Increasing Social Cohesion & Equity

Environment Liaison Center International
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		Jaboya Project

		Increasing Social Cohesion and Equity to address HIV/AIDS and Fragile Livelihoods among Fishing Communities


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Welcome to the Jaboya Website

Jaboya is a project of the Environment Liaison Center International (ELCI). ELCI is based at ICIPE Campus, Nairobi Kenya.

About ELCI

Environment Liaison Centre International is an International Non-governmental Organization with a vision of enlightened societies in ecological abundance . ELCI was established immediately upon the creation of UNEP in Nairobi in 1973 -74, to be the civil society interface with UNEP and to bring civil society competence to the intergovernmental environmental table. Recently, ELCI has been particularly visible and useful in the intergovernmental context of the UN.CBD and UN.CSD. In addition, ELCI has fostered, sponsored and/or managed replicable programmes of civil society in the areas of desertification, health and environment, poverty and environment, environmental law and organic agriculture. ELCI is governed by an international board of directors.

In 2006, ELCI commenced the implementation of Jaboya Project in partnership with Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization in Mwanza, Tanzania, and Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association in Kampala Uganda .

Jaboya Project: A Background Generally, Lake Victoria basin has a thriving fishing industry with an annual catch of 800,000 tonnes valued at about US $590 million. Over 2 million households depend on the fisheries for household income. The profitability of the fishery notwithstanding, poverty remains at a high 60% with HIV/AIDS ravaging the fishing villages despite recent national gains in controlling the scourge. Fishing districts report HIV/AIDS infection rates five times that of inland districts. For example while the national HIV prevalence for 2006 in Kenya stood at 5.8%, Suba district was at 21% with a life expectancy of 37 years. National life expectancy rates for the same period stood at 43 years for men and 44 years for women. Lakeshore districts in Uganda and Tanzania report a similarly ominous scenario.

The consequences of all these are manifested in the lack of cohesion and socio-economic and gender inequities among these communities. The high disparities in benefits create a sense of social injustice, is an obstacle for self-sustaining growth and the uplifting of resource users out of poverty. There is low compliance with fisheries regulations and attainment of sustainable fisheries remains elusive. The foregoing trend can best be explained within the context of the socio-economic dynamics of the fishing communities and policies impacting on the health and livelihoods of the communities.

As HIV/AIDS takes its toll on the fishing communities, fishing as an industry is increasingly attracting very youthful boys and girls of less than 18 years old. Most of these are HIV orphans dropping out of school to derive livelihoods for themselves and their siblings. There is an urgent need to advocate for appropriate laws, policies, programmes and services to meet the unique and specific challenges of this very vulnerable group

This complex scenario requires an extensive array of laws, policies and programmes that will impact positively on the social, economic and even political lifestyles of the fishing communities as well as their capacity to cope with the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS and its related effects. This calls for further research, dialogue and consultation with relevant stakeholders and actors at both the policy and implementation levels. In this context, ELCI coined Jaboya project with the purpose of improving livelihoods and reducing vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among fishing communities along the Lake Victoria shores in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania through a multi-sectoral rights based approach

Project Outputs:

Increased awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS and SRH&Rs, including in relation to women and children’s rights, within fishing communities along the lake
Improved enabling environment for the promotion and protection of fishing communities’ health and livelihoods, in relation to HIV/AIDS and broader SRH & rights and the fishing policies and regulation that impact upon them at community, district and national level in the three countries
Increased regional understanding and awareness of and support for the common needs and priorities of fishing communities in the Lake Victoria region with regards to HIV and their SRH&Rs and their particular vulnerabilities, by policy makers regionally.
Empowerment of fishing communities, including women and young people and those participating in Advocacy groups at beach and district level in Kenya

The Beneficiaries of Jaboya Project are the fishing communities living within Lake Victoria basin in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Specific Districts of focus include Suba, Bondo, Kisumu and Migori in Kenya; Masaka and Kalangala in Uganda; and Ilemela and Ukerewe in Mwanza region, Tanzania.

News Briefs

Read the Jaboya Newsletter