Interviewer(s): I004
Interviewee(s): P468

I004: Mama, how is your household?

P468: Very well.

I004: Are the children fine?

P468: They are all fine.

I004: Mama I would like to know how old you are.

P468: I am thirty seven years old.

I004: Thirty seven?

P468: Yes.

I004: If you can remember the time you were young your parents told you were born during which time of the year or was there any major event which remind them of your birth?

P468: None.

I004: None?

P468: Nothing major happened.

I004: And where were you born and raised?

P468: I was born and raised in Makanya.

I004: You were born in Makanya?

P468: Let us say Same, Makanya.

I004: Same is in which region?

P468: It is in Kilimanjaro region.

I004: Kilimanjaro?

P468: Yes.

I004: Mama, Can you remember the family structure by the time you were staying with your parents, how was it? I mean were you living with father, mother and your siblings in the same place or were you living with your father, mother, your siblings and other relatives?

P468: I was born and raised in a village called Chankoko, where our grandfather Mzee K used to live so we have been living there as one big family of Mzee Ki together with my father, my father's elder brother, my father's younger brothers and their children, we have stayed as a family and that is how we grew up.

I004: Aahh...so you were living with your siblings?

P468: Eehh... with my other sibling and other relatives.

I004: You were living in the same homestead?

P468: Eehh....in the same homestead.

I004: Mama, are you able to tell me other economic activities which were carried out in your family to earn income?

P468: It is agriculture and livestock rearing.

I004: Farming?

P468: Yes.

I004: What were the major roles and responsibilities of men in your family?

P468: Men's responsibilities?

I004: Eehh their responsibilities in the family?

P468: Their work was to look after the cattle, knowing how the cattle will be taken care off, supervising the farms that is their responsibility, and also providing food for their family that is the men's responsibilities.

I004: Okay what about on the women's side, which were their roles and responsibilities?

P468: The women's responsibilities were like milking the cows, selling the milk and also going to the farm. You go to the farm probably when there is weeding you go to weed if the father says we go to this direction we go.

I004: And what about the teenager girls what were their duties? For example you and your sisters when you were young?

P468: They were milking cows and also going to the farm to weed.

I004: What about sweeping the ground and cleaning the house?

P468: Sweeping, fetching water, cooking that was the girls' responsibilities.

I004: And on the side of the boy child, which were the boy child's responsibilities?

P468: The boy child's responsibilities is looking after the cows, goats and sheep in case there those which have given birth, probably a goats have given birth or a sheep have given birth...then their duties is take the young ones and help them feed or take them to their mothers to breastfeed until the time to go to the pastures.

I004: In your family how many of you were educated and at what level?

P468: In a family of Mzee K. only two children went up to high school.

I004: Which level?

P468: One in form four and another one form five.

I004: So in your family only two of them reached form four?

P468: Yes, the rest of us went up to class seven.

I004: In your family?

P468: Eehh, our family.

I004: How many were you in your family?

P468: We were eight children.

I004: Eight children?

P468: Eehh...

I004: You have told me one reached form four and the other one form five.

P468: Yes.

I004: What about the remaining six?

P468: Eeeh.

I004: The remaining six how far did they reach?

P468: Those six, some married like myself.

I004: I mean their education?

P468: It is up to standard seven.

I004: Standard seven?

P468: Yes, the rest of us went up to class seven, except one who reached form two.

I004: Mama, I would like to know you are eating system in your family?

P468: You mean how we eat now in my family or how we used to eat when I was in my father’s house?

I004: I mean how you were eating in the past when you were living with your parents?

P468: When we wake up in the morning we clean the house and then we fetch water then after that we cook let say 2 to 3 kilograms of rice and have them with tea or we cook porridge for the entire family, this was because we were brought up in a family whereby if you cook food for example in that house and this one you cook and after cooking you all come up together and eat as one family of Mzee K. we used to eat together that is how I was raised.

I004: So how many families were there?

P468: There were five families, my father and four uncles.

I004: Which types of food did you mostly eat meaning you used to eat on daily basis?

P468: we used to eat plantains, we used to eat ugali, and we used to take porridge and also sweet potatoes because we were growing them.

I004: Which types of food did you least eaten?

P468: It is like rice, we used to eat rice once in a while because in Same we do not grow rice.

I004: Okay. Like how many times?

P468: Once in a month because we used to buy them we never grow rice.

