profits.

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Photo 8: Gladys and her son packing the smoked fish

“My husband left me in a very small house and with time, I realized that the house

could not accommodate my family well. In 2009, I decided to expand the house to increase the

number of rooms to four with the savings I had from fish trade,” she proudly narrates. Besides improving the house, she was also ensuring that she provides for the basic needs of her family. “My children are going to school without financial constraints and I am able to extend my support to my other siblings,” Gladys observes. In 2010, Gladys together with her friends came in touch with UFADHILI TRUST through Diakona and ADS-Nyanza. It gave

her the opportunity to learn about horticulture. After the training Gladys together with seven of her friends formed a horticulture group and planted tomatoes and onions. From the tomato yield, they got Kshs 80,000 which was divided amongst members depending on the amount of labour input in the farm. Gladys was given Kshs 15,000 as her dividend, which she in turn used as capital to start another business line of selling clothes. “These enterprises have given me easy time in my involvement in SLA activities. The diversification of these enterprises makes it easy for me because, for example, when there is low catch of fish I can earn daily income from other enterprises,” Gladys observes. She enjoys some financial freedom, many people in community of Mfangano, including men, do not experience. “I am proud of myself because as a widow that refused to be inherited, and refused to succumb to sell my body for fish for survival, I have become role model to other women and young widows in the community. They come seek advice from me, all the time.” Story Narrator: Gladys Adhiambo Story written by: Benter Ochele, on 17 May 2011 Edited by: Basil Kandyomunda

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Photo 9: Kalangala Island

Photo 10: LVLP Signpost at the Kasekulo Office

2.0 KASEKULO 2.1 KASEKULO: A CHANGED PEOPLE, A TRANSFORMED VILLAGE Kasekulo is the biggest landing site in Kalangala, Ssesse Islands. Ssese is a group of 88 islands that form Kalangala district in Uganda. The indigenous people on the

Island are called the Bassese.

Before the LVLP project started in Kasekulo and the villages surrounding the landing site,, the place was described as having been filthy, characterized by disease and death, lawlessness and ignorance. Being a landing site, there are fisherwomen and men from different ethnic groups who have come to the island and largely depend on the lake for livelihood. They include the fishing crew – those who go on the lake to catch fish; fishermen and fisherwomen who own boats and

hire fishing crew to do the fishing for them. Then there are fish traders who buy and sell fish, either in the same area or move and sell the fish elsewhere. Then there are different people who provide services on the landing site. Some run small restaurants, bars, provide accommodation (own rental houses) and many other services required by the fishing community. Kasekulo was known for its recklessness. Apart from fishing, fish trade and provision of other services, many people in Kasekulo are said have engaged in drinking, fighting, sex and all manner reckless behaviour. They lived in a filthy environment. Many people who fell sick just died. The hospital in Kalangala was and still is far, the nearest clinic is about eight kilometres away. The LVLP programme was introduced in Kasekulo and Kalangala district in 2005 when a baseline study was done. Many people were consulted and they participated in the baseline. Then in 2006, the programme was launched with four components – HIV/AIDS, Social justice, and Economic empowerment. Capacity building was a crosscutting strategy. In the words of the community – ‘there were so many trainings’. There were training activities in each component. Trainings were carried out in home based care, psychosocial support work, human rights and the law, business management, etc. Men and women were selected and trained in various

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Photo 11:: CoU priests attending a workshop organised by LVLP in Kampala

issues. Some trained in more than one. These training activities produced home-based care providers (HBCP), Psychosocial Support Workers (PSSW), Peer Educators (PE) and Paralegals. The trained community workers took the villages by storm. They carried out sensitization of communities about HIV/AIDS through community meetings; songs and drama, and individual approaches. They reached the old and the young, women and men, boys and girls; they traversed the whole area and preached the gospel of prevention and protection from HIV infection. They encouraged community members to go for testing and supported those who declared their positive status. Youth formed groups of peer educators and reached out to young people on the landing sites and villages around. They sang, they danced, and they acted out to educate people about the dangers of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Home-based care providers visited homes and talked to people about HIV/AIDS. They provided counselling and encouragement. They encouraged people to go for testing and followed up after the testing to provide psychosocial support. They gained the trust and the confidence of the people. Religious leaders were brought on board. They were trained as a group and exposed to issues concerning HIV/AIDS. They realised they had been opposing prevention methods in ignorance. They opened up and spearheaded the fight against HIV/AIDS preaching behaviour change and prevention. Most of them opened up after understanding how the condom could be useful in preventing infection. They started encouraging those who were not able to abstain to use condoms. Joining hands, the people on Kasekulo were united in fighting against HIV/AIDS. Many people have undergone testing and declared their status, if found positive. They have joined the fight against AIDS. HBC providers continue to work hard, going from home to home reminding people to go for their treatment, to undertake VCT. Some HBCs use bicycles provided by the project to take people to the ART clinic. Community representatives were trained in human rights and the rule of law. They were trained to become paralegals. This was exciting for them – seeing that though they were ordinary people, they may not have been t so educated, but they wereable to understand issues concerning the law. The Paralegals went out and started awareness campaigns on legal and human rights. Those trained formed their own association – Kalangala Human Rights Defenders (KHRD). The paralegals started mediating in community disputes, monitoring law enforcement at the beach and other villages around. In a community where there were no lawyers, they became

