Recently I visited Kisumu, which is Kenya's 3rd largest city and also borders Lake Victoria, Africa's largest fresh water lake. I took a boat ride on the lake, and visited a small island.
The island houses a small community living in mud huts. The local teacher joined me as the boat driver walked me around. She teaches all the pre-elementary kids in a small pavilion with a dilapidated blackboard. The older children take a ferry to Kisumu for school.
The island residents farm the rich soil. Hippos live in the lake and come on-land during the night. The farmers are required to sleep in their fields to protect the crops from the hippos. Below is a picture of me stepping into a fresh hippo footprint.
Fishing is another source of food and income for the community. Tilapia and nile perch are widely available, although the fish stocks are suffering from overfishing.
It was humbling to see how this community thrives on so little, and a reminder to be thankful for all that I have.
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