Protecting the Protectors
Protecting the Protectors
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In The Gambia, female oyster collectors harvest oysters from the mangrove branches flanking the tributaries along the saltwater reaches of the River Gambia. These women not only create livelihoods for themselves but also play a crucial role in protecting the mangroves from deforestation. They work from small canoes, and despite their water-based work, many of them cannot swim.
Following a number of fatalities, members of the TRY Oyster Women Collective are now receiving swimming lessons from the Gambian Navy, funded by the EU and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.
Training sessions start in a swimming pool and then continue in the tributaries where the women harvest the oysters.
A key part of their swimming training is learning to relax… and just simply float.