Recent activities in February have ranged from general running of the Dodoma office, to the beginnings of a sizeable field study.
Justin and I went out to Ibihwa and Mkakatika for our second bout of the monitoring programme, which so far has proved enlightening. This trip, however, did show up some of the difficulties inherent in working in rural areas during the rainy season. In many of the houses we attempted to visit, the householders were out working on their shambas (small plantations of mainly maize) and were not able to talk to us or show us their stoves or planted tree seedlings. Due to the nature of monitoring, we are not able to warn the villages too early of our visits, so it is often a process of hit and miss, during which we make an effort to visit as many households as we can.
Our search for available project ‘beneficiaries’ did, however, allow Justin and I to have a well-rounded tour of both villages and I feel that I was able to get to know the Village Project Coordinators more thoroughly. At one point we reached an impassable point in the road and I found myself walking barefoot across a warm and sandy stream, sandals in one hand and clip board in the other, and it certainly made us all laugh. The regular village visits, which can often be long, are one of my favourite aspects of my job.
In late February we embarked on a 3 week field study, which meant spending a lot of time getting to know the village of Kikombo, its people and its local government, as well as sitting with local women as they cooked their two meals a day.
I wanted to write about one particular woman named Neema, who I spent a day with as she used her ‘Lorena’ stove. Neema showed real entrepreneurial spirit when, after becoming the sole bread-winner for her and her 4 children, she began a successful business in breeding and selling pigs. She also has plans to start a business selling second hand clothes with the help of a local government loan, and all this to ensure that her children receive quality primary and secondary school education. Neema’s independence, initiative and drive were inspiring, and I look forward to meeting more women like her in the future.
The field study also allowed us to familiarise ourselves with the various local government representatives in Kikombo, and find out their opinions on deforestation, cooking practices and fuelwood use in the village. This gave us a broader and deeper picture of the environmental changes over the last generation and their impacts on cooking practices and life in general, which was all extremely useful.
The stove research continues and will be concluded with a final report in the coming months.
Best wishes to all, Cat
I wanted to write about one particular woman named Neema, who I spent a day with as she used her ‘Lorena’ stove. Neema showed real entrepreneurial spirit when, after becoming the sole bread-winner for her and her 4 children, she began a successful business in breeding and selling pigs. She also has plans to start a business selling second hand clothes with the help of a local government loan, and all this to ensure that her children receive quality primary and secondary school education. Neema’s independence, initiative and drive were inspiring, and I look forward to meeting more women like her in the future.
The field study also allowed us to familiarise ourselves with the various local government representatives in Kikombo, and find out their opinions on deforestation, cooking practices and fuelwood use in the village. This gave us a broader and deeper picture of the environmental changes over the last generation and their impacts on cooking practices and life in general, which was all extremely useful.
The stove research continues and will be concluded with a final report in the coming months.
Best wishes to all, Cat
