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Permanence and Picnic Tables Perceptions of Maji Safi Group’s Disease Prevention Center at Shirati KMT District Designated Hospital
Get PDFThis study conducted in Shirati village in the Rorya District of the Mara Region of Tanzania analyzed perspectives on the effectiveness of Maji Safi Group’s Disease Prevention Center at Shirati KMT District Designated Hospital. It took place from April 9th- 24th 2015. The sample frame was those affiliated with or using the Disease Prevention Centers resources. The sample populations were medical professional employed at Shirati Hospital (n = 15), Community Health Workers (n = 11) (CHWs) working for Maji Safi Group, and visitors (n = 113) to the Disease Prevention Center. This study utilized three main methods for data collection: 1) key informant interviews with medical professionals at Shirati Hospital; 2) key informant interviews with CHWs as well as participant observation at the Disease Prevention Center during it’s functioning hours (n = 20); and 3) verbal questionnaires completed by 62% of the 181 visitors to the Disease Prevention Center over 8 days. This data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that medical professionals recognize the need for Maji Safi Group to exist due to their lacking preventative medicine care at the hospital and appreciate the work done at the Disease Prevention Center, CHWs love and are proud of their jobs at the center, and visitors appreciate the center and learn the lessons well. Visitors further have intentions to increase disease prevention practices after having visited the Disease Prevention Center, but the actual application of these strategies can be inhibited by poverty, access to WASH materials, or lack of education. Maji Safi Group is trying to combat the lack of education by empowering locals to take prevention of waterborne diseases seriously. There are many positive views of the center and many requests for Maji Safi Group to extend their programs, but what the findings of this study ultimately showed is that to legitimately gauge and increase the effectiveness of the center, Maji Safi Group must become a permanent movement in Shirati
Fauna Census of Intertidal Cliffs, Mangapwani, Zanzibar
Get PDFDue to their extreme variations in condition over the course of a day, intertidal zones are challenging environments. Organisms that live there must be prepared to cope with both exposure and submersion, not to mention the temperature variations that accompany these conditions. The differing tolerances and adaptations of various organisms to these conditions generally cause patterns of vertical zonation to occur in the intertidal zone, especially when the shore is steep and rocky. Understanding the ecology of shore environments is important to future conservation and management efforts. This study was conducted on a beach in Mangapwani, Zanzibar at at 6˚ 9.874’S and 39˚ 11.281’E. In order to establish what organisms make use of steep, rocky, intertidal habitats in Zanzibar and establish a baseline understanding of the ecosystem with which to compare future changes, a census was taken of the animals living on the intertidal sections of cliffs and steep rock faces and data was analyzed for evidence of vertical zonation patterns. Informal observations of human activity were also made to gauge the likely level of anthropogenic impact already occurring at the site. From April 6 through April 23, organisms were identified and counted along 11 transects with between six and 11 replicates per transect location. Nineteen different kinds of organisms from three phyla (Chordata, Crustacea, Mollusca) were observed over the course of this study. The most numerous animals were acorn barnacles (Chthamalus dentatus), conical barnacles (Tetraclita squamosal rufotincta), limpets (Phylum Mollusca, Family Patellidae), and mussels (Phylum Mollusca, Family Mytilidae). These organisms were all very likely to exhibit distribution patterns along a transect that were found to be significantly inconsistent with random distribution
Analysis of Traditional Medicine in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Get PDFTraditional medicine is used as a major source of health care in developing countries. A small island off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar has traditional medicine embedded in its culture. Informal interviews of community members and healers in four different villages as well as interviews with the Department of Forestry and the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Unit were conducted over a four week study. This study found that community members of four villages in Zanzibar supported the idea of a regulation of traditional medicine by the government. It also found that the majority of traditional medicine users have noticed a decrease in medicinal plants. The support of traditional medicine reaffirms the importance of improvement of traditional medicine through the implementation of the regulation under the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Policy of 2008. Natural resource conservation is one of the ways in which the regulation could best protect the community use of traditional medicine in Zanzibar
Deconstructing Counselling: The Complexity of Psychosocial Support Services in Nakivale Refugee Settlement
Get PDFThis research analyzes the psychosocial social support component of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. The objectives are (1) to define psychosocial support (2) to contextualize what services are being provided in Nakivale (3) to analyze what challenges exist for providing adequate support and (4) to discuss some strategies being employed by refugees and service-providers to combat these difficult circumstances.
