In the early 1980s, Kathleen Sheldon traveled to Mozambique to pursue research for her doctoral dissertation in history, accompanied by her physician husband who worked for the Ministry of Health, and their toddler daughter who attended local childcare. Their travel there was an act of solidarity with the newly independent socialist Frelimo government, which had called for international supporters who were called cooperantes. Amidst the height of the Cold War, international politics impeded her research and her family's access to food and other essential supplies. For many Mozambicans, those years are remembered as the mackerel years (os anos de carapau), referring to the distasteful fish that for many months was the only source of protein available in the markets.