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Field Research in Namibia with Baby

“No matter where you go with a child, the way people perceive you as a student or researcher will be different. Many doors will open up. You are no longer a ‘foreign intruder’, you are, first and foremost, a parent. It changes people’s perspectives and creates trust. Most people will be more understanding and ready to help.” That is how Silke Schroor, a student of African studies, sums up her experience in Namibia. In this report she shares her experience of preparing the field trip – an exciting adventure in itself.

In the summer semester 2013, Silke Schroor had the opportunity to continue a research series on the topic “Language diversity and language skills among preschoolers in Epako/Gobabis, Namibia”. To Schroor, this seemed like a fantastic opportunity and a wonderful topic for her final thesis. However, at the time she was not only a student at the University of Cologne, but also the single mother of a one-and-a-half year old girl. With meticulous preparation, a good dose of courage and financial support from a UoC scholarship program, she decided to take on the challenge – with her child.

A report by Silke Schroor

I began with my preparations about seven months before my trip was planned to begin. At first I wanted to learn more about the country, its culture and the language. I also read several practical trip advisors. Then I had to decide on the duration of my field work. Since my daughter would accompany me, the risk of losing time (through illness, accidents, possible problems regarding childcare, and the like) prompted me to plan for six instead of four weeks in Namibia. After that was settled, I contacted the participating local institutions and organized accommodations and reliable taxi drivers to take me to my daily field work. Also, I devised a daily schedule, applied for a research visa and started to look for flights. The most important question, however, was how I would be able to finance my stay. So I also had to make a precise cost calculation.

Packet soup, baby food and poisonous insects

It is one thing to conduct field research on your own and to have to manage with limited funds, which might entail a Spartan life, questionable hygienic standards, and cold water – if there is running water at all. Lots of researchers have managed to live on a diet of cheap Asian packet soups to attain the desired results, but taking a two-year-old on this sort of trip is something else entirely. Besides the fact that it is not advisable from a nutritional point of view to rely on packet soups alone to save money, you need to plan for possible illness or accidents. Malaria, yellow fever or cholera as well as poisonous insect or snake bites are real threats in Namibia. Or course I bought an international health insurance policy, and I also found out as much as I could about the local health infrastructure. Babies and small children also need for diapers, baby food and other products – which are also quite costly in Germany. Last but not least:

For different reasons, I was officially discouraged from taking my daughter along to the township where I would conduct my interviews. So I needed daycare. Of course I was aware that this would not be for free in Namibia, although thankfully it is much less expensive than in Germany. Nevertheless, it was yet another figure in my calculation. But I was lucky – a fellow student already had some valuable contacts which allowed me to quickly find a good place for my daughter.

With an approximate total calculation of 4,000 euros for the entire trip, I knew that I desperately needed support. I turned to the UoC’s International Office and found out about the opportunity to apply for a scholarship. The really friendly and helpful “Studying Abroad with Children” scholarship team supported me in my application. A few weeks later I got the reply: The International Mobility and Dual Career & Family Support Departments had selected me for the scholarship! This contributed 1,000 euros to my budget, covering one fourth of the total costs. Since the remaining costs would still have been too much for me to shoulder, I applied for another scholarship in the DAAD’s PROMOS program, which supports students in the phase of writing their final theses. Fortunately, the two scholarships did not exclude one another. I was lucky again and received a further 1,275 euros. This allowed me to finance my research stay.