CHAPTER 6: BACKGROUND AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF PARTICIPANTS
6.1 Introduction
In this chapter I present the bio-data of the participants. This covers their ages, educational backgrounds and livelihood activities. In order to protect the identity of the participants I used pseudonyms which were chosen by the participants. The selection of the pseudonyms was participatory. Each of the participants were asked to choose a name that they would have wanted to be called had they had a choice to choose their names at birth. Knowledge and understanding of the location of the participants with regards to their socio-economic status and general background was important as their voices would also be evident in the following analysis chapters.
Pseudonym: Tinotenda Age: 4 April 1961-56yrs old Marital status: Widowed Sex: Female
Village: Marimo Number of children: 3 Background Information
She was a widowed woman with 3 grandchildren. Her husband died in year 2003. Two of her children (boy and girl) were late and she had been looking after 3 of her grandchildren aged 8, 12, and 15. She suspected that her children died of HIV/AIDS some years back but she could not be sure as they had never openly broached the subject. Her sources of livelihood were farming and remittances from her other children who worked in Harare.
Her education level grade 7. She attended the accelerated adult school programme which was introduced by government at independence in 1980 for those who had been denied an opportunity to get formal education during the colonial era. She lived on her matrimonial plot
119 which was also within the bigger family plot where two of her brothers in law also lived with their families. She lived in an asbestos roofed house and had the typical kitchen where she used wood fuel for cooking. One of her children lived with his wife nearby. Before her husband died, he had apportioned a piece of the plot to the son. The household owned seven cattle, some goats and indigenous chickens. Her grandchildren also provided farm labour. She shared her cattle with her in-laws. She had never had any challenges with this arrangement and she attributed this to the way she had embraced all her extended family members. On average, she made approximately USD 60-100 per month from horticulture and the remittances she received.
Pseudonym: Grace
Age: born 16 January1983 aged 35 Marital status: Married
Sex: Female Village: Marimo
Number of children: 3 (2 boys and a girl- aged 12; 10 and 7) Background information
She was married and lived with her children on her father in-law’s homestead. Her husband worked as a general labourer in Harare and came home on weekends. She and her husband had been allocated a piece of land from the family plot, and they jointly managed this. She was responsible for the farming though her husband had overall decision making even from a distance. Their children lived with her. She had five cows and one of them was milking. On average, she made approximately USD 100-150 per month from the sales of milk and what she received from her husband. She had completed her “O” Levels but not done well but she was adamant that at some point in her life she would go back to school.
Pseudonym: Lizzy Age: 29 April 1972-45yrs
120 Marital status: Married
Sex: Female Village: Marimo
Number of children: 4 children (2 girls and 2 boys aged 13, 15, 18 and 22 respectively) Background information
She was married and was a joint farmer with her husband. Her husband was also involved in buying and selling of wares that her husband bought from Harare and sold within the village.
This included second hand clothes and kitchen items such as plates. He also bought vegetables from the nearby farm for resale. She attended school up to Form 4 and did not pass her O’
Levels. She had been trying to re-write as she realised the importance of an education and hoped that in the near future she would be able to undertake a tertiary level course. She had attended sewing classes and made simple clothes for sale within the community. Her oldest daughter was married. She was an active member of the local church and was a committee member in the women’s wing. Her husband had three cows. On average, she made about USD 100-150 per month from horticulture and what she received from her husband as family upkeep.
Pseudonym: Tatenda- (lead farmer) Age: 46 years old, born 5 December, 1971 Marital status: widowed
Sex: Female Village: Ururu
Number of children: children aged 25 (M); 18(F) and 15 (M) Background information
She lived with her 15 year old son. The other two children were off the plot and lived with their spouses in Harare. She was the local entrepreneur and was also a lead farmer. She lived on the family homestead along with three brothers in law and their wives. Her late husband was the
121 typical successful farmer and she learnt a lot of what she was now engaged in from him. She attended school up to Form 2 after which her parents could not afford to send her further. The household had five cows registered in her late husband’s name and she used this as draught power. She took seriously the extension services provided and participated in all those she could access. She believed by so doing, she could end up being a community trainer, which she had seen happening with other community members. Her home was asbestos roofed. On average, the household made about USD 100-150 from hiring out the cattle to other households and also from horticultural activities.
Pseudonym: Rutendo (lead farmer) Age: 6 January 1963-54yrs
Marital status: Married Sex: Female
Village: Ururu
Number of children: 6 children (4 girls and 2 boys), all adults, ages ranged between 25 -35 and 5 grand children
Background information
She lived with three of her grandchildren who helped her and her husband with the household chores. She and her husband were both retired teachers who taught in the local school. As a couple they owned ten cows, two of which were hers from the marriage of her two daughters.
