NGANDO

Jaja Fish is both a fish business and the heart of Mama Biashara in Ngando – one of the slums in the Dagoiretti district. Janet Akoth and Janet Ogindo (hence JaJa) have been with Mama B since the very beginning. Both Janets are HIV+ and have worked tirelessly in their community supporting, educating, fighting stigma. Janet Ogindo has just discovered that her 11 year old son Michael is also positive.

With a basic starter grant of £50, they began and then expanded their business and rented a duka (shop). Every month Janet Ogindo makes a three day round trip to buy fish from Lake Victoria (Omena fish – the bulk of what they sell; only come to the surface at the full moon). She has established excellent suppliers and gets a very good price for top quality fish.

Having ascertained that, alongside their current, flourishing, market for dried fish there was a much hungrier one for wet fish, they have asked Mama B for finance for a freezer. This will cost £200. And will transform their business and income.

In return, the two women have pledged two days a week, counselling, feeding ( … probably fish) and educating other positive people across the area. Janet Ogindo is also Mama B’s local documentarian – using a Sony camcorder to interview positive people and document activities – and has hours of amazing footage of life, death and the struggle in between in the slums.

They are also at the very heart of FUDAKA (see below)

STOP PRESS: Janet Akoth has just got a great job working in a hospital with HIV+ patients. So Janet Ogindo will be alone in the fish business.