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Photo 12:Children from Kasekulo Primary School interacting with CoU PDR staff

the community lawyers. They are seen as crime preventers and human rights promoters. They are legal counsellors and ‘judges’. All this has changed the face of Kasekulo. The community has come together to clean their landing site. A place which was filthy and stinking is now clean. People have constructed latrines and bath shelters. They voluntarily take up tools and clean the landing site twice a week during what they call “Keep Kasekulo Clean” days – Wednesdays and Saturdays, they all come and clean every little corner of the place. This has been going on for the last three years and the people are faithful to their commitment to live in a clean environment. People in the community have understood rights and legal issues. Fighting and stealing of all manner of items and property has reduced. They have learnt to respect other people’s property. The bad people are said to be in the minority, unlike in the past when they were the majority. Crimes are reported and followed up by paralegals. Rape cases have reduced. Police holds paralegals with respect and consults them on legal and criminal matters. Local Councils, Beach Management Units and Paralegals are all working together. People now treat one another well and they are generally a happy community. A school which was used as brothel was fenced and now is a clean environment for happy children, some being supported by the project with scholastic materials and uniforms. The people say that they now know how to do business and their conditions have changed. In the words of one community member, “We used to work so hard and get very little profit. Now we are making more money and able to save and expand our businesses and do many other things”. Compiled by: Maude Mugisha

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Photo 13: Kemirembe in her Cassava farm

Photo 14: Kemirembe showing his Bricks

2.2 THE “OMUMBEJJA”-TURNED-FARMER Her nickname is “Omumbejja”, which means princess. The story of the Omumbejja Kemirembe is one of promise. Of course she is not from the royal clan, but carries

herself with an aura of calmness and softness like a well nurtured princess. Kemirembe has lived in Kasekulo for many years. She was married and later separated from her husband. She leaves with her children only and calls herself a successful farmer. She is a member of the Project Committee Management Committee in Kasekulo representing religious leaders. She is a catechist in the Catholic faith (equivalent of a lay reader in the Anglican faith). She is also a home-based care provider in the Lake Victoria Livelihoods Programme (LVLP).

Kemirembe used to run a small grocery shop at the landing site. One time her child fell sick and she had to be admitted in a hospital in Kampala where she stayed for months. She sold everything in her shop to pay hospital bills and upkeep while at the hospital. When she returned she virtually had nothing in form of assets. Luckily, she found that training had been organized by the LVLP project. She joined that training. This was a business training organized by the Kasekulo

LVLP for community members on how to identify business opportunities, and how to start and manage a business enterprise. “After training, I decided to buy a hoe and start growing crops. I used the allowance I had received for attending the workshop to buy the hoe. I ‘borrowed’ land from a neighbour who has a big chunk of land and started cultivating. I planted maize during the first year and when I harvested and sold, I got a profit of Uganda shillings 270,000 (about USD 150) then in the second year I got shillings 370,000 (USD 200) profit. I was encouraged and also planted cassava, yams and rice. Now I have 5 acres of rice, one acre of yams, 2 acres of potatoes and 700 cassava trees. I also have a few pigs and grow green vegetables.

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Photo 15: Kemirembe in her new garden of potatoes

“Through farming, I have bought a plot of land and I want to build my own house. I have already made 6500 bricks and will start building soon. The child whom Kemirembe was nursing is in school and the ‘Omumbejja’ says that she has no worries about school fees and medical bills

because currently she can afford.

“I am a happy woman. I eat food from my garden. I employ people to help me in my garden. I am able to feed them and pay their wages. I am happy about my farming. When I am in the garden, people come and buy from me. Money finds me in the garden.” [Kemirembe]

The challenge facing Kemirembe is that the land she is using for farming is not hers. It belongs to someone else and this person has started planting palm trees in the land. When they grow big, she may not be able to use it for farming as she is doing now. On this, she says that after building a house, she will start buying her own land slowly. However, the main threat is that most the land is being used for planting palm trees. This should not be a big threat though. Kemirembe inherited a big chunk of land from her father on the mainland in Masaka district which she intends to develop. She is unstoppable. Farming has become not only a trade for Kemirembe but a passion, and she does it with a great sense of purpose. Story compiled by Maude Mugisha

