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Rural Microfinance and Business Ownership Outcomes A Case of Tanzania Educational and Micro Business Opportunity (Tembo) Loan and Non-Loan Recipients in Longido District, Tanzania
Get PDFThe study takes place in a rural area of Tanzania with gender barriers that are extremely difficult to overcome on a cultural level. This research examines outcomes for women in Longido District, Tanzania along the lines of MFI participation, education levels, financial variables, and empowerment variables. This study intends to elaborate this theory by examining the role that education plays in the success of Microfinance Institutions (MFI’s). It was found that MFI participation is correlated with increased financial and overall independence. Higher levels of education are found to be correlated with increased income, financial independence, personal empowerment, and overall independence. Additionally, it was found that access to banking, access to credit, owning multiple assets, family decision making, and the business being operated out of a physical store location were strong indicators of increased income. In conclusion, it is recommended that MFI’s ensure loan groups are composed of those from various levels of education and they teach about proven skills and business strategies that are studied and correlated with earning higher incomes
Medical Ethics: How Resource Distribution Affects the Decision Making of Doctors in Rural India: An Explorative and Comparative Study in Jamkhed, Maharashtra
Get PDFUsing rural Mahrasthra as a case study, I was able to explore the medical ethics and common dilemmas that occur in Rural India. Through a collection of interviews and articles, I was able to piece together my understanding of some common ethical challenges that India faces, emphasizing ones that were unique to the location and circumstance. Using observations I made through my work in the hospital, I learned that limited resources effects all sides of ethics in the medical field, with a signficinant effect on economics, hospital structure, and clinical protocol. In an attempt to source the aspects of Indian society that caused these differences, I decided to explore some notable causes, such as India’s collectivistic society, cultural and religious phenomenon, and medical schooling. Compiling my explorative journey into the following findings, it is notable that western medical ethics is somewhat of a privilege, and changes in bioethic principles hierarchy must be considered when in a medical system that does not have abundant medical resources
Using Social-Emotional Learning to Support Academic Achievement in the Wake of COVID-19: A Case Study Within Boone County Schools
Get PDFThe state of West Virginia has one of the highest national rates of childhood poverty, with 25% of WV children living in poverty as of 2018, and 20% of WV households experiencing food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boone County Schools (BCS) is located in southern WV and serves many students who must overcome the academic barriers of poverty, food insecurity, adverse experiences, the lasting effects of a regional opioid epidemic, and now the social, emotional, and academic challenges stemming from COVID-19. Research suggests that helping students in these demographics develop emotional intelligence promotes their academic and even lifelong success through Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
SEL is a well-researched concept that, when implemented well, empowers students with skills, knowledge and opportunities to enhance their self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Decades of research have proven SEL provides numerous short- and long-term social, emotional, and academic benefits. However, the social, emotional, and academic challenges that have arisen from COVID-19 have created additional challenges students and educators everywhere. Therefore, in this study, I used qualitative research methods to analyze the SEL programs in place at the elementary level within Boone County Schools (BCS), and then created a list of recommendations for BCS as to how they can strengthen their SEL offerings to support students in the wake of the social, emotional, and academic challenges stemming from COVID-19 and virtual learning.
To learn about the current SEL offerings, how they have been affected by COVID-19, and how they could be strengthened, I relied on qualitative research methods and analyzed responses from anonymous surveys made available to all BCS elementary educators, and semi-structured interviews with four administrators within BCS. I also employed secondary data provided by the West Virginia Department of Education to examine socio-demographic and academic achievement data regarding BCS students.
The findings derived from these research methods showed a lack of consistency among schoolwide SEL programs, which contributes to lack of equitable access to traditional SEL for BCS students. Findings showed that while the majority of BCS educators have a desire to integrate SEL, they currently lack the appropriate resources to do so. Fifty percent of surveyed educators felt their students do not have the social-emotional support they need to be academically successful, and findings also revealed a parallel between the percentage of low-SES students and the percentage of students not achieving proficiency on their summative reading assessments. Finally, interview data yielded the realization of a gap in the Handle with Care program, which requires a collaborative effort between community stakeholders.