Their main source of livelihood was horticulture which they practised on their plot. During her time as a teacher, she and her husband had invested in drip irrigation equipment and a water tank and a manual well. This enterprise enabled them to raise enough money for their upkeep and they supplemented this with remittances from their children. She lived with her grandchildren because her children who worked in Harare did not own houses. As lodgers they often moved houses and this had been disruptive to her grandchildren. On average, the household made about USD 150-200 from the horticultural activities.
122 Pseudonym: Nyashadzashe
Age: 66 years old- she did not have a record of birth but she knew her birth year Marital status: widowed
Sex: Female Village: Majuru
Number of children: 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls-all adults above 30 years old) and 7 grand- children
Background information
Her husband passed away about ten years ago and she had continued to live on the plot that her husband left her. She was now regarded as the matriarch within the household. Two of her daughters in law lived on the same compound which was the family homestead but they ran their homes separately. She owned four cows and when she needed support in any way she called on her daughters in law. She shared the cows with her daughters in law. Her grandchildren, being so close were also often at her disposal and tended to meander between the households. Her main source of livelihood was selling vegetables which she acknowledged was really more of a hobby to keep her occupied because she did not make too much money out of it and often relied on her children for support. The household made about USD100-150 including remittances.
She also lived with her 2 grandchildren aged 13 and 15 years. The grandchildren were from her daughter, Chido who was divorced. Chido left her children with Nyashadzashe to enable her to look for work in Harare.
Pseudonym: Rudo Age: 11 May 1965-52yrs Marital status: Married Sex: Female
123 Village: Majuru
Number of children: 4 children (1 girl and 3 boys- all adults) Background information
She was married to a local farmer and they were engaged in horticulture production. She grew vegetables and reared chickens which were sold in the local market. She lived with her grandchildren from her daughter who was late. The son in law (who had since remarried) did contribute towards the upkeep of the child and this helped to cover some of their food needs.
She was a member of the women’s committee in the church. By her own explanation, most of the younger women looked up to her for advice with regards to home making. She was also a strong member of the ruling party and was often at the forefront in mobilising for meetings.
She had primary level education. Her outgoing personality made her a natural leader amongst the women. This was quite evident during focused group discussions where she tended to want to dominate the discussions and provide answers on behalf of the group. She had no cattle of her own but as a household, they had four cows. She explained that the cows were her husband’s and she could have access as and when she needed. The household made about USD 80-100 from their horticulture business.
Pseudonym: Gloria Age: 14 May 1959-57yrs Marital status: Married Sex: Female
Village: Marimo
Number of children: 4 children (2 girls and 2 boys aged 32, 27, 25 and 23, 25) Background information
She lived with her husband and one grandchild who was seven years old. The grandchild helped them with basic household chores after school. The other grandchildren lived with their parents in Harare. She had attended school up to primary level. She was an active member of the community and was at the forefront of promoting initiatives such as the nutrition schools that
124 had been introduced by CADS. Two of her female children were married and she had had the benefit of being given her two cows in fulfilment of the tradition that when one’s daughter gets married, the mother is given a cow as a sign of appreciation for raising children who were worthy of marriage. On average, the household made about USD 50-100.
Pseudonym: Farai
Age: 12 July 1960 -57yrs- she did not have a record of birth but she knew her birth year Marital status: Married
Sex: Female Village: Chigigi
Number of children: 5 children all boys aged from 20 years up to 35 Background information
All her children were grown up and they lived in their homes in Harare. Her husband occupied leadership positons in the community. The family often visited her and they spent most public holidays together. Her grandchildren also visited her during school holidays. She had primary level education. She was proud that all of her children completed their education and had various decent jobs in Harare. Her children supported her and her husband with groceries and money whenever they thought there was a need. She worked on the family plot with her husband who was also a lead farmer. On average, the household made about USD100-150 per month from the sale of horticultural produced which they bought from the neighbouring farm and sold and also from remittances from their children.
Pseudonym: Ruvimbo
Age: 1956-61yrs- she did not have a record of birth but she knew her birth year Marital status: Married
Sex: Female
125 Village: Chigigi
Number of children: 6 children aged from 25 -35 and 4 grandchildren Background information
All her children were grown up. She lived with her husband and their main source of livelihood was petty trading in the community and remittances from the children who lived in the city.
Two of her adult children worked in South Africa. She noted that the remittances were not as much and often unpredictable as they used to be and she suspected it was because her children were also probably having a hard time making ends meet in South Africa. She also noted that the drop in the value of the rand had also affected her household as it meant the goods she could buy were now reduced. On average, the household made about USD 100. She attended school up to grade seven.