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3.0 OSIRI

3.1 “FAITH AND HOPE” – A STORY OF DELTA ARK WOMEN GROUP What started as a small idea by four women has now become a successful group, saving, loaning and running a project. Four women who decided that they needed to do something to improve their lives came together in 2007. After deliberating about what they wanted to do, they felt that their number was too small. Then they agreed that each one of them should bring in two other members. The group was guided by values of ‘faith, integrity and dignity’. This was the criteria used to bring in the members. When each of the four members had brought in two other members, the group expanded to 12 members and they have remained that number ever since. A member who withdrew from the group was replaced through a similar process of a member identifying a replacement. Initially called Osiepe Women Group, it had to change its name for registration purposes since the original name was already registered. They decided to call themselves Delta Ark Women Group to distinguish themselves from another Delta women’s group also registered earlier. They decided on the name Delta to denote their identity as a women’s group along the lake. Asked to write down their brief history, the group mentioned wrote, “We thought of Delta because the members were from three places, namely; Usari, Osiri and Obambo. The river Mugruok pours into Lake Victoria forming a delta. Later we discovered that the name was also registered by another group. So we had to add Ark to make a difference. So it is known as Delta Ark Women Group.” Delta Ark Women Group started because the members who formed it wanted to do something together to improve the welfare of their families. They decided to start collecting money and give each member on a revolving basis. “We started with ‘merry-go-round’ of 200/= each and a kilo of sugar in each monthly meeting. The members used the money to pay school fees and also boost their small businesses. A monthly contribution of 20/= went to the treasury.” The idea was to ensure that each member got some money to meet some of the household needs including paying school fees and boosting their small businesses. In 2008, the group was trained about village saving and loaning (VS and L) and business management. One member of the group mentioned that the group was trained for six months before they started doing anything. She explained that they were comfortable with their merry-go-round initiative and did not want to venture into anything else. They were reluctant and had some fears about borrowing money and investing in IGAs. When they started the VS and L, they realised that it was a good idea. They discovered that they could borrow and actually be able to pay back with interest. For

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each amount borrowed, an interest of 10% per month is given. They each contribute Kenyan shillings 150/= per month and members can borrow to as much as 10,000/=, if the money is available. The money is borrowed to pay school fees, invest in their business and do farming. The loans given are repayable in three months. Currently, they have 52,000/= ($600) circulating among the members. One member who has been borrowing regularly from the group has been able to start and expand a retail shop. She mentioned that she started with very small capital, equivalent to 70 litres of kerosene (about KShs 500). She was only buying and selling kerosene. However, when she started borrowing from the group, she was able to open a retail grocery shop. She mentioned that her shop was worth more than K Shs10,000 after a period of less than two years. In addition, she has been able to use the profits to pay school fees for her children, improve family nutrition through buying items like fish and meat. She proudly says that she is happy with her business and hopes to continue expanding. She uses the knowledge gained through training to run her business. She keeps records and knows how to calculate her profits. The more interesting initiative of Delta Ark Women Group is their poultry project. They keep local chicken. They have constructed shelters at members’ homes where they keep their chicken and take turns to take care of them. They mentioned that they had 77 local chicken – 50 at one member’s home (Chairperson) and 27 at another member’s home. What is interesting about the group is that they do not just keep chicken as a group, but each individual member has her own chicken project. They come to the group to learn together how to take care of their chicken and when they need to vaccinate, they do it for the group project and for the individual projects as well. This helps them to save on costs. Both the group and individual projects sell their chicken to Kisumu hotels through an intermediary. They say that they sell in bulk and are able to get a good price. They are continuing to expand their group and individual poultry projects. They are currently constructing shelters at another member’s home to expand the project. Since they come from three neighbouring villages, they want to have a project in each village. Their project serves as an example to other community members and they mentioned that some households are learning from them and starting their own chicken rearing-initiatives. From the profits made the Group has been able to support one orphaned girl and bought uniform for her to go to school. They hope that as they continue to make profits, they will also be able to support needy children in the community. Story written by: Maude Mugisha

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Photo 17: Othieno in the earlier days

Photo 18: Othieno with his friends and his boat

3.2 FROM A FISHERBOY TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN The story of Othieno is a story of “from rags to riches”. It is a journey from a lowly hopeless fisher boy to a successful businessman - a man of substance in his village. He wrote his own story which he shared with the team. It is his biography.

I was born on Friday, 30 December 1976 in a village know as Kanyijowi, Osiri Sub-location, South West Kisumu location, Kisumu North District, Nyanza Province in a family of seven children. My father was a fisherman who was mostly based in Uganda and my mother was a housewife. When I attained age of ten and I was in class two, I joined fishing as a crew member employed by a boat owner. My earnings became the only source of our family’s daily bread as my father was always away. I took the responsibility of a provider for my family at that early age. The fishing I did was the source of our school uniform, medication and all the family food. Every day 3 p.m. was the time to go fishing until midnight. Again by 6.00 a.m in the morning, we would be in class learning. God is great, despite all that work load, I was always the top student beating even those who had support at home.

