The Chance TO DREAM

The people of this village work hard for their families but climate change is making it increasingly tough to survive

- DANI GARAVELLI

Ekamais is just seven, but he loves telling stories. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he talks about his fishing trips on Lake Turkana in north-west Kenya. "The boats are pushed into the water, and everyone jumps in except one person who keeps on pushing the boat deeper until the water is up to their shoulders," he says. "Then that last person jumps in too. They use wooden oars to get where they want to be, then cast their nets. Later, they bring the nets to the shore where they sort out the fish and cook them."

A little boy with a big personality, Ekamais lives near Kalokol on the western shores of Lake Turkana - the largest desert lake in the world, stretching almost 250km north to south. A turquoise jewel in the otherwise arid land, it is also known as the Jade Sea.

Arriving at the lake after days of criss-crossing the drought-blighted region brings a rush of adrenaline. For hundreds of miles we saw little but scattered huts on parched soil. Suddenly, everything bursts into life. The wind is too fierce to fish this morning, but there are flotillas of small boats bobbing on the shoreline. The scent of fish fills the air. Outside fishermen's huts, fresh-caught tilapia is spread on the ground, or pegged up on lines and smoked, or fried in big pots.