Who Is Working to
End the Crisis at Lake Victoria

Before dawn on the shores of Lake Victoria—the largest lake in Africa—women fish vendors crowd in to await returning boats. These women face a harsh reality known as 'Jaboya': to secure the fish they need for survival, many are forced to trade sex with male fishermen. Jaboya is not only an assault on their dignity, but also a trap of poverty and HIV.

Breaking the Cycle

Global Interventions

Over the past decade, many organizations have entered the lake region to explore different approaches to ending the Jaboya crisis.

Here are several representative projects:

Image from

Julia Gunther for NPR

& No Sex for Fish

Directed by Carrie Cui

1 U.S. Peace Corps – “No Sex for Fish”

With funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Peace Corps provided revolving loans to local women’s groups to support boat construction. Women repaid the loans through fishing operations, and upon repayment, gained full ownership of the boats. The repaid funds were then used to build new boats. The innovation of the 'No Sex for Fish' project lies in turning donations into sustainable asset empowerment, enabling women to gain control over productive tools and improve their economic independence and community health. The project has yielded notable results—about 30 boats have benefited 9 villages, and the monthly income of participating women has multiplied.

Project status: 'No Sex for Fish' was launched in 2010 and is still ongoing. Today, in addition to fishing, the project also helps women deal with flood-related village destruction and health issues[1].

2

YISA Program

-MasterCard Foundation and Partners

This program was initiated by the MasterCard Foundation, in collaboration with Farm Africa and Echo Network Africa. It supports women through loans to purchase fishing boats, build fish cages, and equip solar-powered refrigerators, while also enhancing their aquaculture skills and leadership. The program also promotes women’s participation in coastal management committees. So far, around 400 women have achieved higher and more stable incomes, and domestic violence has significantly decreased. The program integrates financial tools, skills training, and institutional involvement to comprehensively improve women’s roles in the fisheries value chain.

Project status: The five-year 'YISA Program' was launched in December 2023, with a project story compilation published in July 2025. It is currently ongoing. [2]

Image from Farm Africa

A meeting of a YISA programme women’s group at Nyagina Beach, Homa Bay County

Bettina, chairperson of a YISA programme women’s group, feeding fish in a cage at Nyagina Beach, Homa Bay County.

Image from riofish.co.ke

AquaRech Linkedin

Image from

Julia Gunther for NPR

& No Sex for Fish

Directed by Carrie Cui

3

AquaRech and Rio Fish

Tech-based Empowerment

AquaRech provides women fish farmers with 'buy now, pay later' feed and digital management tools to help reduce farming costs and improve productivity. Rio Fish promotes cage aquaculture and offers pond sensors for harvest management and risk alerts. More than 60 women have successfully escaped poverty using these technologies—some have even purchased farms and built houses, significantly enhancing their economic capacity. This project demonstrates the potential of integrating fisheries with fintech: through IoT and digital platforms, it effectively reduces costs, boosts productivity, and strengthens risk resilience.

Project status: The project is ongoing. AquaRech is currently providing fish fry and related resources to women fish farmers participating in the 'YISA Program'[3].

4

African Women’s Development Fund

– Investment and Network Projects

The AWDF supports grassroots women’s organizations by funding leadership training and skill development, while also building mutual aid networks. The “Investment and Network” project encourages women to form “investment groups” and carry out various income-generating activities.

Project status: AWDF launched the “Investment and Network” project in 2008, with a focused funding phase in 2014. The organization continues to support similar projects[4].

5

Merlin’s Community Theater

Awareness Project

The UK medical relief charity Merlin established the local theater troupe Ulusi on the shores of Lake Victoria, using drama, songs, and poetry to educate communities about the harms of Jaboya. They also partnered with local charities to promote AIDS prevention education and testing. This low-cost cultural advocacy project effectively changed community attitudes, increased awareness among fishermen, and removed social barriers to women's economic empowerment.

Project status: The project began in 2010 and continued until 2014[5].

Theatre on the shores of

Lake Victoria

Image from

Sarah Mace For IRIN

Why Are These Efforts So Valuable?

These projects are worth attention because the response to Jaboya has moved beyond short-term aid toward providing women with productive assets and stable income sources. This enables them to save and reinvest, driving a positive economic cycle within families and communities. Economic independence not only helps women escape the trap of “sex-for-fish,” but also greatly reduces HIV transmission and public health risks. Most importantly, it restores dignity and gives women the power to choose.

Remaining Challenges

Bottlenecks to Sustainable Livelihoods

Despite remarkable success, women fishers still face several major obstacles to achieving sustainable development:

Limited cold chain coverage

Without proper cold storage, women are pressured to sell all fish the same day, limiting business flexibility.

High financing barriers

Lacking traditional collateral, women struggle to access loans needed to expand their operations.

Low market efficiency

Too many intermediaries—wholesalers, distributors, brokers, retailers—add costs and cut into women’s profit margins.

Our Action

To address these challenges, and based on international experience and local needs, Prometheus launched the impact investment project “Cooling Inn.” It uses solar-powered IoT cold chains to extend freshness and collect operational data, which can be converted into credit assets to overcome financing barriers. At the same time, a digital direct-sale platform reduces reliance on middlemen, allowing women to control the value chain and retain fair earnings.

From desperate exchanges to dignified livelihoods, these initiatives return tools and choices to women. When the women of the lake region can hold skills and tools in hand and confidently declare, “We are in control,” that is the strongest support for a sustainable future.