In the year 1994, I sat for my

Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations (KCPE) and passed very well. However, there was nobody to pay my school fees. At this point, my mother and I decided that I go for a course in mechanics in Nakuru. My mother sold two calfs which fetched us around seven thousand Kenyan shillings (KShs 7,000). She

handed the money to my uncle who took me to Nakuru and later abandoned me there before I could complete my training in mechanics at Nakuru Peugeot garage. Mine is a long story but to cut it short, I survived death on the way from Nakuru to Kisumu, my father sent me away from home on my arrival from Nakuru, and I lived at the beach for many months where my grandmother would bring me food.

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Photo 19: Loading his big catch of Nile Perch

With savings from what I made at the beach, taking care of other people’s catch, I started a small restaurant where I served tea and small bites. I continued saving by

dropping coins in an old music system. After one year, I discovered that I had KShs4,800! I decided to close the restaurant because it was like my dreams were coming true. I wanted to buy an engine boat and go back to the lake. I paid for the building of a small boat with fishing hook and line. God the Almighty is good. Through this small boat, things started changing when I was taken as a fish collector where my salary was KShs 1 per kilogramme. I then told my boss to save for me half of the pay. After a period, the

fifty cents accumulated to KShs 18,000. This was enough to finance the construction of a three-roomed semi-permanent house for my parents. This became the story of the village because no one in the community around us expected this from a family that was known to be one of the poorest. I was already a successful fisherman when the LVLP was introduced to Osiri. However, I joined the project and was trained in saving, business management and investment. I gained interest in exploring ways of making alternative income. I started saving some money with the Cooperative Bank in Kisumu. Then the LVLP project arranged for us to visit a fish processing factory in Kisumu. From there, I started looking out for markets for fish, not just to be a fisherman but also to be a fish trader. I got a contract to supply the Nile Perch fish to Chinese in Kisumu. I now earn about KShs 4,000 as net profit from this. I have attended a number of trainings by LVLP and through them I have learned that I am a stakeholder in the lake and have a role in sustaining the lake. I stopped using wrong fishing gear to catch young fish and bought the right size of net. With the knowledge gained from the training, I also decided to diversify my business. I started tree planting and have 3,000 young eucalyptus trees. I have also started livestock faming on Maboko Island where I have 38 animals. Training through LVLP has helped me to be a good leader. I am the treasurer of the Ogal Beach Management Unit and have recently been elected as Youth Local Council chairman in my location. During the LVLP trainings, I realised that my English was not good and I could not understand some of the vocabulary used in the training. This inspired me to go back to school to continue with my education which was cut short because of lack of school fees. I am now registered as a private candidate for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. Written by Erick Othieno Ogola Additional information added by Maude Mugisha

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Photo 20: Namasali Vocational School renovated by LVLP

Photo 21: New block under construction with CDF

4.0 SIO PORT 4.1 NAMASALI VOCATIONAL CENTRE: THE COMMUNITY EFFORT According to Kenya Government Policy on vocational training, each location is supposed to have a community vocational training school. However, this was not the case with Sio Port. Yet, one of the elements of the LVLP was care of OVC. In 2007, there was a provision in the programme to support at least five OVC to undertake some form of vocational training in each community of

the project. The idea was to take the OVC to any vocational training institute in the location or the nearest town where such services were offered. And since there was no vocational centre near in Sio Port, it was agreed to renovate an existing old building and turn it into a vocational training centre. In collaboration with the community, the existing structure was renovated as a classroom and five sewing machines were bought. LVLP hired an instructor from 2007 to 2009. The Vocational Centre started with the five OVC identified for support. Through advocacy, the community requested for a public institution for vocational training from Government. Their request was honoured and the centre was registered with Government and upgraded to a public institution according to Government standards. The vocational centre was managed by ACK Sigalame Parish up to 2009. Through

proposal writing the CBO seek for support and registration to the Ministry of Youth and Sport. By 2009, the centre was registered as a village polytechnic. In 2010 the centre received a subsidy of KShs 420,000/= and

tools and equipment worth KShs 1.5 million to support day-to-day running of the institution. Through LVLP initiative the community wrote a proposal to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for construction of two workshops. This year (2011) through funding from the CDF, two workshops worth KShs 650,000/= are being constructed and will soon be completed. In addition, this year the polytechnic has received KShs 1.5 million as a subsidy from the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

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They have also received a green house whereby they have established a Ministry of Youth and Sports horticultural project. Currently, there are 310 students undertaking training in masonry, mechanics and tailoring. Two hundred ten of them are young women. The Centre administration with the support of the LVLP met with the Minister of Youth and Sports, who is also the area Member of Parliament, and explained the challenges of the Centre. The Minister donated KShs 2,500,000 shillings for equipment and tools for mechanics, hairdressing, masonry, welding and five computers. The young women attending the vocational training are lobbying for a day care centre to be established at the institution so that their children can be taken care of while they do their training. Presently, the institution has 310 students who are undertaking dress making, masonry and mechanics. The government has employed five instructors. It is now a public institution managed by a board of governors and benefits the whole of Samia District. Thirty-six students have undergone government trade test and passed. They have established their own business and become self-reliant. Story compiled by Maude Mugisha and Basil Kandyomunda As told by Caroline Makhoka -Site Coordinator, Sio Port