I004: It is okay...which type of food was eaten by different people in your house meaning it was eaten by the mothers or children and if it is cooked it is only those people who eat it the other people are not allowed to eat it?

P468: Not at all. Our children would eat what we have cooked.

I004: Did the young children eat the same food?

P468: They will eat and take porridge, we cook for them broken rice and they have their own special porridge which is nutritious.

I004: What is mixed up in their food?

P468: Their porridge consists of finger millet, groundnuts, rice, sardines, and maize we mix in the same place then it is grinded to make flour, you cook that porridge and when its ready you mix it with milk then let it boil properly then serve, that was the child's porridge.

I004: And what is the quantity you prepare and for how long the child will take it?

P468: That child.

I004: Mmhh...

P468: It could be taken for three times a day, it is three times because he would eat, take porridge and also take milk. You cook the porridge and put it in a flask and you give the child in the morning, during the day and in the evening. In the other hours, you give the child milk and breastfeed him.

I004: If you prepare the flour, for how many weeks do you use it before its complete?

P468: It is like only one week because we were staying far from the milling machine so we could grind flour for only one week and not less than that.

I004: Were you using fresh milk or which one did you use to prepare porridge?

P468: We used fresh milk.

I004: You have told me that when you were growing there are other foods you were buying?

P468: Yes.

I004: I would like to know types of food you used to grow?

P468: We were growing groundnuts, maize, beans, cowpeas sorghum and also wheat we were consuming what we were growing ourselves.

I004: Which types of food did you buy in the market for consumption in your household?

P468: Banana, rice and spices .We were buying those ones.

I004: What do you mean when you say spices?

P468: These are things like onions, garlic ginger and spices for use in the preparation of tea.

I004: What are these spices?

P468: Cinnamon, ginger and other spices i have forgotten the name but we were buying them.

I004: Okay mum, and which types of foods were you gathering from the forest for consumption at home?

P468: There were wild fruits in the forest we used to harvest them and bring them home and eat, they were very sweet fruits.

I004: What is their name?

P468: I do not know if you will understand.

I004: Just tell me in any language.

P468: Okay, These are fruits we get from the trees we use to brush teeth.

I004: Mmhh...how are they called?

P468: They are called Mkayo.

I004: Mkayo and what else?

P468: And there is Mikole, Mangura, and Garanyige.

I004: Mmmh...

P468: Makwanju (tamarind) and also Ngarito.

I004: Ngarito?

P468: Mmm...we were harvesting them and eating them at home.

I004: Mmhh...

P468: Even if we did not have food after eating those fruits we were satisfied.

I004: You mean ngarito.

P468: Yes they were very nice.

I004: okay...when you were young I would like to know what you engaged yourself in, who used to make decision after cultivating, may be who would say you sell this food, keep it for our consumption at home or we use it for barter trade with other food?

P468: It is father.

I004: The father?

P468: Eehh...The father will take the initiative together with the mother because the father would say we keep the food in this way if it is selling we sell it to construct a house or we buy a goat, father and mother will agree together.

I004: Okay, and who was making the final decision?

P468: The father is the one who made the final decisions; our mother was mostly concerned with activities in the kitchen.

I004: And who had the duty and responsibility of buying food in the market in your family?

P468: It is also the father.

I004: Buying food from the market?

P468: Eehhh...it is the father. He had the responsibilities of buying food from the market bringing home, our mother was alerting when there is no food the father's duty was to go and buy in the market.

I004: okay, in your community if a girl reaches the maturity age what were some of the things which were taking place or what was showing that this is a mature girl?

P468: If she reaches that age she will be known because, like me at that age what made me know that I am a big person I saw something which was strange and I had not seen before then I asked my mother what is this and why is it that I am menstruating? Then she told me that is the maturity you are now a lady. Therefore at that time I knew what is maturity and I continued that way until I got married.

I004: On the side of men, what would enable you know that this is a big child. The community would say for sure the child of a certain man is fully grown, what is it that they will see?

P468: His voice would indicate that he now a fully grown man.

I004: I would also like to know about the ceremonies like dances?

P468: He is fully indicating the signs but in our community like the boys they are danced for until they are fully grown up.

I004: How old is he likely to be?

P468: like eighteen years old or twenty a dance is performed but for girls them they are danced when they a bit younger.

I004: Why is it that the dance is performed when they are still young?

