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Exploring Community Health through the lens of the Community Unit in Kariobangi North and the Surrounding Areas
Get PDFHealthcare is a challenge in countries of the Global South. Not only do climates and trends of rapid urbanization affect the health status of many negatively, but also many health facilities are inaccessible and not of good quality, they lack enough medical personnel and lack the resources to adequately provide for patients who do not have the resources them selves. As the wealth gap increases all over the world and resources continue to be distributed unequally communicable and non-communicable health issues plague those in urban and rural settings at an alarmingly high rate and as health innovation has worked to end these health issues they do not always reach the most marginalized and vulnerable populations – those living in the very rural environment and those living in low-income urban areas and informal urban settlements (slums). New healthcare systems have been emerging all over the global south in hopes of facing these public health issues head. They utilize a strategy based on referral and trying to meet people where they are at – in the community. Community health systems encourage community participation in the community health and strive to provide true basic, primary, accessible health care to all and to attack larger public health issues as community units as opposed to individuals. How do these community units work in informal urban settlements? This study aims to answer that question by looking at a specific area in the Eastlands part of Nairobi, Kenya. It takes an in-depth look at the functioning of the Kenyan community care strategy and the specific issues around it in one specific low-income area
How South Africa’s Collective Memory of the ANC’s Armed Struggle Has Shaped Political Allegiances and National Identity in Modern South Africa
Get PDFThis paper focuses on how certain narratives from the ANC’s armed struggle are “lived out” through modern South Africans’ political allegiances and concepts of national identity. This article starts by discerning which strands of history the popular narrative of the armed struggle fails to adequately acknowledge. From there, the research analyzes how those forgotten narratives have impacted South Africans’ faith in the ANC government and path toward becoming a reconciled, rainbow nation. The data indicates that a more inclusive narrative of the ANC’s armed struggle is necessary for the country to attain its goals of becoming a nonracial, reconciled democracy built upon entrenched Constitution values
The Effectiveness of Political Quotas in Representing Rwandan Citizens
Get PDFPolitical quotas are controversial solutions for addressing the representative problems that arise within democratic institutions. The fundamental reasoning behind a state adopting the usage of political quotas is to promote political empowerment for its citizens. The Constitution of Rwanda ensures that numerically different identity groups have political representation vis-à-vis political quotas. Does this written decree of democratic progress on the macro level extend to effectively elevate the social and political status of individuals within the micro level? The simplified question: are political quotas viable solutions for protecting political representation amongst different sects of a state’s population within democratic institutions? Results conclude that in Rwanda, political representation at the macro level does not necessarily transcend to the micro level—which would ultimately establish equality amongst different identity groups. Political representation is, however; and this is the fundamental benefit of political quotas, a means through which Rwandan citizenry can enter the political discourse and produce shifts within the legal framework to better advance their social, economic, and political rights
The Inspired Shes Podcast: The stories of the Female Voice in Hip Hop
Get PDFThis alternative ISP seeks to tell stories of women involved in the Senegalese hip-hop movement through the podcast medium. This paper describes briefly the history of hip-hop in Senegal, women’s increasing role in the genre and what it means to be a woman engaged in Senegalese hip-hop today. Six women with varying roles in the hip-hop community share their stories and thoughts about hip-hop as a whole and more specifically what it means to be a woman in the industry. These stories include: why it is important to have females in hip-hop, that hip-hop is more than just rapping, why there was a sudden absence of female artists, the content of their music, how the media has affected the hip-hop scene, and why women are both excited and scared for an upcoming generation of new female rappers. Using a podcast as a vehicle for this information allows for music, interviews, and anecdotes to be heard as one. The podcast describes who is being interviewed and why. Informants discuss their views on the past generation of women in the hip-hop genre and the girls who are coming up now. The music played in the podcast is used to demonstrate the styles of the Senegalese rappers being referenced. The songs are chosen to represent the styles of these female artists.
