Conservation: Women fighting to change everyday life

Amina Ahmed (in maroon head covering) and Zainabu Mwalimu (in yellow leso) in their Shangashakani village on Pate Island. (Courtesy)

The squish plop, squish plop of squelching mud is the only sound many in our team of journalists are paying attention to. We are making our way gingerly through a patch of young mangroves on the edge of Pate Island in the Indian Ocean.

It is early morning and we are shod in boots that do little to keep the ankle deep slimy mud away from our socks and legs. Soon we give up and step into it, dragging along waterlogged shoes and trying to find a path of least resistance through the bog.