P468: It is performed when they are a bit younger because there are some circumstances which make people to be danced when young.

I004: Which circumstances is that?

P468: It is like when you leave a child to be mature... it is not good in our community to leave a child to be big without being danced for. It is bad because she cannot be expectant before she the dance is performed.

I004: mmh...so when you are pregnant and it is showing is it an indication that you are mature or when you are	expectant you do not indicate that you are an adult?

P468: If you get pregnant it shows you are an adult and that dance is not performed to a person who is pregnant that is why it is performed when the girls are young.

I004: Okay. Let us come back to your side. You have told me when you started your periods it is when you knew you a mature person?

P468: Yes...

I004: Now what made you know that you are mature or what happened to you which gave you a clear indication that you are a mature person?

P468: First, it is enlargement of breasts, this is an indication that you have matured .You see the breasts enlarging. Second are the monthly periods then you will see men engaging you then you will know that you have matured. Until men have fallen in love with me then and there I knew I have matured.

I004: It is okay mum...we have completed one part. Let us now talk about another part whereby you are now a mature person and you have your own family

P468: Yes.

I004: I would like to know at what time or season or in which year you came to live in Kambala?

P468: I came when I was still a girl in 1982, I lived here with my family members until I was engaged and later got married to my husband. I now live here with my family.

I004: And what was the main reason of coming to Kambala?

P468: The reason of coming to Kambala is we had stayed in Kilimanjaro region a place called Makanya it was dry so there were no pastures for the cattle and it was not raining so my father decided we migrate to Kambala where it was raining and there was a lot of pastures for our livestock to feed on, Kambala was a nice place for farming and also livestock rearing.

I004: And who else do you stay with?

P468: In our village of Kambala we live with the Maasai.

I004: Together with your family here, who else lives with you?

P468: Aahah I live with my brother in law, father in law we are all staying here.

I004: In your household?

P468: Oohh yes we all live here as one family.

I004: How old is your father in law?

P468: My father in law.

I004: Mmmhh.

P468: May be he was born in the 1950’s .

I004: How old are your brother in law?

P468: I do not know how old they are.

I004: And if you cook food...did you eat as in the early ages where by you were living with your parents, do you eat in the same house or nowadays everyone cooks his own food?

P468: No, everyone cooks and eats from his family.

I004: Okay...mother I would also like us to talk about your family activities now. Which activities

P468: Okay...

I004: Which activities do you mostly depend on so that you can earn a living?

P468: It is livestock rearing and farming.

I004: Which one is more important? Is it growing crops or keeping the animals which one do you mostly depend on?

P468: What we mostly depend on is livestock rearing.

I004: I would like to know the activities which were carried out so that you can earn a living now and when you were living with your parents?

P468: There is a small difference.

I004: Mmhhh....how?

P468: For example I am educated unlike my parents were not educated. So there is something which my parents did which I cannot do because I am enlightened for example all my children are educated none of them who are not educated. Some are in form four and others are in the university and others are still at home after completing form four, I am still looking for a place for them to go so that they can be educated, that is what differentiates me from my parents.

I004: In the economic activities which make you earn a living is there any difference in what the parents were involved in to earn a living and what you are doing to earn a living?

P468: Of course there is a difference.

I004: Mmmhh tell me.

P468: Because you know that there is a difference between the educated and illiterate even in performing some activities there will be a difference even if it is in growing crops you educated person will grow crops differently from a person who is illiterate so there is a big difference although the activities are the same as the ones which were carried out where I was living because people plant crops and keep animals as we do now but the only difference is that I am educated.

I004: Okay you have told me that there is a difference in the way of farming, just tell me how the illiterate carried out their farming and how the educated farm?

P468: Growing of crops for a person who is educated, First he prepares the farm if its rice he grows then he plants maize using a rope to make clear lines. He also knows that there some pesticides for spraying on the leaves so that the crops cannot be destroyed. That's how educated people grow their crops. The one who is not educated prepares his farm grows maize and only knows growing crops, some of us who are educated can teach our parents that there is pesticides and some activities which are done on the big farm and find out that you are harvesting a better yield because you have taken care of let us say its maize you take care of it if it’s rice you take care of it you put manure and spray it but in the past our parents did not know this because they were not educated.

I004: Okay...how have you been negatively and positively affected by the reforms which you have told me?

P468: In what?

I004: Are there any affects in the reforms that you told me?