This alternative ISP seeks to tell stories of women involved in the Senegalese hip-hop movement through the podcast medium. This paper describes briefly the history of hip-hop in Senegal, women’s increasing role in the genre and what it means to be a woman engaged in Senegalese hip-hop today. Six women with varying roles in the hip-hop community share their stories and thoughts about hip-hop as a whole and more specifically what it means to be a woman in the industry. These stories include: why it is important to have females in hip-hop, that hip-hop is more than just rapping, why there was a sudden absence of female artists, the content of their music, how the media has affected the hip-hop scene, and why women are both excited and scared for an upcoming generation of new female rappers. Using a podcast as a vehicle for this information allows for music, interviews, and anecdotes to be heard as one. The podcast describes who is being interviewed and why. Informants discuss their views on the past generation of women in the hip-hop genre and the girls who are coming up now. The music played in the podcast is used to demonstrate the styles of the Senegalese rappers being referenced. The songs are chosen to represent the styles of these female artists
Historical Perspectives on a National Heroine: R.A. Kartini and the Politics of Memory
Get PDFR.A. Kartini is an Indonesian national heroine, considered Indonesia’s founding feminist. Because of her inherently political status as a woman, a Javanese subject of Dutch colonialism, and an aristocrat, her memory has been used in diverse ways throughout history. In this paper I examine four main periods in which Kartini’s image has been dictated due to current political and social climates: Dutch imperialism, Indonesian independence, the New Order, and the present day. This paper is based on three weeks of research and fieldwork, including eight interviews with eleven informants, who had a diverse range of educational backgrounds and knowledge of history. My results attempt to identify trends in the use of the politics of memory surrounding Kartini and the reasons she is able to be contextualized in so many different ways
The Price on Our Practices: Motivation and Cultural Commodification in the Mongolian Tourism Industry
Get PDFMongolia, a country as rich in culture as it is in natural resources, is beginning the process of diversifying its economy beyond the mining sector. This process is opening the door to new industries such as tourism, and more specifically, culture-based tourism. The development of such an industry often leads to a phenomenon known as cultural commodification, by which local communities and peoples alter and sell cultural practices and experiences to tourists in return for a profit. Economically, the marketing of cultural practices is beneficial to local communities within Mongolia, but this conclusion is often drawn without considering other implications of a growing tourism industry. Through the methodology of participant observation and interviews of 20 individuals in Khuvsgul, Bayan-Olgii, and Ulaanbaatar, this study attempts to understand the motivations for developing the Mongolian tourism industry and the effects of this development on local peoples who participate in the industry. The participant observation research was conducted among two community groups, the Tsaatan reindeer herders of Northern Khuvsgul and the Kazakh eagle-hunters of Bayan-Olgii. The Mongolian tourism industry is in its infancy, and therefore presents the ideal climate for research and obtaining results that could influence future decisions pertaining to tourism within the country, both at the national and local levels. The research and analysis allowed for the drawing of four sub-conclusions, which contributed to the greater understanding of the Mongolian tourism industries development and effects on local communities. These sub-conclusions include the ideas of misunderstandings of tourism development, systematic unawareness of community-based tourism initiatives and their development, the multi-motivational reasoning for the development of community-based ethnic tourism, and the effects of cultural commodification on perceptions of authenticity of cultural practices
A Home In The Hills: Examining the Socioeconomic Benefits of Homestay Tourism on Rural Women and Their Communities in the Darjeeling District
Get PDFOver the last several decades, India has become recognized as a desirable destination for tourists seeking a variety of cultural experiences. The district of Darjeeling located in the northeastern state of West Bengal, which is notorious for its beautiful mountain scenery and world-renowned tea gardens, attracts large levels of domestic and international tourists each year. Recently, a popular trend called “homestay tourism” has emerged in Darjeeling, in which tourists choose to stay in small, family-owned homes rather than in large, commercialized hotels and resorts. This increasing demand for homestays may be explained by recent global social and cultural changes resulting in greater interest and appreciation in cultural heritage, lifestyles and environmental concerns. As a result, homestay ownership has developed as a form of alternative livelihood in both urban and rural areas throughout Darjeeling, with potential for social, cultural, and economic benefits for men as well as women. Previous studies exploring the impacts of tourism on rural communities conclude that the micro- businesses of local homestays provide a multitude of benefits for women, including increased financial stability, employment, improved inter-household relationships, and greater access to various social goods (Hampton, 2003; Anand et al., 2012; Acharya et al., 2013; Mensah et al., 2012). Relying on both qualitative and quantitative methods, this study examined the social, cultural, and economic benefits of rural homestay tourism at the inter-household level in five distinct villages throughout Darjeeling. Using methods of research collection such as personal interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observation, I explored the extent to which rural homestays are benefiting women in rural areas, and how they are able to utilize resources allocated from owning homestays. In doing so, I discovered that rural homestays benefit women by providing them with a consistent income, increasing their social upliftment, and by providing a catalyst for socioeconomic improvements within their own communities
Working With Locals to Restore Biodiversity to a Rubber Dominated Landscape
Get PDFXishuangbanna, in Yunnan,China, contains the country’s highest concentration of biodiversity. Since the 1980s,rubber plantations have replaced a significant portion of the prefecture’s lowland Seasonal Tropical Rainforest, leading to wildlife habitat loss and other environmental issues.Monoculture farming practices also leave farmers economically vulnerable to market fluctuations. To learn the best solutions for increasing ecosystem services and income stability in rubber-dominated areas, the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) project Green Rubber engages smallholders directly in establishing and maintaining scientifically rigorous intercropping experiments in their villages.
