Mukashema Victoria, in her mid forties, is a widow and a grandmother of three. She is stationed in Kanombe near the airport. “At my age, sleep doesn’t always come easy, so by the time the cock crows, I’m already awake. I say my prayers and prepare my grandchildren for school. At 6:30am I go for a mini-meeting where we are assigned places to work .I start work at exactly 7:00am and work till midday then take a rest.”“I rest for one hour and by resting I mean I find a cool shade probably under a tree and rest until 2:00pm then resume work till 3:00pm when I go home. My job is a risky one; as you can see we work very close to traffic, sweeping roads or cleaning the gardens between roads or by the road. Some drivers are so careless; we work with our hearts beating in fear.”Recently, a colleague was hit by a moto cyclist. She is still in the hospital. But with bills to pay and kids to take care of, you push the worries about the dangers of our job aside and work while praying to God for protection.”
