It's time for Zim!

Hello everybody! I'm Carlotta (most people call me Lottie), a PhD candidate in Trinity College Dublin. Originally from the Netherlands, I came to Dublin in September 2021 to embark on a PhD under the supervision of Dr Susan Murphy. After a year of lots of reading, investigating, writing, and - of course, thinking, I am finally about to start the journey I have been looking forward to since the start of my doctoral programme: I'm heading to Zimbabwe!

My study proposes an investigation into the gendered effects of household coping mechanisms in response to changing climates. Its focus is on vulnerable communities with low adaptive capacities and high incidences of gender inequality in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. More specifically, my research aims to examine the extent to which the socio-economic consequences of climate change cause shifts in practices of child and early marriage (CEM), and whether these practices are used as a coping mechanism for climate shocks.

I realise that this is quite a mouthful... And I forgive you if you have a lot of questions about my research: so do I! For this exact reason, I am travelling to Zimbabwe for 2,5 weeks.

During this research trip, I will meet the communities in Chimanimani and Chipinge where I hope to conduct my field work next year. By talking to teenage girls and young women, their parents, village elders, chiefs, and community workers, I hope to gain valuable insights into the consequences of recent climate shocks, learn more about the cultural values and practices of the Shona people, and receive input on my research questions, aims, and objectives.

The PhD might be my study, but I am not doing all of this work by myself. In Zim, I will receive a lot of help from local academics and community workers who have put me in contact with communities and researchers. During my time in Harare, I will be staying with a local couple who both work for two prominent Zimbabwean universities: the University of Zimbabwe and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe. I am eternally grateful for Cliff and Sally's help, and I cannot wait to learn more about their experiences as researchers in Zimbabwe.

In Chimanimani, I will be accompanied by the team of the Rafiki Network: an NGO that supports young mothers by providing them with mental health trainings and income generating programs. The team of the Green Institute, a youth-led organisation on climate adaptation and climate education, will accompany me in Chipinge. Both the Rafiki Network and the Green Institute are local NGOs run by a Zimbabwean team. After months of talking on Zoom and WhatsApp, I am looking forward to finally meeting Aoife and Blessing - the two wonderful employees of above-mentioned NGOs, who have put tremendous effort into the organisation of my upcoming trip.

Over the next 18 days, I will be posting regular updates in which I will share my newly gained experiences and insights. If you have any questions about my research or if you want to say hello, please feel free to comment!

Cheers,

Lottie