Download - Institute of Development Studies

On our first day, we travelled to Lokilalavillage in Nadungyet Sub-county. Wewere testing our questions and perfectingour respectful approach. We sat with thesewomen and prepared cucumbers with them.Cucumbers are for eating at home, so there’sno need to buy food from town. They told usof all the different uses for cucumbers. Theseeds can be sold. They are very important forour culture - we mix them with sorghum, milkand butter for ceremonies. If a woman needsto prepare traditional food and does not havecucumbers, she can borrow them. It meansthat she is a close friend. Cucumbers are goodbecause they grow during the rainy season whenthere is plenty of milk. They are ready to eatduring the dry season when we have less food.We came across a man undera tree and asked him abouthis livelihood. He was waiting whilehis animals took water and he toldus, “Now the grass is near, the wateris near, everything is near so I shalljust stay within this place and rotatearound here. The animals give memilk and meat and I can keep nearmy family.” He is strong because he isliving from animals.Then we met an old man who was sohappy because he is getting food, school feesand medicine for his children from selling hissorghum. The harvest has been very good thisyear and just looking at his field of sorghummade him feel good.If your animals get a disease you need to becreative. The sheep on the left (below) hasbeen isolated so it doesn’t infect others. Itsowner dug murram to earn money so he couldbuy medicine for his animals. You can also goto the bush and collect aloe vera, mix it withwater and feed it to them. But this will notcure everything.Many people make a living from firewoodhere. In Lokilala we met young womencoming home from the bush carryingwood. Thiswoman is takingit home whereshe will rest forthe night. Earlytomorrow she‘lltake it to the marketcentre to sell. Then she willuse the money to buy food.“I dug murram and bought thesethree cows one by one with themoney I earned. Here they areon green pasture. When thereis peace, even just a young boycan herd them safely. I plan toincrease their number.”LokilalaNadungyet Sub-County17