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Photo 22: Some of the goat houses

Photo 23: One of the cross-bred goats at the farm

4.2 GOAT FARMING IN SIO PORT When Douglas starts talking about goat farming, his eyes start glittering. He knows

so much about goat farming and goat species. One may mistaken him for university professor specializing in goat breeding. The goat farming project in Sio Port was started by the youth. The idea was to multiply goats and also produce nutritious milk for the community, especially for children and persons living with HIV and AIDS. It was an

income-generating project for the youth group. The group members were supported to raise their own goats at an individual level. The project provided 2 bucks to improve the quality of goats and milk. These were secured through the Ministry of Livestock of Kenya. However, most of the youth moved out of the village and left the project in the care of one of them who was very active and

committed to the idea of goat-keeping. Douglas, as he is known in the village, is an active member of the community. He is also a paralegal trained through LVLP. When most of his colleagues moved on, Douglas mobilized other members of the community who were interested in goat-keeping and were already accessing the services of the bucks for improvement of their goat breeds. They are now a group of 30 keeping goats individually but working together to access services and treatment from the Ministry of Livestock. The Ministry, through WRCCS, has built the capacity of these goat farmers. Currently, the group produces about 30 litres of goat milk per day and sells it at KShs 80/= per litre. Demand for the milk is reported to be very high. Together, the group

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gets about Shs 2,400/= a day. This income has produced visible changes in the lives of the farmers. They have improved their standard of living and nutrition for their families. Douglas has about 15 goats of his own and keeps the aggressive bucks in his compound. Through income generated, he has built a new, more permanent house and moved from a grass-thatched house one. He says that because of the enlightenment, he had to work very hard to ensure that he builds a more presentable house to match with his improved status in society. More recently (after the visit of the evaluators) Douglas has received 25 chicks from the Ministry of Livestock to start a poultry project. Formerly a fisherman, Douglas is determined to be a successful livestock and poultry farmer. In addition to the goats and chicks, he also has a heifer. Story written by: Maude Mugisha and Basil Kandyomunda

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4.3 MANGULA DAY CARE CENTRE

“The best thing that has happened to us women here in Sio Port is the table banking and the Day Care Centre. These have changed women’s lives here in Sio Port.”

(Focus Group Discussion Participant) In Sio Port the use of participatory learning and action (PLA) tools to identify community needs that required community action has been common throughout the LVLP period. In one such exercise it was found that most women of reproductive age were not participating in project activities because of the burden of child care. They were also not using family planning so most of them had a number of young children whom they could not leave alone at home. So the women needed to stay at home and take care of the children while their spouses went out to scratch for a living. When this problem was identified, the community decided that they should start a day care centre to cater for young children while their mothers participated in productive activities encouraged by the project.. They first identified an old church building – Manyola Church. They also identified someone who was a teacher to be the caretaker for the children. The caretaker was hired, initially paid by the project, while the community contributed to running the centre, especially in feeding the children. As women learned of the day care centre, they started to bring their children and leave them there to go and do other work. Soon there were many children and the community needed to hire a second person to take care of the children whom they were able to pay for. As the numbers increased, the community decided to construct two classrooms to cater for the rising numbers. The construction was done on a cost-sharing basis between the community and ACK-WRCCS, the LVLP Implementing Partner is Sio Port. Now the day care centre caters for children of the age groups of 2-3 and 4-5. The 4-5 year-olds later move on to class one. The Day Care Centre is currently fully managed by the community. There is a management committee selected by the community members. The committee is representative of the church, parents, local administration and comprises both Christians and Muslims. Each parent pays one hundred Kenyan shillings to run the Centre. The community pays the Caretakers and feeds the children. The LVLP project still provides some little money to support when there is a need. The Centre has been linked to World Food Programme which provides food for the children. The Day Care Centre has transformed the lives of the women. They are relieved from the burden of the taking care of babies alone at home. They have become involved in income-generating activities, including trade, and they can afford to pay for the services of the Centre. Women have become more exposed; they are able to attend training, attend to their businesses and even go to their gardens. They are now able to do much more and to provide food and additional income to their families. The idea of a day care centre evolved as women who were trained in business management realised that they needed help with child care in order to be able to attend to their business initiatives.

