Leah Mwaisango Kalemela, a lecturer at the Institute of Social Work in Tanzania, is widely recognised for her influential contributions to child welfare and social work in general. Prior to her PhD, Leah worked extensively with children in vulnerable settings such as remand homes, juvenile courts and street children. Her main areas of research include child welfare and protection, early childhood development, and cultural and social change and its impact on children's experiences. Through her doctoral research, she has gained expertise in ethnographic research methods, which help her to explore and understand children's realities in depth.
She completed her PhD in International Development at the University of Vienna in March 2024. Her research on "The Life Experiences of Children Living in Child-headed Households (CHH) in Sukumaland: The case of Kasamwa Ward, Geita, Tanzania" was conducted within the APPEAR project on “Professional Social Work in East Africa | PROSOWO.
CHH has produced endless discourse not only in terms of its formations, where it is largely associated with the emergence of HIV and AIDS, but also in terms of experiences where CHHs are mostly being associated with risks and vulnerabilities while few studies acknowledging their agency as well. Before the scourge of this epidemic, CHH was associated with labor migration, wars and conflicts, natural disasters, urbanization, change in land use and demography. Most of studies about CHH in Tanzania concentrated much on CHH creations and its socio economical and psychological effects. There is scarce information on knowledge, skills and strategies employed into CHH everyday lives. Therefore, this ethnographic study guided by Actor oriented approach took place in Kasamwa ward-Sukumaland in Tanzania, assessed the everyday experiences of children living in the child headed households (CHH). The study aimed at understanding 1) Specific social / political / economic transformations that are influencing childhood understanding and the experiences of children. 2) The kind of agency existing in everyday strategies employed by children in dealing with life challenges, dynamics and problems. 3) The children’s perceptions about their everyday experiences and their rationale for their living strategies. Upon understanding the CHH experiences, a qualitative study was employed, purposeful and snowball sampling were employed to recruit CHH in the study. Participants’ observations, narrative interviews, mental maps and drawings with children’s methods were employed. Through grounded theory analysis, this thesis revealed that multiple social, political and economic transformations that took place in Sukumaland over decades from precolonial to post-colonial period influenced changes in childhood constructs and experiences including CHH. Moreover, it was revealed that living in CHH positions children at risks as most literature in childhood shows, although in responding to their situations high level of agency was revealed among children. Children reasoned, judged and purposely opted for something, which in most cases was a result of what they routinely use to do before started living in CHH. Furthermore, the thesis revealed that in certain ways social structures limited agency development among children but also in some ways they supported children in developing and exercising their agency. Children perceived their situation differently, hence their coping mechanisms contributed to changes in social relations, especially gender relations, work and care work.
Leah stresses the importance of using ethnographic methods within social works. This gave her the opportunity to participate openly in the children's daily lives for about eight months. Observing the children, listening to what they said, asking questions in informal and formal interviews and collecting all the data available helped to understand the children's experiences. Together with an actor-oriented and thus person-centred approach, it was possible to analyse childhood constructs and experiences as well as negotiations. Participant observation and children's and local people's narratives enhanced the understanding of Sukuma culture and the production of current discourses about children's experiences at the local community level. This approach was useful as it allowed children to express their views and ideas about their daily experiences, perceptions, feelings, attitudes and understanding of their situation.
This thesis highlights important implications for Tanzanian child welfare stakeholders, including policymakers, social workers, community developers, educators, and NGOs. It emphasizes the need for these groups to recognize the diversity of children, particularly Child-Headed Households (CHH), and to consider local contexts when developing strategies for child welfare.
Prior to joining ISW, Leah worked with the Tanzania Gender and Network Programme (TGNP) on voluntary basis and as a consultant. She has also worked at Selian Lutheran Hospital as an HIV and AIDS counsellor, trainer and consultant on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and Youth Livelihood Skills. Morever, she has participated in many social work related conferences and activities both nationally and internationally. Leah´s ongoing efforts aim at influencing child welfare policies and inspiring the next generation of social workers dedicated to safeguarding the rights and well-being of children in Tanzania.