1358 research outputs found
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Community capacity building, tourism and environmental conservation: The case of the Honde Valley Bamboo Crafts Project, Zimbabwe
No full textProduction of bamboo baskets for the Zimbabwean mass market resulted in the depletion
of the bamboo grass which threatened the livelihoods of the Honde Valley community who
derived their income from selling bamboo crafts. The objective of the study was to assess the
impact of community capacity building programmes on stakeholders’ attitudes towards
environmental conservation, changes in livelihoods, creation of new bamboo basketry
products and opening up of new markets. The study used the qualitative methodology. Face to-
face interviews were held with community members in the Honde Valley. A review of
related literature was undertaken and annual reports of the NGO working with the community
were also accessed. The study found out that after initial training community members realised
the advantages of producing high quality high value bamboo basketry for the tourism industry
as compared to producing high volume low value products for the local mass market. The
study further found out that the new products demanded low volumes of bamboo material
which resulted in sustainable use of the resource. Finally, the study observed general
improvements in the livelihoods of community members in terms of increased household
income, increased technical skills and exposure to the tourism market through national and
international network linkages. The study concluded that the programmes enhanced the
practical skills of the community members in bamboo basketry making, improved their
livelihoods, expanded their mental and social horizons and created new markets for their
products. The study recommends expansion of the capacity building programmes to include
business management and entrepreneurship, expansion of the market linkages and targeted
exposure of the products to the tourism industry
Road infrastructure development funding models: A comparative case study of Zimbabwe National Road Administration and South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited
No full textThe study made a comparative assessment of the road infrastructure development funding
models between ZINARA and SANRAL of South Africa. There is a lack of a properly
designed road infrastructure development funding model in Zimbabwe that has seen an
over reliance on one funding model that has failed to attract adequate funding as evidenced by
road maintenance backlog and impassable roads. As such, the study made an attempt to
identify possible funding models that can be utilised to improve road infrastructure
development in Zimbabwe. The study also looked at case study funding models that are being
used by SANRAL which could be adopted in Zimbabwe.
In order to ascertain whether there are significant differences between the revenue turnover of
ZINARA and SANRAL, a hypothesis test was carried in order to give recommendations on
the most appropriate models that ZINARA can adopt. A descriptive survey research that
utilised a structured questionnaire was used to lobby the opinions of research participants in
government and local authorities. A stratified purposive sampling comprising of individuals
in government departments and local authorities like Rural District Councils (RDCs) and
Urban Councils (UCs) was used to build a representative sample from the target population.
Interviews with the management and employees of the aforementioned groups were also
utilised as a complimenting process to the administration of the structured questionnaire.
Out of the eight investigated possible international funding models that are in use in both
developed and developing countries, the study established the use of public financing, private
financing, PPPs and infrastructure bonds as the most suitable models for adoption in
Zimbabwe. On the other hand, national treasury, concessions through PPPs, capital market
borrowings and direct foreign investments are the South African road infrastructure funding
models that Zimbabwe (ZINARA) can use in order to improve its road infrastructure status. It
is therefore evident that public financing, private financing, public-private partnerships and
infrastructure bonds are the international funding models that can be adopted and
implemented by the ZINARA. From a regional perspective, Zimbabwe should adopt national
treasury, concessions through public-private partnerships, capital market borrowings and
direct foreign investments as funding models for better road infrastructure. The government
of Zimbabwe should therefore explore concessions to private players to fund the construction
of major state highways
The influence of employee share ownership schemes on firm performance: The case of Zimbabwean firms
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the influence of employee share ownership schemes on firm performance in the case of Zimbabwean companies. The study sought to provide valuable insights on the influence of this initiative on employee productivity and organisational performance in Zimbabwe. A cross sectional design was employed to collect data from Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry listed companies using simple random sampling. The study revealed that financial benefits from EOSs, employee participation, ECOS communication and percentage of shareholding have a significant positive relationship with firm performance. The study has important implications for the implementation and management of ESOs in the context of a development country such as Zimbabwe
Logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis in the evaluation of factors associated with stunting in children: Divergence and similarity of the statistical methods
No full textBackground: Stunting is a well-established child health indicator of chronic malnutrition
which is associated with biological, environmental and socioeconomic factors. Logistic
regression and linear discriminant analysis are two statistical methods that can be used to predict or classify subjects as either stunted or not stunted based on all or a subset of measured predictor variables. The predictive accuracy of the two methods were compared with respect to several attributes of each of the methods.
