Life in Shonda ...
Shonda is a small community situated on the outskirts of Mombasa. Shonda is at the end of a dirt track a mile from the main tarmac road.
There is no piped water in the community and there is only basic sanitation. On a positive note electricity is now coming into the village which should improve the lives of the local people. Apart from the school there are a collection of small shops and market stalls and a rather grandly named "Internet Cafe" - although there is no Internet.
The Local Fruit Stall
Like many places in Africa illness and disease is a stark reality. AIDS, TB and malaria are ever present in the community and most people have either experienced illness or have lost a family member to disease.
It was identified early in the Project that the provision of simple medicines like paracetamol and aspirin made a huge difference to people's health and significantly reduced the length of time children were absent from school because of malarial fever and illness.
The Path to the School
There is little industry in the area and unemployment rates are high. Some people are employed in the tourist industry although this has suffered a decline in recent years.
Many struggle to scratch a living by selling food, clothes or basic household items at one of the many roadside stalls. Others are tradesmen, primarily in the building and vehicle repair industries.
A Fish Stall