Kimi Island is a little Island in the Ugandan part of Victoria Lake. Having a surface area of less than 0.5 km² it is home to approximately 5500 inhabitants. Some boats provide some contact to the mainland, of which a ride takes 2–3 hours.
There are two camps on the island: Kimi Kachanga and Kimi Banga. The standard form of shelter on the island is characterized by a slum with shanty structures made of wood and iron sheets close to each other. The main source of income at the island is fishing, for the men, even though they spend most of their income on alcohol and sex, contributing to the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, women engage in fish processing, food vending, bar waiting, prostitution and looking after their children.
On top of those – already harsh – conditions, a fire destroyed almost every structure on the island on 15th October, 2017. The fire is said to have started in the wee hours of the night while the locals were having their bed rest. The fishing community on the island lost everything.
With the people of the community unable to have the luxury of insurance and little support from the government; there was no way of making up for the losses made including the lives and the livelihood of the struggling community. In addition to that, the only clinic on the island that was serving the entire community was not spared. This clinic was rendering services to expectant mothers as well as the HIV/AIDS community. Many island locals had borrowed loans from the banks to facilitate their businesses whose fate had then been lost to the ground. All that was left was hope that the government and other good Samaritans could run to their rescue.