Using Man’e village and the Green Rubber project as a case study, I asked to what degree and through what means can local knowledge improve environmentally-friendly rubber initiatives. I employed formal surveys of residents (sample of 52), guided interviews with several key informants, tours to the local nature reserve, and visits to rubber farms to discover what local knowledge exists of use in designing intercropping projects. To learn how scientists may use such knowledge, I employed participant observation during the scientists’ process of establishing initial communication with the village.
My results indicate that there is significant knowledge present in the village that can be of use for restoration ecologists in designing green rubber that is adapted to the local economy and local resource consumption patterns. This knowledge lies scattered in disparate aspects of the community; finding it requires looking carefully and learning holistically about the community. Furthermore, before they can establish a practical platform from which to engage locals in their project, researchers must develop close communication with the villagers.
These results can inform initial planning at future study sites within the Green Rubber project and other initiatives to encourage rural communities to adopt sustainable rubber growing practices
Cus M! Let’s Go!: The Flourishing of Bali’s Komunitas Gay in the HIV/AIDS Crisis
Get PDFThis paper draws on approximately one month of field research with two Indonesian Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), exploring how Bali’s komunitas gay has been affected by, reacted to, proactively combated, and even transcended the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic. This paper first situates the argument by explaining the uniqueness of Bali as a site of HIV/AIDS resurgence and centre of gay life in Indonesia. In this context, the paper discusses the observed phenomena, testimony of experiences from collaborators, and the role one of these NGOs plays in the community. This paper argues against the commonly-held static and victimizing notion that the HIV/AIDS crisis has only caused sickness and a simple reactionary movement for safer sex. Rather, it argues for a more nuanced understanding of how the komunitas gay and its members have empowered themselves to not only confront the virus, but in effect also create a comprehensively stronger community and self. Essentially, the HIV/AIDS crisis has not exposed weaknesses in a static community as much as highlighted a dynamic process of empowerment and strengthening
Women’s Work in a Rural Village: Realities, Motivations, and Satisfaction
Get PDFAccording to a United Nations report published in 2004, the remaining key challenge to women’s empowerment and gender equality is “women’s indifference to their own empowerment. [1] Initially I was interested in conducting my fieldwork on the state of women’s satisfaction with women’s rights and gender equality in Indonesia, as well as limits to greater equality. Before beginning my study, I spent time considering this declaration about women’s indifference as a potential barrier to greater empowerment and equality, as well as the biases inherent in the statement. I decided to not focus directly on women’s satisfaction with gender equality, since I did not want to approach my fieldwork with a mindset that would be incompatible with the mindset of my informants. That is, I chose to not explore perceptions about gender equality directly since I would not be able to put aside my Western, feminist biases to ask unbiased questions.
Instead, I chose to explore women’s daily lives, specifically focusing on women’s work. I chose to explore women’s work because I am interested in women’s daily lives and satisfaction in a patriarchal society where women’s role has historically been primarily domestic. Ultimately, women’s work is a lens through which I seek to understand the way women think of their roles in the community. Though my analysis demonstrates my bias towards feminism, I hope to also give voice to my informants’ stories as they told them.
[1] United Nations, “Women Watch: Indonesia. Overview and Achievements and Challenges in Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” (2004:11