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changes in Katosi

left: fishing boats by the shores of Lake Victoria

centre: keeping cattle provides alternative income for women who used to make a living from processing fish.

right: Margaret Nakato, Director of MRDF partner Katosi Women's Development Trust.

The small village of Katosi nestles on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Because of the beautiful location, it's easy to forget that most families live below the poverty line and nearly half of all children are malnourished.

MRDF has been working with the Katosi Women's Development Trust (KWDT) since 2002. Here, Director Margaret Nakato explains how their work is having an impact.

 

When did you first visit Katosi village?

When I was 18 years old. The village was full of bustle and life, women working hard to earn money from preparing and smoking fish. But slowly things changed; there were more widows and more people looking outside the village for help. Then I wished that I could do something to help people regain their sense of direction.

So what caused these changes to happen?

Declining fish stocks meant that people could no longer earn a living from fishing. Men also had to travel much further and stay away longer to find fish. This has contributed to high levels of HIV/AIDS in fishing communities, double the national average.

Traditional rules mean that women can't own land, so when a woman is widowed, her husband's relatives have the rights to her land.

What does your organisation, KWDT, do to help women in Katosi?

KWDT helps women to find alternative ways of earning a living, through farming and keeping livestock. The soil is so degraded that you really need animal dung for compost. People grow bananas for local markets, as well as maize, corn, vegetables and now even fruit trees in order to improve their diet and income.

Have you faced any opposition in your work?

At first there was anxiety in the community about women becoming better off. But I encourage women to share what they have learnt with their neighbours. They find it a privilege to be able to help their neighbours; it enhances their status in community and builds their self-confidence.

What inspires you to carry on despite all the challenges you face?

I face hurdles every day, but what keeps me going is seeing progress, making a humble contribution in improving people's lives in diverse ways: seeing children go to school, someone get the funds for a new roof or gaining the confidence to make a decision at home. That makes me want to carry on helping, not to stop.