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The Day Care Centre is also used for training and classrooms are sometimes hired out for training of adults when they are not being used by the children. The buildings have started bringing in some income through this arrangement. The Day Care Centre is also used to provide mobile clinic services. The health centre operates a mobile clinic at the Day Care Centre to try to bring health services nearer to the community. The Centre has a few challenges. It was established under the auspices of the Church. It has grown and is used by all community members who may not be members of this particular Church. The Church is now demanding to take control of the Centre but this would take away the ownership from the community and some mothers who are not Christians or members of the same church may not want to continue keeping their children there. While it is important to have a body to continue support the Centre, the Centre itself needs to remain under the management of the community members and not leaders of a particular church. Story compiled by Maude Mugisha As told by Caroline Makhoka, Site Coordinator, Sio Port

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5.0 MURUTILIMA

5.1 “THE FOOT LAWYERS OF UKEREWE” Ukerewe Island like many other islands of Lake Victoria is not regularly in the news. But before the evaluation mission of Lake Victoria, I could only remember it for two reasons. One, about 2 years ago, it had made it to the front cover stories in the media houses for the hunt for albinos, I am told, Ukerewe has a very large population of Africans with albinism. Two, about 2007 I had watched Hubert Sauper film titled “Darwin Nightmare” which features brings to prominence the issues of Poverty, despair, disease and HIV and AIDS and prostitution in connection to the blossoming international trade around the predator fish – the Nile Perch. For the starters, Ukerewe is the largest island in Lake Victoria and the largest inland island in Africa, with an area of approximately 530 km². Part of Tanzania, and location of the Ukerewe District, it is situated 45 km (25 nautical miles) north of Mwanza to which it is linked by ferry, but a shorter vehicle ferry crossing of only 3.8 km also links the island across the Rugezi Channel to a dirt road on the eastern lake shore, which runs to Kibara and Musoma. The shoreline of Ukerewe Island is carved into numerous bays and it is surrounded by at least a dozen smaller islands. Its largest community is Nansio. Ukerewe has a quarter of a million inhabitants making it the largest populated island on Lake Victoria.

In 2005 when ELCT and BAKWATA were invited to participate in the LVLP, they chose Murutilima Village, a village at one of the most remote shores of the Nansio Island – about 40 kilometers from Nansio town. “Murutilima was an area where the lawless fugitives would run to for refuge without being disturbed by any authority, because law and order never existed in the village anyway.

The government never existed here. Anybody could do what he or she wanted at any time with impunity” commented the PMC chairman. In the nearby Kakukuru fish landing site / village, the weekly market brings around a carnivore kind of atmosphere, with high drinking binges and loud music, and name it. “All the lodges and bars are fully parked. You what happens in such places”, he commented with tongue in cheek. “When people are high on alcohol, they become unruly and crime rules the day”, he lamented. However, the situation in Murutilima and Kakukuru has started changing. Thanks to the LVLP activities. When the training of paralegals began in 2007, the paralegals started raising community awareness about the dangers of crime and how the citizens could defend their rights that were being abused by criminals, but also the dangers of domestic violence, dangers of rape and particularly defilement of school girls.

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As part of the means to bring justice closer to the people, the paralegals approached the chief and formed the Ward tribunal. Soon, the population started making use of the Tribunal to solve their disputes, especially, domestic violence and land disputes. In the meantime, the newly posted magistrate was informed about the work of paralegals in Murutilima by the local parish priest at Nansio and he picked interest in their work. He got in touch established formal relationship. He became our advisor. “Sometimes we invite him and we meet him face to face so that he can give us advice on how to carry on our paralegal activities”, observed one of the paralegals met during the FGD with the PMC. Indeed, the magistrate speaks highly of the Murutilima paralegals. “Although they may not be legal experts these people are doing a great job in their location. Compared with other paralegals in other places including here in Nansio town, the Muritilima group is more knowledgeable”, remarked the District Magistrate. “They are helping us to maintain law and order in the area. We now receive less cases to the primary court, since majority of the people prefer going to the people’s court (meaning the Ward Tribunal)”. Of course they sometimes overstep their boundaries. But this means we need to do more and more training”, continued the Magistrate. Murutilima is a different village. It has changed and can never be the same again. The paralegals are so motivated and are very bold in protecting human rights. They have come up with an innovation. The rich normally despise them and do not want to respect their rulings. They decide to appeal to the primary court. “We have decided to become lawyers for the weak and marginalized. We represent the weak in the court against the rich. We have won all the seven cases where we have represented our clients,” proudly remarked the chairman of the paralegals. The paralegals and the LVLP integrated interventions, Murutilima may soon no longer fit into Hubert Sauper’s “Darwin Nightmare” description. The population may not necessarily have become rich and wealthy, but they can no longer submit to slavery. They have hope and there are signs of reducing levels of HIV and AIDS infection. Not even can the Albinos of Ukerewe be hunted by the fortune hunters, they have protectors and human rights defenders. Story written by: Basil Kandyomunda with notes by Assistant Bishop, Program Coordinator, and PMC chairman

5.2 “THE CANOE STORY” Lake Victoria is dotted with countless canoes. Whichever landing site or beach one goes to, there are many canoes engaged in some one business or the other. However, there is this one canoe that has a big and golden story to tell. It is a canoe with a character of a savior. Even in the waters of Lake Victoria as it waits for its passengers, it seems to invite them passionately. Its story is irresistible. In 2006, LVLP was launched introduced in Murutilima village, but it was not until 2007 when the programme activities took off. One of the components was that of economic empowerment for the target community members, particularly the vulnerable.

