On 13th April, during a project visit in Kasokwe, a village in Eastern Uganda, the L-IFT team met one of their research participants Kasobya Eunice, the mother of four young boys, expecting her fifth child.
A listening ear
During our talk with Kasobya Eunice she explained to us what she appreciates most about our research: “It was like somebody understands you, somebody listens.” She felt as if she was finally given a voice. Through the regular interviews that were carried out by Anthony, who according to her “always listed and understood”, she was able to tell her story.
A learning process
Kasobya Eunice emphasized how much she learned from all those questions that were posed over and over again throughout the six-months research process. The financial literacy questions, in particular, made her aware of things she did not know. Interest rates, loan conditions, and how to calculate some sums are not just alien concepts to her anymore. What impacted her life the most was learning about savings. “I save all the time.” [1]
An eye-opener
The questions posed about how tasks and roles are distributed within the family were an eye-opener to her.
They made her become aware that everybody can do everything. She realized that it should not necessarily
be a question of gender, but that “it can be different.”
Receiving input
What Kasobya Eunice would have desired were more questions about normal life. She highlighted that
the children, their sleeping habits, and the equipment they use in the house are topics that are important to her.
By Anne Marie van Swinderen
Founder of L-IFT
[1] the saving started after the first biweekly when she realized she had a role to do for herself.