'I put my children first even when the future looks bleak'

Florence Nekesa, who ekes out a living by harvesting sand by the shores of Lake Victoria. [Isaiah Gwengi, Standard]

Every morning, when Florence Nekesa wakes up, she straps her 10-month-old baby on her back and heads to the sand harvesting sites along the shores of Lake Victoria in Bondo.

Her job has her jostling with men for space and trying to carry as much sand as possible.

The 27-year-old mother of five says she wakes up by 4am to take a position at the harvesting site. On a good day, she takes home Sh200.

Her goal is to save Sh50 every day and use the rest to provide for the family. Often, she falls short.

For her, motherhood is about putting children first, even when the future looks bleak.

She gave birth to her first child at the age of 14.

Nekesa says motherhood ensures she does not get into a comfort zone as she tries her hands on numerous income generating activities.

She has tried selling firewood, being a fishmonger and when things did not work out, she turned to sand harvesting.

Nekesa is among women at Siungu beach in Bondo sub-county doing what was traditionally men’s job.  She also wades deep into the lake to harvest cowrie Shells.

For her, it does not matter how back-breaking the trade is as long as it helps cloth, feed and educate her children.

“It is a tough job but a mother must persevere to earn something for the family," she says.

A 90kg bag of shells goes for Sh100 and even though the money is negligible, when she thinks of the responsibilities of motherhood, she presses on.  

Despite the many dangers the women face as they harvest shells and sand, none of them wear protective gear.

Women fish traders have been the biggest losers in the drastic fall in the fish population in the lake, which the Kenya Marine and Fisheries and Research Institute blaming this on pollution and over-fishing in the lake.? Most of them, like Nekesa, have been forced to look for alternative sources of income.