Who is the woman street vendor?

Joy, like many others, was compelled to take to street vending due to poverty. Together with her colleagues they sell: food (raw and cooked), shoes, charcoal, fruits (bananas, mangoes, guavas), vegetables (tomatoes, leafy vegetables, onions), pastries (cake, mandazi, simsim balls), sweets and underwear (bras).

Thirty-year-old Joy became a street vendor to supplement her family income. She is a single mother and she struggles every day to feed her three sons. On a good day she earns around 5,000 UGX. Even then, she would have to ration provisions. Joy is also struggling to keep her three sons in school because the fees have been increased. Joy will have to make the decision of keeping one of the children at home who will probably get involved in the same trade. Yet, educating her children was her family’s only hope to get lifted out of poverty.

The ‘kibo’ (basket) that Joy carries daily is the source of hope for her family. On the streets, she has to tackle several other issues. Uncertain and insecure working conditions, the regular threat of eviction, harassment by local officials, and gendered violence are battles they fight every day. Once she gets home without her ‘kibo’, her children know that they will have no meal that night and the next day.

Carrying the ‘kibo’ across town is very taxing work. Joy now suffers from regular back aches, yet she cannot afford to seek medical attention. The weather can become harsh in Kampala, and when heavy rains start, they can often limit her city coverage. Joy’s life has often been threatened especially during the 4:00am market runs to buy fresh stock at wholesale price. Sexual predators and thieves are always lurking in the alleys of the streets she walks.