The unfinished restaurant is little more than concrete walls and wooden beams. Nuru Mohammed directs women hanging fishing net decor. Her daughter sweeps away sand. In a few days, the restaurant on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast will open. It offers Mohammed a new livelihood.
Now age 54, Mohammed was one of only a few fisherwomen in her town of Malindi, Kenya, for most of her life. Today, there are fewer fish to catch and more competition. The restaurant is Mohammed’s creative response to a challenge many other East African women also face. Warmer ocean temperatures and overfishing threaten their traditional livelihoods.
Excessive harvesting of Kenya’s mangrove forests also factors in to habitat changes. Mangroves are considered “super trees.” Their strong root systems prevent erosion, absorb carbon, and provide shelter for fish. Over the past decades, many mangrove forests have been overharvested and destroyed. Now some Kenyan women find work protecting and restoring the mangroves.
Women in Kenya tackle the destruction in two creative ways. First, they clean and replant mangroves, seed by seed. Second, they use mangrove forests as sites for beekeeping businesses. Mangrove blossoms are nectar rich. That leads to highly productive hives. The honey the women sell allows them to support their families. The cleaning they do within the mangroves results in increased fish population, which is good for fishers. Other locals see the benefits. They learn to respect the mangroves.
In Tanzania, women protect coral reefs from illegal fishing. They patrol the reefs, removing illegal fishing nets and recording any unlawful activity they observe. Meanwhile, they teach local fishers more sustainable fishing practices. For example, by God’s design, fish and octopuses must be allowed to mature before harvesting if they are to reproduce. The women educate fishers about maturity for those species. Returning immature species to the sea until they have more time to grow lets them repopulate—preserving fishing opportunities for the future.
Nearly 900 miles away in Mozambique, an occupation falling to women is restoring seagrass, an essential part of the local ecosystem. Seagrass removes pollutants from water, making it safer for fish and fishers. It also provides habitat for clams, shrimp, and sea cucumbers, which many women harvest to feed their families and to sell. Sadly, a trend of shellfish overfishing is destroying seagrass, leaving less food and less income for families who need it. Replanting seagrass helps undo that damage.
These industrious East African women illustrate how implementing creative solutions and using the work of their hands can help undo even dire damage to communities.
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. — Proverbs 31:27
Why? People everywhere must adapt to changing circumstances. God equips His image-bearers with creativity and courage to respond to change well.