P468: Yes there are positive effects for example profit if you have taken good care of your crops you must harvest a good yield and the loss because you have not taken care of the maize in the farm you have not weeded properly so your friend has only cultivated one acre and you have cultivated ten acres you get the same amount of harvest. That is the loss and the profit.

I004: So you have compared who and who?

P468: A person who is educated and the one who is not educated.

I004: Ma’am. I am grateful for your good response, we are progressing on, and I would like to know duties and responsibilities of men and women in your household? Let us start with the men's responsibilities.

P468: Men's responsibilities, for example now is a dry season cows and goats have to be taken to where the pasture are and those are men's responsibilities they go to Ronjo (place where cattle are taken temporarily for grazing when there is shortage of pasture) and stay they stay in Ronjo they look after the animals and they are also the provider of their homes so they must know if there is enough food for the family those are men's responsibilities. Women's responsibilities are to check what is there like if is animals you check whether they are all there, if is the food, it is their duty to check and alert the father.

I004: You have talked about the dry season.

P468: Yes.

I004: What about in the rainy season?

P468: In the rainy season the men responsibilities is also checking on how the cows will be taken care of, checking the unhealthy cows so that they can look for medication also spraying the crops if there is a need, he has to know where he should get manure or fertilizer for the crops. Women responsibilities is to inform and also to give feedback to the father of what is going on in the farm for example when plant, weed, supervising the workers and other important issues.

I004: What is the difference in the duties and responsibilities of men and women nowadays and in the time you were living with your parents. Is there any difference in sharing of duties?

P468: At home

I004: Ohh yes.

P468: There is no any difference the only that they were not educated so the way they are doing their work is different compared to nowadays.

I004: I would like to know the responsibilities the for boys and girls in your community.

P468: Responsibilities of young girls and boys?

I004: eehhh...in your household now what are the responsibilities of the boys

P468: The look after cows and goats taking the cows and goats to the field to feed and also to drink water and if the animal is unwell they treat it those are the responsibilities of men and also going to the farm.

I004: Okay.

P468: For the girls, it is like sweeping the field, cleaning the house, fetching water, cooking and serving the men. Those are their responsibilities if there are some activities in the farm they also go there and work together with the boys, but those are their responsibilities.

I004: Are there any difference of the children duties in the past and nowadays in your community?

P468: There is no difference.

I004: Do they perform the same duties?

P468: Yes

I004: It is okay mother, we have completed that part, lets discuss another part about the feeding habits.

P468: Okay.

I004: By the time we came here we heard that the people of Kambala saying that the types of food has changed like the pastoralists community especially the Maasai who were not eating fish they are now eating fish, meat, eggs, chicken and also “chips mayai” chips with eggs.

P468: Yes.

I004: But the way of preparing the food has changed, these days’ people do not boil food like in the past, nowadays they fry so I would like to know in the years you have been living here in Kambala are there any changes in the way food is prepared in the past as compared to nowadays and is there any food which was not eaten before but is eaten now?

P468: For example the types of food which are eaten now is different to the past, let us talk about my home so that I cannot talk of other people's homes, as for the first thing in the morning is tea and probably with mandazi or chapati or bananas. I go to the market and buy bananas and cook. That is how it has changed because we buy different things but in the past we used to take porridge, ugali and rice because we used to grow them so those were the food available unlike now we have variety of foods which you can buy. But when I got married in my own home there are changes I can prepare tea with maandazi today or chapatti or bananas or rice so there are some changes.

I004: Are there any changes in men’s food,

P468: No, there are no changes.

I004: What about women's food?

P468: They are all the same, but there are some foods which men here do not eat like okra and also sweet potato leaves.

I004: Men here do not eat okra and sweet potato leaves?

P468: Eehh...

I004: What are the reasons that make the men not to eat okra and sweet potato leaves?

P468: It is us we do not want.

I004: Is it that they have stomach problems when they eat it?

P468: They do not have stomach problems.

I004: Mmhh.

P468: They do not want it. The community does not want it.

I004: They do not want it?

P468: Yes.

I004: Is it traditions or why don't they like it?

P468: It is not traditions they are just used that men do not take okra.

I004: They are just used?

P468: Eeehh, they are used.

I004: Where did they get the behaviour of not taking Okra from?

P468: I do not know, probably they got it from their grandparents because we do not know.

I004: Where have you said they got this behaviour of not taking okra’s from?

P468: I do not know probably from their grandparents.

