Exchange Of Instrumental Support Between Grandparents And Grandchildren In Sengerema District, Tanzania

Instrumental support is an important component of intergenerational caregiving because it enables family members to meet practical, material, and everyday household needs. This study assessed instrumental support exchanged between grandparents and grandchildren in Sengerema District, Tanzania. A qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenological design were employed to explore participants’ lived experiences of intergenerational caregiving. The study involved nine interview participants, comprising five grandparents and four grandchildren, together with two Focus Group Discussions involving grandparents and older grandchildren. Participants were purposively selected, with snowball sampling used as a supplementary technique. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and observation and were analysed thematically. Findings showed that instrumental support was exchanged through provision of basic needs, farming activities, financial assistance, comprehensive care for young grandchildren, and household errands and responsibilities. Grandparents mainly provided food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, educational requirements, money, supervision, and personal care, particularly when grandchildren were young. In return, grandchildren contributed through farming, fetching water, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, caring for domestic animals, running errands, and assisting grandparents with physically demanding tasks. The findings demonstrate that instrumental reciprocity was dynamic rather than equal or simultaneous and changed according to age, physical ability, schooling, health, and household circumstances. The study concludes that instrumental support between grandparents and grandchildren represents a complementary system of intergenerational assistance that contributes to household functioning and family wellbeing.