Kenyan women defy fishing taboos as climate change threatens Lake Victoria

Women in Lake Victoria communities were forbidden from fishing due to cultural beliefs that menstruating women would scare away fish and cause losses to fishermen. In a lakeside village, Rhoda Ongoche Akech defied this taboo in 2002, learning to fish with the help of two young men. She persisted despite warnings from community members, and her bold move broke through the taboos, inspiring another woman, Faith Awuor Ang'awo, to join her in 2018.