No Fish For Sex

Overweight And Malnourished; Women Of Courage; Scrunchie Cat editor's note Julia Gunther for NPR This spring, we published a story entitled "Trading Sex For Fish: The Dark Secret Of Lake Malawi." It was one of our most popular stories of the year. Photojournalist Julia Gunther had traveled to Malawi and met women who were fishmongers -- and who engaged in transactional sex with fishermen to obtain and/or pay for their catch. They did so out of desperation. They felt trapped. In working on the story, I learned of a project in Kenya to halt this practice. [Women in several fishing villages had formed a cooperative called "No Sex For Fish."]( Through grants, they got their own boats. So they could hire the men to do the fishing for them. This fall, NPR correspondent Rebecca Davis traveled to Nduru Beach, where the chairwoman of the cooperative lives. I went as well. We hoped to find a story of empowerment. But we soon discovered that the project now faces serious problems: Many of the boats obtained by the women have been grounded. So it wasn't exactly the story we thought we'd cover. But it was an extraordinary story nonetheless. We met women whose lives were transformed, who'd been able to stop transactional sex -- and who were devastated that many of the boats were no longer functional. NPR aired the radio story this Thursday, and the digital story has published as well -- with photos by Julia Gunther that convey the struggles and the determination of the women of Nduru Beach. [Read the story here.]( Marc Silver Editor, Goats and Soda the 2010s Gareth Fuller/PA Images/Getty Images [The Decade In Global Health: New Drugs, Faster Trials, Social Media To The Rescue]( Health experts share the innovations and breakthroughs that they say saved millions of lives over the past ten years. extraordinary women Tim McDonnell/NPR [Global Women Who Took A Stand In 2019: From An Ebola Doc To 2 Beauty Queens]( On Jan. 1, 2019, more than 3 million women in India joined hands to form a 385-mile human wall of protest calling for equal rights for women. They are among the many extraordinary women we have written about in Goats and Soda this year. viral moments Screenshots by NPR [Scrunchie Cat And Friends: Global Social Media Moments We Loved In 2019]( A cat with sunglasses on TikTok. A mom and dad fan-girling over their teenage daughter's singing skills. A hashtag showcasing just how hard young Nigerians are willing to work for their future. In a year of gloom and doom, disasters and disease, these are the sweet online moments from around the world that brightened up 2019. global health Meghan Dhaliwal for NPR [Malnutrition Hits The Obese As Well As The Underfed]( New research finds millions of people are getting enough calories but not enough essential nutrients. We asked researchers how to fix the problem. links we like - The holy [Ganges River "brims with dangerous bacteria,"]( the New York Times reports. - You know that mystery meat in your freezer? What would happen if you were to [freeze it for 35,000 years?]( That's the question investigated in The Atlantic. - The Guardian spotlights ["must-listen" tracks from African pop.]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [goatsandsoda@npr.org](mailto:goatsandsoda@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Health, Daily News, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Goats and Soda emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](