Methods: Data used for the study was extracted from the Zvitambo trial data set. The
multivariable logistic regression and linear discriminant models were fitted using 20
bootstrap samples for cross validation of the coefficients. The two models were compared with respect to the variables selected, the sign and magnitude of the coefficients, sensitivity, specificity, overall classification rate and areas under ROC curves. The two methods were applied in combination to check if predictive accuracy would improve.
Results: Logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis had the same predictive
accuracy with classification rates of 78.76% and 78.86% respectively. Both methods
identified two common factors, sex and birth weight, and the coefficients of the two factors had the same negative sign but the magnitude differed significantly, both had low sensitivity (13.19% and 8.68%) and high specificity (97.44% and 98.24%). Combining the two methods did not improve predictive accuracy (71.5% before and 70.24% after).
Conclusion: The two multivariable techniques tend to converge in classification accuracy mainly when the sample size is large (>50) but when faced with making a choice between the two, it is recommended to use the method whose assumptions for application are fulfilled
Determinants of multidrug resistance amongst turberculosis patients in Matabeleland North and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces, 2013
No full textIntroduction: Multidrug resistance tuberculosis is an emerging threat to the management of TB in Zimbabwe. The aim of the study was to investigate the determinants of MDR-TB in Matabeleland North and Bulawayo Metropolitan Provinces of Zimbabwe.
Methods: A case control study was conducted. Eighty cases and two hundred and forty controls were enrolled into the study. Cases were randomly selected from a line list of MDR-TB cases diagnosed via susceptibility testing between 2011 and 2013. Controls were randomly selected from those who had tested negative for MDR-TB via sensitivity testing. Bivariate analysis and stratified analysis were conducted. Stepwise forward logistic regression was used to control for confounding and assess for effect modification.
Results: Risk factors for MDR-TB were: history of contact with MDR-TB case (AOR= 4.46, 95% CI; 2.02-9.88), history of hospitalization (AOR= 2.91 95% CI; 1.62-5.23) and travel outside Zimbabwe (AOR= 2.68 95% CI; 1.46-4.91). Protective factors were: “successful outcome” on previous treatment (AOR= 0.05 95% CI; 0.02-0.11), history of prior treatment supervision by a Health Worker or Village Health Worker (AOR= 0.34 95% CI; 0.19-0.60) and having been treated not more than once before for TB (AOR= 0.18 95% CI; 0.08-0.38). There was no association between HIV infection and MDR-TB (AOR=1.00 95% CI; 0.53-1.88). Patients with a CD4 of less than 200 were more likely to develop
MDR-TB (AOR= 4.62 95% CI; 2.49-8.53).
Conclusion: Treatment interruption, contact with MDR-TB cases, history of travel outside Zimbabwe, history of hospitalization, two or more previous TB episodes and history of previous TB medicines side effects are significant risk factors for MDR-TB in Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces. A successful outcome during previous treatment and being supervised by a Health Worker or a Village Health Worker are significantly protective against having MDR-TB in both provinces. To reduce the MDR-TB burden in Zimbabwe, contact tracing for all MDR-TB patients and continuous adherence counseling during TB treatment need to be strengthened. All TB patients need to be supervised by either Health Workers or Village Health Workers during TB
Factors associated with sexually transmitted infections among youths in Umguza district, 2014
No full textAnnually, the World reports five hundred million sexually transmitted infections (WHO
2010). Sexually transmitted infections if not treated early have serious consequences to the youth. These effects range from those which are irreversible such as contracting of HIV to those that have huge negative effects in the long run like infertility and genital ulcers. The study sought to investigate factors associated with Sexually Transmitted Infections among youths in Umguza district.
Methods:
An analytical cross sectional study was done in Ward 1 and Ward 8 of Umguza district. The social ecological model and health belief models were used to come up with the conceptual framework used in the study. Data were collected from 173 participants using self-administered questionnaires in both English and Ndebele.
Results:
Females who received gifts or money for sex were more likely to report a sexually
transmitted infection (STI) episode (POR: 5.91, 95% CI 1.7-20). Youths who frequented
night clubs were more likely to report having had an STI episode (POR: 3.26, 95% CI: 1.6-6.79). Youths who had multiple concurrent sexual partners were likely to report having had an STI (POR: 2.30, 95% CI :( 1.05- 5.08).Those below the age of twenty were unlikely to report an STI episode (POR: 0.1297, CI: 0.06-0.273).