I004: Which communities’ men do not take okra and sweet potato leaves?

P468: Even from where I come from they do not take it even here they do not take it.

I004: There are many tribes here there are the Maasai, there are Pare there are Gogo.

P468: They are Pare

I004: You mean Pare are the one who do not take okra?

P468: Yes they do not eat Okra’s but there are some of them who eat but they are very few.

I004: Okay, may I know the reasons of not taking tea with maandazi, in the past but nowadays people take them what caused all these changes in life?

P468: Technology, these days technology has greatly influenced this and has been different from the past.

I004: What do you mean by the term technology?

P468: There Is a difference in the way people used to live in the past and nowadays.

I004: How has this technology influenced your way of feeding? What has happened that you change the type of food you used to cook in the past to other types of food?

P468: like I said before some people in the past were not educated and some when to school but dropped in class four but nowadays most of them are educated, so they know what to cook for their children. Nowadays people save the little they get so that they can educate their children, they can do any work even burning charcoal or any other casual job so that you can educate your children unlike before where education was not a priority to many, even in the way people struggle so that they can provide good food for their family.

I004: If we leave behind technology what else has caused the change in the way people of Kambala eats?

P468: Here in Kambala there are so many tribes, for example the Maasai because of living with other tribes so through that interaction you will find that they married Swahili people so definitely they will change the way they used to eat so as to accommodate everyone.

I004: What else is the reason to the changes?

P468: Another reason?

I004: Mmmh...

P468: I do not know any other reason.

I004: What about the availability of food?

P468: Eehh...

I004: Can that make the people change what they used to eat?

P468: Yes, nowadays it is very easy to get food.

I004: What do you mean by saying it is very easy?

P468: It has been easy because if you go to the market you will find bananas, fish, tomatoes, capsicum you will find almost everything which you want .These things were not there in the past but nowadays it is very simple to get them in the market it is only your money.

I004: What about taking children to school, Do you think that has changed the eating habits of the people?

P468: Yes

I004: How?

P468: When children are educated and when they go back home they educate their parents.

I004: How do they educate their parents?

P468: When they go to school and they see or taught something that they can apply to their life or they have gone round town probably they have gone to the markets and seen things which are been sold that are good for the family then when they come back home they will teach their parents.

I004: You have told me very many things including technology, interaction of the tribes, availability of food and children going to school are the reasons that people change the way they eat.

P468: Yes

I004: I would like to know how these changes have affected you positively and negatively meaning the profits and loss you have incurred from these eating habits?

P468: For me I have benefited a lot so there is a positive effect because I eat well together with my family.

I004: What are the negative effects that you have experienced from these changes?

P468: Loss.

I004: Mmh...

P468: There is no loss.

I004: How are these changes affected the family especially men either negatively or positively by these forms of eating like in these days they take tea with maandazi or chapatti?

P468: There are none.

I004: What about the boys, the girls and women what are some of the positive changes occurred to them?

P468: There are none I think it is just normal.

I004: Okay. Let us talk about another part which is about ways of getting milk I would like to know if you know that milk is important to you and your family?

P468: Yes.

I004: Why do you think that milk is important?

P468: It is because it can be taken as food by children and also women.

I004: If you say it is taken as food, what is the importance of milk in the body?

P468: Milk? It is very important in the body of the child the father and also in the body of the mother.

I004: How? What do they get after drinking milk?

P468: They get vitamin A

I004: They get vitamin A?

P468: Mmmh...

I004: Is milk important in your family?

P468: Yes.

I004: How is the milk very important?

P468: It is important because the children drink milk also we use milk to prepare tea and we also use milk a relish.

I004: What about selling the milk to get money? Do you sell milk to get money?

P468: Eeeh...we sell it during the rainy season.

I004: Milk is also important in earning you a living?

P468: Eeehh.

I004: What about in preparation of vegetables, for example when preparing vegetables, beans or any others food do you milk used as part of ingredients?

P468: Yes.

I004: Or you do not use it?

P468: We use milk

I004: So why do you use the milk as an ingredient in the preparation of food?

P468: It has a very nice taste in vegetable also in bananas it taste very nice is like when you use coconut in vegetable or in the bananas.

I004: Mother, I would like us the availability of milk in your area, we have heard that in Kambala supply of milk has gone down It is not like in the past?

P468: Yes

I004: Even the price is a bit higher?

