Meet the researcher: Aaron Faro Mvula – Understanding the experiences of young unmarried fathers in rural Zambia

Aaron Faro Mvula is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education, and Language Studies (WELS) at The Open University. He previously worked as a lecturer in social work at the University of Zambia and as a senior social worker under the University Teaching Hospital HIV and AIDS Programme (UTH-HAP) in Zambia.

What is your doctoral research about?

My research project investigates the lived experiences of unmarried young fathers in rural Zambia, in the Eastern region specifically.

Why do you think this topic is relevant?

My interest in this area started when I was work in a quasi-government unit where I worked with adolescents living with HIV. I noticed an increasing number of young people become parents at an early age. Many of them were unemployed and I wondered how they were able to navigate their parenting roles such as providing financial support for their children. This stimulated my interest and I decided to explore this further.

Initially, I was interested in looking at teenage pregnancies and young motherhood and young fatherhood was supposed to be a complementary subject to compare parenting practices and issues of involvement.

While reviewing the literature on this subject, I discovered that extensive studies had been undertaken on teenage pregnancy and young motherhood but there was a knowledge gap on fatherhood. A major gap that I discovered was the absence of research involving unmarried young fathers in rural settings. At the time I was starting my project, I think there was just one publication that looked at the parenting practices of young fathers in Zambia. So, I felt I could make a significant contribution here.

Why did you decide to join the Centre for the Study of Global Development?

One of the things that the CSGD offers is the ability to network with others and this helps me learn from other researchers affiliated with the Centre.

What would be your advice to future doctoral students?

My advice is to be open to unexpected things as things may change as you work on your PhD.

Find out more about Aaron Faro Mvula and his research.

This interview was conducted by Motunrayo Oladeji.