56 semi-structured individual and group interviews and 2 focus group discussions were conducted to reach 96 respondents. This total includes Congolese, Rwandan, Burundian, Somali, and Ethiopian male and female refugees and organization representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), American Refugee Committee (ARC), Medical Teams International (MTI), Tutapona, the Refugee Law Project (RLP) and Mental Health Uganda.
The research highlights the interconnectedness of one\u27s surroundings and one\u27s mental-well being and importance of recognizing the overlap in service-provision. Psychosocial support services in Nakivale go beyond individual counselling, group therapy and psychiatric care to include livelihood assistance, material support (including food, non-food items and shelter) and protection. Hence, deconstructing a Westernized outlook on psychotherapy solely as counselling and medication is necessary for an analysis of psychosocial support in a refugee settlement.
The research notes challenges to adequate service-provision to include logistical barriers, material barriers and cultural barriers.The analysis also recognizes strategies for combatting these challenging surroundings: employing a holistic approach, adopting community-based mechanisms for awareness, capitalizing on refugee leadership and using other culturally-based and contextuallyappropriate techniques during sessions and programs.
Overall, psychosocial support services in Nakivale are operating in a a culturally-based framework, but one that is severely limited by lack of personnel and funding in a high-need area. The overlying recommendation is that if this material gap were to be addressed, the effective ethno-central counselling and de-centralized programs which exist could expand to reach and follow-up with more individuals
The Impact of Jordanian Health Care Policy on the Maternal and Reproductive Health Care Seeking Behavior of Syrian Refugee Women
Get PDFOn November 20, 2014, the Jordanian government rescinded the free health care it had provided to Syrian refugees living in the host community. Now, Syrians must pay the same amount as uninsured Jordanians when seeking health care in facilities run by the Jordanian Ministry of Health. Identified as a vulnerable and disadvantaged population, most of the Syrian community is not financially secure and has difficulty meeting the cost of living in Jordan. This study surveyed 36 Syrian women and interviewed 2 of them in order to determine the effects this policy has had on their maternal and reproductive health seeking behavior. It hypothesized that the new health care policy will increase the cost of living for Syrian refugees in the host community and therefore cause them to seek health care for maternal and reproductive health care services less frequently. The results showed that there was a decrease in the number of visits these women made for maternal and reproductive health services after the policy change due to financial stress, although the results are statistically insignificant
EXISTENTIAL AVALANCHE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN DOLPO AND MUSTANG, NEPAL
Get PDFHimalayan communities stand precariously in an era of phenomenological uncertainty. Climate change is merely a lens through which we may observe and begin to understand such localized modern complexities. The people of the Tarap Valley in Dolpo, Nepal have experienced an increase in avalanches, snow leopard attacks and unpredictable precipitation patterns in recent years. In upper Mustang, Nepal, people have endured the harshest winter in generations and suffered from reduced water access. Environmental, climatic and weather related changes in both Himalayan districts have severely impacted traditional livelihoods and led some to adopt modern means of adaptation. Despite the scientific evidence suggesting anthropogenic climate change is the culprit, local perceptions of these shifts are widely based on religious, astrological and traditional understandings. Himalayan communities are among the most impacted by climatic variability, and according to scientists, the changes will only become more drastic. The geographical remoteness of many Himalayan communities exemplifies the disconnect between the modern, international academic understanding of climate change and the confusing reality of the lived experience of climate change. This paper aims to provide a voice to some of the voiceless victims of climate change in the Himalayan communities of Nepal. By understanding the changes, impacts, adaptation methods and perceptions in two communities, practical solutions can be enacted
The Curious Case of Solu Khumbu: A Study of the Effects of Tourism in the Town of Junbesi
Get PDFBefore 1953, the year that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Everest, almost all Sherpas were subsistence farmers, traders, and herders. But ever since the 1980’s, Sherpas have taken over the trekking industry in this region. The increase of tourism and the monopolization of this industry have altered the livelihoods of Sherpas in Solu Khumbu. However, most tourism related research on Solu Khumbu has been done primarily on upper Khumbu, which has been affected by tourism drastically differently than Solu. I will be doing a case study of how the changes in tourism have affected Junbesi, a popular agriculture based town on a major route to Everest. I conducted 7 interviews with various residents of Junbesi including schoolteachers, lodge owners, and shopkeepers. I first asked questions about what kinds of things were changing tourism over time, and then I asked specific questions on how tourism had affected agriculture, economy, the physical geography and environment, culture, labor, and education. Everyone I interviewed was on the same page about the questions of factors of change but most had different opinions about how tourism had affected the specific part of their lives. However, what I was surprised about was that reoccurring trend of nonchalance about the trend of decreasing tourism and how the village viewed the future of their economy. Their nonchalance made me examine more deeply the implications of what tourism had done to Junbesi and how the village had been reacting and using tourism in ways, that one might not originally think