P468: Mmmh...

I004: Mother I would like to know what has contributed to shortage of milk?

P468: There is no pasture for our livestock to feed and this is due to draught.

I004: Is it because of drought?

P468: Eehh...

I004: Apart from drought what are the other reasons that contribute to the shortage of milk?

P468: Cows produce milk when they eat enough grass and water, in the past we used to have a lot of grass and water was also near but nowadays there is no grass around you have to take cows very far to drink water and feed so it has been hard for the children to get milk because we do not have enough for them.

I004: What about the conflicts? Do you think this is the reason as to why milk is not in plenty?

P468: Yes.

I004: What are some of the Conflicts in Kambala?

P468: Conflicts between farmers and pastoralists is about the land because farmer have planted their produce and pastoralists graze their animals on the same farm especially during the dry season because they do not have anywhere to take their animals so conflict occurs between them.

I004: How has conflict made it hard to get milk?

P468: I said it is because of conflict between them.

I004: Mmmh...

P468: Some have sold their cows so as to reduce their number.

I004: Okay, what about lifestyle changes especially how we keep our animals like keeping them away or zero grazing do you thinks you think this is a reason which has led to shortage of milk?

P468: No, it is the same way we kept them. The reason is shortage of the grass and water because of prolonged dry season so nowadays we have to go far for them to feed and drink water.

I004: Okay...I would like us to talk about buying food in the market.

P468: Okay.

I004: In your family, who has the responsibility of going to buy food in the market?

P468: It is the father (man of the house).

I004: And which types of food does he normally buy?

P468: Maize, beans even onions he can go to buy but the main food which the father can go to buy is the maize .The others like the vegetables the mother can buy.

I004: Who is concerned in budgeting of food in your household?

P468: It is prepared by both the mother and father.

I004: Who makes the final decision?

P468: It is the man of the house (father).

I004: I f you compare when you living with your parents and now that you have your family is there any difference in the type of food you buy in the market?

P468: There is no big difference.

I004: So what is the difference?

P468: Now there are very many things not like in the past.

I004: What do you mean by saying many things?

P468: Nowadays there are many things to buy in the market like green pepper, carrots, tomatoes unlike in the past we were buying maize, beans and vegetables such us Amaranth.

I004: Okay, mother I would also want to know how you prepare food for your family? And which type of food do you frequently prepare for your family?

P468: The types of food I prepare most are ugali, rice and bananas.

I004: What is the reason that makes you to prepare this type of foods for your family?

P468: It is because I like them.

I004: You like them?

P468: Ohh… yes I like them.

I004: Do you like them or your family like them?

P468: My family likes them.

I004: Apart from liking them what are other reasons?

P468: What do you mean?

I004: What other reasons that makes you or drives you to cook the foods you prepare for your family?

P468: I cannot eat the same food every day that is why I buy different types of food.

I004: What about the affordable price of food? Do you think this is a reason that makes you to cook the kind of food you buy?

P468: Oohhh, yes. Like rice is very easy to cook.

I004: Do you think availability of food makes you cook what you cook?

P468: Yes, sometimes we cook food which is available for example if rice is available I may cook ugali in the afternoon and rice in the evening, you know I grow maize and also rice.

I004: What is the main reason that makes you cook the way you cook, is it because your family likes the food you cook or it because the food you cook is easy to prepare or the availability of the food, which among the three drives you to cook what you cook?

P468: It is because I personally grow them.

I004: Which other reason makes you do that?

P468: It is because I like the food.

I004: Okay, thank you mother for your good answers. Mama I would like to know how you deal with disaster like food shortage I would like to know when you were living with your parents in Makanya did the food shortage or famine occurred if yes when was it and what did you do to combat the situation?

P468: It was the year 1977.

I004: You said in 1977 there was a famine?

P468: Yes, there was a famine.

I004: And for how long did the famine last?

P468: It was there for a duration of I do not remember well but I think three months.

I004: Three months?

P468: I do not remember very well because I was young.

I004: Do you know the reason behind 1977 famine?

P468: There was no rain and my parents planted maize hoping that it will rain but there was no rain, the whole of Kilimanjaro region and its environ were dry.

I004: Which strategies did your family use to overcome the situation?

P468: We had to sell cows and use the money to buy food.

I004: Okay, and who were the most affected people?

P468: The fathers.

I004: Why the fathers?