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Photo taken by Basil Kandyomunda

Photo 24: The Wonder Boat

When the participants started selecting economic projects / enterprises as part of the economic empowerment component, many selected poultry farming, others a butchery, slaughter house, carpentry, name it. However a group of PLWHA chose to start a boat business. After evaluating the project ideas, the group was granted its

wish and a boat was built in 2007 and handed over to them the same year by the project complete with a 40 HP engine. When the boat became operational, transporting passengers, it was hired by business people who were paying the group on a monthly basis. Half of the income was used to provide nutritional needs of the group members and for paying expenses at the clinic, and the other half of the income was banked in case of emergency. By November, 2008, about one year after commissioning their first boat, the group had made enough savings at the bank and started to construct a second boat, which was completed in 2009. With this rewarding venture, the group was supported with another 40 HP engine to run the boat. This project has so far turned out to be the most profitable among the so many supported by the project. With the two boats are operational, and both engines are working, the enterprise is generating good income to sustain their financial needs. So far, the HIV affected persons are thriving because they have been receiving good nutrition, from the income of the two boats. They are also continuing to receive transport to the clinic every month, all from this same income. The group is also looking after a few AIDS orphans.

Story written by: Basil Kandyomunda with notes from the ELCT team at Feedback workshop in Nairobi

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Photo 25: Some of Mr. Osulwa’s herd in his compound

6.0 OTHER PROMISING STORIES

6.1 THE STORY OF BEATRICE KANGI (Sio Port) When she joined the programme in 2006 she was a small-scale farmer. Together with a few other women, they formed Mvumilivu women group and started table banking. Through WRCCS capacity building, they graduated from table banking to work with Kenya Women Finance Trust, a microfinance institution. She applied for a loan of KShs 25,000/= and established a local poultry project with the skills she gained from the group. She started with 10 local poultry. She was trained on entrepreneurship and this motivated her to apply for an additional loan of Shs 50,000/=. She has established a farm of 250 improved chicken layers. She is the main supplier of eggs in the entire community. She has become a community resource person to build the capacity of the community. Beatrice is used as trainer by many NGOs i.e. Value Girl Project. She also trained as a paralegal and in November 2010 she was appointed as Children Officer, Samia District. She has changed her living standards form a grass-thatched house to one roofed with corrugated iron sheets. She also gets income from the boats she hires out. Story written by Carolyne Makokha Site Coordinator, Sio Port

6.2 A CASE OF SUCCESSION AND INHERITANCE (Mfangano) Okuta died in 2004, and left a family of three wives, each with a son. He died

interstate – without a will -- and yet he was a propertied man by the standards of Mfangano community. He left behind some ten acres of land with some single-room accommodation units built on the land at Sindo Beach. He also had a herd of 40 cows, also a canoe which was doing transport business between Mfangano and Sindo. By the time of Okuta’s death, Osulwa was already an adult and married. Without a will, Osulwa could not easily

access any of the father’s property left behind, since he was not a child of the first wife.

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“I resorted to running a kiosk business to sustain my family with a lot of difficulty,” Osulwa narrates. Whenever Osulwa got teething problems especially to take care of the needs of his family including her own mother, he turned to his step mother asking for another cow. Occasionally, he would be given a cow, but this did not come without a hassle. “Quite often it was a tug of war, as my eldest brother could not allow me just to get my demands.” In most cases it ended in a fight. And yet Osulwa did not have any other source of livelihood. “I looked like a beggar, with no rights to have a share of my late father’s property,” Osulwa narrates. “I did not know much about my rights of succession. The chiefs were also not helpful. Yet my hardships were multiplying by the day. When my daughters joined Form One, I became more helpless. I could not raise enough school fees, even if I was working very hard fishing and farming,” Okuta narrates with bitterness. “Then in April 2011, I met a paralegal worker at Makira Beach . I narrated the story of my life and the squabbles with my family members. This was , a fresh beginning for me. It dawned on me that I did not need to be a beggar, but rather had a right to inherit part of my father’s property,” Okuta states. In the Suba culture, there are cultural rules and regulations determining questions for burial and the distribution of the deceased’s property. Culturally, the eldest son of the eldest (or first wife) is the one with the right to inherit the late father’s properties. So fighting over properties can sometimes result in deaths, and other negative practices. “Anyway, I sold the idea of engaging paralegals to help us sort out the problem. All the family members were soon summoned by the chairman to ADS Office at Sena,” Okuta narrated. The paralegals helped the members to understand the rights of each one of them and their entitlements. The family members agreed to share the properties fairly. Of the remaining 13 cows, each one of them was given 2 cows and the extra one was given to the eldest mother over and above her share of two cows as recognition of her status as the eldest mother. This was done in a fair and friendly atmosphere. Story developed by Basil Kadyomunda from notes by Michael Obunga: Location: Mfangano East Location. Date: 15 March, 2011.