Meditating on Mountain Bikes
Get PDFFor a long time, Nepal has been an exotic destination for adventurers and spiritual wanderers. Geographically, there are no comparisons. “The country is vertical,” said Jagan Biswarka as he pointed across Phewa Lake to the snow-capped mountains. “You can see the 8000 meter from 800 meter. This will be one of the best playgrounds in the world. Nowhere in Nepal. Nowhere in the world.” Mads Mathiasen, a Danish expatriate agrees. “I think very few people realizes how big a contrast there is in Nepal from seventy-one meters above sea level – the lowest place in Nepal – to eight-thousand eight-hundred and fifty meters above sea level – the top of the world on Everest. You have every climate zone imaginable, from sub-tropical to fully active.” The mountain bike community’s worldwide following has always been characterized as niche and passionate. And in Nepal, this is no exception. “Fifteen years ago I could name you every rider in Nepal,” said Mads. “But today it’s... everywhere.” “Mountain Biking is starting to pick up pace,” observed Tashi Bista, an Upper Mustang resident. “More and more tourism – hopefully involving local people increasing.” “Ten years ago there was nothing. This is only the beginning.” Said Tangi Rebours, a French expat and professional mountain biker. “Before, the bicycle was just a means of transportation. Now it has become multi-dimension. Recreation, environment, health, and adventure tourism.” Explained Jagan Biswarka, “I think in ten years we will be booming. Definitely.
Regulation to Promote Children’s Environmental Health in North Carolina: A Case Study of the Toxic Free Kids Act
No full textNorth Carolina’s political environment has shifted drastically toward policies promoting deregulation, elimination of human services, and a laissez-faire economy in the past decade. This dramatic shift was, in part, caused by a super majority of an extremely conservative Republican Party in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly, a Republican governor, a growing Tea Party, and uncompromising political platforms. However, there is a growing movement of passionate, marginalized communities that are joining together to push back in non-traditional ways. One area of focus was the need to ensure children’s health and safety in North Carolina through the implementation of common sense, fact-based policy. In order to succeed, however, it would take a broad based coalition of organizations and advocates that represent a wide array of issues from children’s health, to environmentalists, to disability rights, to grassroots parent organizers.
My organization, Toxic Free NC, joined this fight toward protecting children’s environmental health by helping to build a coalition of organizations referred to as the NC Coalition for Environmental Health. The coalition then drew on its members and partner organizations to work toward environmental health policy in the 2015 legislative session. This capstone examines a case study of the development, filing, advocacy, and strategy to pass the Toxic Free Kids Act (NC Senate Bill 81) that would prohibit the selling or distribution of children’s products that contain predetermined levels of Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and Tris flame retardants in North Carolina. Furthermore, it examines the lessons learned from the advocacy process and how those lessons will inform future work toward a safer and healthier North Carolina.
Keywords: toxics; health; advocacy; children; North Carolina; enviro
Is Soil Quality Linked to PSNP Graduation in East and West Hararghe, Ethiopia?
Get PDFMany households in Ethiopia have struggled to remain food secure and meet their nutritional needs. In response to chronic food insecurity the Ethiopian government developed the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) to provide support to households in the form of food or cash transfers in exchange for public service work. The idea of the program is that households will develop their livelihoods through the public work and eventually become self-sufficient, food secure and graduate from the PSNP.
Some households graduate from PSNP in a shorter time than others, attributing to many different factors. This study looks at soil quality as a factor influencing a household’s ability to graduate and hypothesizes that houses which have already graduated from PSNP will have soil of better quality. The survey was conducted with the University of Maryland’s Qualitative Soil Assessment Book indicator table for PSNP graduate, PSNP participant and non-PSNP households. Results of the survey proved that PSNP graduate households had soil of better quality. The follow paper also discusses the need for further research as well as implications for sustainable development.
PSNP, food insecurity, soil quality, Ethiopi