Conclusions:
Indulging in transactional sex, dropping out of school, being female and watching
pornography were found to be associated with contracting sexually transmitted infections among youths in Umguza District. Therefore as preventive measures, youths should stay in school (spend more years in school) and should not watch pornography
The HIV profile of patients with invasive cervical cancer at Harare's Central hospitals
No full textA cross sectional, descriptive study of Invasive Cervical Cancer(ICC) patients managed at Harare’s 2 central hospitals. The association of HIV with ICC has been investigated by several studies, however there is no published local data on patients with both disease entities. This study aimed to produce data that would provide a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem of ICC and HIV currently, in order to inform policy and identify further research potential. One hundred and ten women were recruited between February and December of 2013 and data was obtained using a standard questionnaire by participant interview and extracted from treatment records. The main findings were that 41.8% of the participants were HIV seropositive.
The HIV positive patients were significantly younger than the HIV negative patients, with a mean age of 42.7, s.d= 8.0 years versus mean age of 53.0 years, s.d=12.7 years(p<0.001). Of the HIV positive participants 35(76.1%) were on HAART. The majority(63%) of HIV positive participants had CD4 cell counts greater than 350 cells/ul. HIV positive patients were more likely to have advanced disease, that is FIGO stage 2b or greater O.R 1.23(C.I 0.41-3.68). This study found a large proportion of ICC patients to be HIV positive. The majority of HIV positive participants with ICC were also accessing HAART implying a possible missed opportunity for screening. Therefore provision for screening may be considered within the setting of opportunistic infections clinics
The relationship between knowledge levels and practice of dual contraception as a prevention of unplanned pregnancy, abortions, sexually transmitted infections including Human Immuno Virus
No full textUnplanned pregnancy is the major cause of induced abortion one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in the world (Mambolea, 2012). At Morgenster mission hospital there is an increasing number of women presenting with problems related with unplanned pregnancies. This was revealed through a growing number of women aged 15 to24 years admitted following illegal abortion. Hundred thousands of women become pregnant without intending and most of them decide to end the pregnancy in abortions. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between knowledge levels and practice of dual contraception as a prevention of unplanned pregnancy, abortions, sexual transmitted infections including HIV infection, among women aged 15 to 24 years at Morgenster mission hospital. Health Belief Model was used to provide the theoretical frame to guide the study. A quantitative, descriptive correlational design was used in this study. A sample size of 84 women was selected using convenient sampling technique. The inclusion criteria were all women aged15 to 24 years enrolled at Morgenster mission hospital. Structured interview schedule was done for 20 to 25 minutes to participant in a private room. Descriptive inferential statistics were used to analyse data. The major findings of the participant had high knowledge on dual contraception. Mean score was 10.6, standard deviation of2. 3 and on practice of dual contraception mean score was 2.6 and standard deviation 2.1 .The findings indicated a positive significant relationship between knowledge levels and practice on dual contraception r =. 260*, p<=0.017.Regression analysis was done and regression coefficient was R squared = .068 which means 6.8% variations or change in practice of dual contraception is explained by change in knowledge levels on dual contraception. Midwifery practice should emphasize on practice of dual contraception as of unplanned pregnancy, STIs including HIV during family planning sessions
Capital structure and corporate profitability in Zimbabwe: Case of the banking sector (June-2009 to June-2015)
No full textThe main aim of this study was to find the effects of capital structure on the profitability of the Zimbabwean banks. In so doing, panel data collected from financial statements of five listed banks for the period June-2009 to June-2015 were used. STATA version 12 was used for the estimations. As suggested by the Hausman Specification Test, the study adopted the Random Effects Model and found that capital structure is irrelevant since the positive relationship found between capital structure (as measured by total liabilities to equity) and profitability (as measured by return on assets) is insignificant as predicted by the Modigliani-Miller Proposition I. The study findings defied the predictions of the Trade-off Theory as they demonstrated that the coefficient of the square of capital structure was insignificant. Bank’s market share, inflation and economic growth are found to have positive impact on bank profitability whilst bank age and bank size negatively affect bank profitability. Capital structure irrelevance, has led this study into advising the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to make available as many financial instruments which banks should use in their quest to attain minimum capital requirements. Banks are also advised to lure depositors as increase in market shares increases their profitability. Banks are also advised to increase their investments in assets with positive net present value. The government of Zimbabwe is also advised to ease the costs of doing business so that national output increases as it positively affects bank profitabilityAfrican Economic Research Consortium (AERC