P468: They are the providers and also responsible to sell like cows so as to buy food for the family.

I004: Did famine change how you eat? May be you had to eat small portion or a lot or your portions remained the same?

P468: Our portions reduced.

I004: If you were to differentiate how adults and young children were eating?

P468: Men and the young ones?

I004: Adults and the young children how was their eating like?

P468: Okay, the mother would cook food and the children will eat first then after they are full then she will eat that remained.

I004: So mothers are the most affected by famine?

P468: Both mother and father.

I004: Okay, have you experience food shortage in recent years here in Kambala?

P468: The time of El-nino, I cannot remember the year.

I004: Which year was that?

P468: I cannot remember the year but the rain was too much such that the crops in the farm were destroyed because of rain.

I004: For how long did it last?

P468: I do not remember whether it was three months or four months because even bananas were not there rain washed away everything in the farm including sugarcane it was a disaster.

I004: What did you do to combat the situation?

P468: Maize was not readily available when you go to the market there was no maize which was being sold but at least you will find bananas and arrowroots being sold. I remember there was maize flour called Zainabu we used to buy.

I004: Why was this maize flour being called zainabu?

P468: I do not know probably the owner of the company is called zainabu that is why he called the maize flour that name but I am no sure.

I004: Who was the most affected person?

P468: The mother. She is the one who was affected most.

I004: Why the mother?

P468: Because I have experienced it, you as a mother you cannot eat before your children have eaten.

I004: Okay, and how was your eating like, May be you had to eat a small portion or a lot or your portions remained the same?

P468: We were taking a little.

I004: Who was taking more than the others?

P468: Of course the children were eating until they were satisfied then their father and I.

I004: If you compare when you were living with your parents and now that you have your own house here in Kambala is there a difference in ways of fighting against food shortage or it is the same?

P468: Yes there are differences when we were young my father used to go the market very far from where we were staying and buy my mother used to stay indoors and wait for my father to bring food but nowadays women are enlightened we do not wait for the men we go to the market and buy bananas or anything and cook for the family, sometimes I sell milk and use the money to buy food for my family.

I004: Was milk in plenty during the El Nino?

P468: Ohh yes because the cows had a lot of pasture to eat.

I004: So you were earning a living through selling of milk?

P468: Eeehh

I004: What about selling cows?

P468: people were selling cows but not so many because milk was in plenty.

I004: Okay mother, we have come to the end of our conversation.

P468: Okay.

I004: As we end up our conversation there are a few additional questions.

P468: Okay.

I004: I would know. Where do the people in Kambala get the information about food nutrition, clean environment and also about the types of foods for the purpose of having a good health?

P468: It is in the hospital when they attend clinics.

I004: On your side, where did you get this news concerning the feeding habits, the issues of health, the forms of eating, where did you get them from?

P468: From the hospital when I was taking my children and also through education which I learnt that eating nutritious food is important.

I004: Why is the food important in the body or what do you think food do in the body?

P468: They build the body; they protect the body even you cannot get diseases easily.

I004: Okay, Do you think food education, about the feeding habits, and also health is important to you?

P468: Yes

I004: How?

P468: It is important because a mother or a woman is the pillar of the family so it is very important for her to know.

I004: How will you benefit from it if you know it?

P468: It will help me together with my family.

I004: How does it help you if you say it will help you and your family? How will it help you?

P468: It will help me to build my body and my children healthy and also educating my children.

I004: Mother in which ways do you think this information about the food, about the health, can be beneficial in the community and people of Kambala?

P468: It is very important.

I004: Why is it important?

P468: They are very important because you can live well with your children and the family I general because you can build and protect your body from the disease so it is very important.

I004: And how do you think this information about the eating habits, health and the forms of eating reached the people of Kambala so that many Kambala knows and practise them?

P468: Through education, people to be educated everyone to know that he is very important in the family.

I004: How can we educate them? Is it in schools or can we conduct seminars or hospitals?

P468: Yes. Like a seminar is good.

I004: Which people should be educated?

P468: Father and mother.

I004: Why father and mother?

P468: When I say father and mother, father and mother are the pillars of the family. So it is very important for them to be informed so that they can educate others in the family.

I004: And whom do you think should bring this information to Kambala so that people can hear about them?

P468: Health officer.

I004: Okay...I am grateful for your good answers; we have come to the end of our conversation.

P468: Okay.

I004: Thank you very much.

P468: Thank you too.