interview with Milton

Milton - Photo: Jo Herbert

Jo's interview with Milton Luis (12 yrs old)

J: What is your name?
M: Milton Luis

J: How old are you?
M: 12 years old

J: Do you have one brother?
M: I have 2 brothers

J: How old are they?
M: 20 and 19

J: Where do they live?
M: They live here

J: I see you only have one bed, do you all share it?
M: My eldest brother sometimes doesn’t sleep here as sometimes he goes to work or out in the fields so I normally just sleep here with my other brother

J: Is your older brother's work how you get your money to live and buy food?
M: Both of my brothers; they do something together to get money

J: Where are your parents?
M: They died

J: When did they die?
Lydia (Carer): The mother died when he was 3, he didn’t know his mother

J: And your father?
L: The father was the first one to die

J: How did your parents die?
M: I was very young, I do not know

J: Has anybody told you how [they died]?
M: My eldest brother was the one who told me how my mother died. He said she got seriously sick and she could not continue breast feeding and she went to the hospital and she died

J: Do you know what the sickness was?
M: My brother did not say what it was

J: Who has been taking care of you since your parents died?
L: The mother's sister

J: So your Aunty. And where is your Aunt now?
M: She also died in 2002

J: So who has been taking care of you since then?
L: I took them to go and live with me before the building of this house

J: Was that you? [to the carer in the room]. I’m sorry, what is your name?
L: Lydia

J: So you took all of them or just Milton to live with you?
L: Milton and the sister

Milton's House - Photo: Jo Herbert

J: So you live here with your older brother who is the head of the household?
L: Yes, he is the one who takes care of them

J: What is that like? Does he take care of you or does he boss you around?
M: He takes care of us

J: Do you go to school?
M: Yes

J: What time is your schooling?
M: 7am

J: That is early! And what subjects do you study?
M: Mathematics, Portuguese [the national language of Mozambique], special science, natural science, music, art & craft and technical drawing

J: Which is your favourite subject?
M: Mathematics

J: Most teenagers don’t like mathematics in England! What grade are you in?
M: Grade 5

J: Do you know what you want to do when you’re older for a job?
M: I want to be a teacher

J: Why do you want to be a teacher?
M: I would just like to be

J: Will you teach mathematics?
M: Mathematics and social science

J: Where is your sister?
M: She went to visit our grandmother

J: Where does your grandmother live?
M: 400km from here

J: When did you last see your grandmother
M: I saw her last month

J: Do you only have one sister?
M: Yes

J: And how old is she?
M: 18

J: Does she work or is she studying?
M: She studies

J: What do you think of Kubatsirana [Tearfund's partner organisation]?
M: It is doing very good things

J: And how have they helped you?
M: Many things, uniforms, school fees.....and the exercise books

J: And they built the house for you as well?
M: Yes

J: Do you have people who come and visit you?
M: Yes

J: Are they volunteers?
M: They are people from Kubatsirana

Milton - Photo: Jo Herbert

J: And what do they do when they come?
M: They give me advice, they ask me if I’ve been to school. They tell me that I must not stop going to school, they urge me to continue going to school

J: Do they only give you advice about school or about other things as well?
M: When I am sick they come to take me to the hospital

J: When was the last time you were sick?
M: Last week I had a headache. So they came and gave me some pills, and it disappeared

J: What are your hobbies, what do you enjoy doing?
M: Studying, playing football

This page was last updated on 03 October 2008