Pseudonym: Rufaro
Age: 3 September 1976 -41yrs Marital status: Widowed Sex: Female
Village: Ururu
Number of children: 3 children (aged 20 -female; 16-female; 8-male) Background information
She lost her husband three years ago. She was an avid advocate of HIV prevention and had announced her HIV sero-positive status to the community. She was regarded as an ambassador on issues related to HIV and AIDS and had benefitted from the nutrition programme supported by CADS. She had three children and they had tested negative for HIV which she acknowledged was a great relief. Her husband succumbed to opportunistic infection and died before he could access the ART programme. She had been fortunate that she was placed on treatment before her condition had deteriorated and had responded well. She was now healthy and could work to support her family. She lived on her in-laws’ homestead on the piece of plot that was allocated to her and her husband before he died. She had resolved to care for her
126 children and ensure that they got an education that she had been unable to complete because she became pregnant at age 19 and had to get married. Her 20 year old daughter was training to be a teacher of which she was really proud and thankful. She was a subsistence farmer, as was common with all the other households. She occasionally bought and sold goods which were in demand at any given time. At the death of her husband, she endured alienation from the community because he had become visibly ill, which led the community to talk about her family. She felt there was more sympathy for her now. Her in-laws were initially very critical and judgemental of her and had even suggested that she should move back to her maiden home.
She refused this arrangement as it meant she would be starting all over again at her parents’.
She also did not want to burden her parents as they lived with two daughters in law. She attended school up to secondary level before she became pregnant and could not continue. On average she made about USD80-100. She was conscious of how she raised her children and tried to break the gender stereotypes.
Pseudonym: Vimbai
Age: 21 February 1953-64yrs Marital status: Married Sex: Female
Village: Ururu
Number of children: 6 children aged from 30 to 40 years and 7 grandchildren Background information
She lived with her husband and two grand-children. She was a subsistence farmer together with her husband. She talked fondly of having lived a full life and said she was ready “even for the Lord to take her”. She went to school up to primary level and she was proud of the way her life had been, given her low level of education. Though she was not educated beyond primary she was smart enough to know the importance of education and sent all her children to school. Two of her children were engineers. They had 13 cows as a household. She owned one of her own which she got at the marriage of her daughter. She had slaughtered the cow and had invited her relatives to have a party and celebrate her life. She had not wanted to keep the
127 cow as the feared it could lead to problems should she die. The grandchildren she lived with were from her youngest son whom she said had been unfortunate in marriage in that he had been in two separate relationships which had ended badly. The children from these unions now lived with her. She made approximately USD 80-100 per month.
Pseudonym: Sarudzai Age: 21 April 1975-42 Marital status: widowed Sex: Female
Village: Ururu
Number of children: 4 children (aged 7, 10, 14 & 18years) Background information
She was a widowed woman who lived with her widowed mother in law. The community fondly referred to the household as the “widow’s household”. When her husband passed on, she decided to stay on the homestead. She said that it would have been difficult for her to re- establish herself at her maiden home with three children to look after. She provided labour to neighbouring homesteads from which she sent her children to school. She was also a tailor and provided services within the community. She had good relations with her mother in law and other extended family members who lived on the homestead including a sister and brother in law. These had all been very supportive of her ever since she lost her husband three years ago.
She made approximately US $ 110 per month. She had managed to reach “O” Level but had not been able to acquire the 5 “O” Levels required for her to proceed to tertiary education such as teaching which is what she was interested in.
Pseudonym: Kudzai
Age: 2 January 1979- 38years Marital status:
128 Sex: Female
Village: Ururu
Number of children: 3 children aged 16; 13; 8 Background information
She lived with her husband and was a member of the larger extended family of two wives to one husband. She was comfortable with this as it was part of the household’s religious belief.
She and her husband grew up in the religion and it was always an expectation that they would both find spouses from within the church. She had her own kitchen which was her main area of control. In the traditional setting, when a woman got married, a kitchen was important because it defined who she was. It was in the kitchen that she determined what happened and this was more important for her given that there was another woman with whom she shared her husband. She only went up to grade 7 as her religion did not value education. On average the household makes approximately USD 80-100.
Pseudonym: Nyarai
Age: 30 years, born 2 September 1987 Marital status: Married
Sex: Female Village: Ururu
Number of children: 3 children aged 3- girl, 7 –girl and 10 -boy Background information
She was married into a family that practised polygamy. Her husband had one wife but she understood that should he desire to marry another wife, he could do so and she was even expecting it. She also grew up in the same religion. The husband explained that he had given his wife the opportunity to find another wife for him as it was unacceptable in the church to have one wife. He would be regarded as being a weak man. He was not very concerned about this but felt it was important for his image. He acknowledged that looking after two wives was a huge challenge in the face of the economic hardships. Nyarai was however keen to fulfil the expected image and was keen for her husband to take a second wife. This would also give her authority within the household and church as she would be regarded as the senior wife. The