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Photo 26: Hadijah with her Boat Engines

File photo

6.3 A FISHERWOMAN OF KASEKULO “I am a Fisherwoman. I own boats and employ men to do the fishing for me.” Hadijah Nabukera is a Fisherwoman at Kasekulo landing site. Before the LVLP was

introduced in the area, she used to be a fish trader. With the empowerment from participation, she decided to go into fishing. She bought one boat and employed fishing crew to do the fishing for her. Initially, she struggled in her business, making very little money as profit. She joined the voluntary saving and loaning association (VSLA) and started borrowing to sustain her business. Her VSLA group was given a boost by the LVLP project which injected in more money. She was able to borrow bigger sums of money and bought a second boat. With the expansion, her profits increased from between Shs 15,000 and 20,000 a week to between Shs.

80,000 and 150,000 a week on average. She says that sometimes she is able to make much more than that. From the profits, her first priority was to improve her house. She says that she used to stay in a small wooden shack. She improved it and now lives in a more permanent and bigger house. “I have bought a plot and I want to build a house for renting out. I want to be a landlord,” she proudly says.

6.4 FROM EMPOWERMENT TO EMPLOYMENT (OSIRI) “Because I am a Paralegal, I have been employed as a child rights promoter with Plan Kenya.” – Joshua Okuro When the CCF came, I thought they would move around with the big four-wheel drive vehicles, spend their monies in hotels and leave without bringing about any change in our community as other organizations had done. Around the end of 2004, CCF Kenya approached our community through the provincial administration. I was then recruited together with other two other Osiri community members to work closely with the organization. We got inducted into development approaches of the organization, that was followed by a more than one-month interaction within the community through PRA process.

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We went on to develop the community situation document with CCF as a new partner, Diakonia, came seeking to work with a fishing community. After a series of studies and interactions a project called LVLP was finally initiated in late 2006. I and most of our community members got engaged in the project grudgingly. As a youth then, I was a peer educator on issues of HIV and AIDS after being trained for five days. As a member of a registered youth group, we would tender for provision of meals during activities in the project and win. We were offering the services on credit by making personal sacrifice to raise the resources so as to offer them. I started saving to establish a home and build a better home out of local stones that I could afford. Meanwhile, trainings went on and I got trained as a VSL trainer of trainees, supervisor of groups and a community paralegal. The VSL training helped me to engage in a VSL group and accumulate money against which I borrowed to construct my home which is permanent. The paralegal training enabled me to facilitate for different organizations like Child Fund Kenya (then CCF Kenya) and APHIA II Nyanza that paid me facilitation fees. I am currently employed by Plan Kenya as a Community Development Rights Facilitator in KIsumu West District. I now have a steady income with a salary of over 15,000/= per month. Other plans are to boost my income by acquiring a motorbike raise more income through local transportation and also start commercial poultry production. Other positions of influence and leadership I have held are Voluntary Children’s Officer for Winana Division where I helped access corrective measures for three errant children through linkage to government child correction institutions, and Civic Education for communities under the Nyanza Youth Coalition in the pre-constitution adoption period. Written by Joshua Okuro, 24 May 2011

6.5 A CASE OF SUCCESSION AND INHERITANCE (Osiri) Mary is a 44-year-old widow with three children. She was a second wife the late Mr. Migoye. The husband died in the year 2000 leaving her with three of her own children and two step daughters. Upon the death of her husband, Mary’s brother-in-law became the decision maker in Mary’s family because he felt that Mary was not entitled to be in his brother’s home. She felt frustrated and was forced to leave the home. She left in April 2001. When she left, the brother-in law sold her cows and goats which she had left behind. He then turned to hiring the land to other pople and was even planning to sell the piece of land that belonged to the widow. One day, Mary shared her challenges in life with friends and was then referred to a paralegal who eventually took her to the area Assistant Chief who is also a paralegal. The chief took the matter up with other paralegals. The matter was then referred to FIDA Kenya who took it to court. Mary’s brother-in-law was arrested and was forced to pay back for the cows and goats. Mary got back her matrimonial home and she is now living there peacefully.

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After returning to her home, she fell sick. She got advice and support from the HBC providers, went for VCT services and was put on ART together with her younger son. She is now living positively. She is one of the support group members and is a role model of change with regard to PLWHA. She is an all-round beneficiary in the LVLP. She is one of the group members trained by Ufadhili in water hyacinth weaving. She is in her matrimonial home because of paralegal work. She is a living testimony through her life story and her hope that was restored by HBC providers. Mary is one of the community members with no discrimination and stigma and who openly shares her story with other people in community forums. As told by Mary Migoye Recorded by Dorcus Obongo, Osiri