Ultimately, these findings inform BCS on the current standing of their SEL offerings as understood by educators and administrators. When utilized, this information can be used to meet the growing needs of a vulnerable population who must overcome a multitude of barriers as they strive for academic success
A case study investigating perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cato Manor and Chesterville
Get PDFDespite countries all over the world transitioning to life post COVID-19, there are still many aspects of the pandemic that remain controversial and hot topics of debate. Perhaps among one of the most debated subjects is the question of whether vaccinations are necessary and if they truly had an impact on eliminating the virus. The concept of vaccine hesitancy has become a growing concern and threatens the health of communities around the world.
This project employed a mixed-methodology research design to investigate attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine constructed by community members living in the townships of Cato Manor and Chesterville. Through community engagement involving the distribution of surveys (n=30) and semi-structured informational interviews (n=11), this study identified how the lived experience of South Africans through the pandemic has informed aspects of their vaccine hesitancy. Moreover, by asking questions related to behaviors, beliefs, and associations to the COVID-19 vaccine, this study drew quantitative and qualitative conclusions regarding reasons for hesitancy through the eyes of community members residing in Cato Manor and Chesterville.
Findings from this study concluded that participants had several reasons for choosing to either vaccinate or not vaccinate themselves. Among vaccinated individuals, their reasons included protection from the virus and to protect other community members; whereas unvaccinated individuals were more concerned with the side effects of the vaccine as opposed to catching COVID-19. Information between the two groups was received from similar sources but levels of trust and skepticism separated how the groups decided what information was valid or not. Either way, this study helped understand what perceptions were prevalent during the pandemic and the factors that drove vaccine hesitancy
How Survivors of Domestic Violence Seek Legal and Social Support Against their Abusers in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State in India: An Exploratory Study
Get PDFThis exploratory study sought to gather detailed information about women’s experiences surviving and rehabilitating from domestic violence. This information was used to identify factors that encourage survivors to stay in their relationships and factors that enable them to seek legal and social support against their abusive partners. Qualitative data was gathered through a series of in-depth interviews and panel discussions with survivors of domestic violence in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra (India). This data was analyzed with guidance from Indian feminist theory, local professionals, and contributing research mentors. Further examination of national survey data, past research on domestic violence in Indian contexts, and broader social critique from native academics and activists were used to determine the social, cultural, and religious forces that have contributed to normalizing and perpetuating domestic violence in India. This study was conducted in conjunction with Snehalaya, a non-government organization based in Ahmednagar primarily assisting underprivileged women, children and LGBT communities suffering from poverty and the commercial sex industry
Laguncularia racemosa top-layer sediment microorganism makeup in relation to differing levels of perceived anthropogenic impact in Bocas del Drago, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Get PDFAs mangrove forests are destroyed by human factors across the earth, many crucial ecological processes that take place in these systems of trees are obstructed. One of the most important roles played by mangroves is their ability to sequester carbon in the sediment, as this storage of carbon helps diminish atmospheric warming. Many sediment microorganisms help in this process of carbon sequestration and play various other vital roles in mangrove ecosystems. Microorganisms in marine sediments can be used to assess the health of the surrounding environment. Past research has found significant differences in sediment microorganism composition, abundance, and diversity in relation to varying levels of human pollution. This research aimed to observe the differences in microorganism makeup in Laguncularia racemosa sediment in Bocas del Toro, Panama, between sites of perceived low, medium, and high anthropogenic influence. The data collected was not statistically significant due to the limited scope and lack of controlled environment, but revealed a difference in bacterial abundance, microorganism percent composition, diversity, and evenness between the three sites of perceived low, medium, and high anthropogenic impact. There was also a difference in average biomass of bacteria and protozoa observed between the three sites. These results differ from past literature on the topic of specific increases or decreases of these factors, but align with research asserting an observed difference in marine sediment microorganism composition and abundance between sites of varying levels of anthropogenic impact. Future studies may quantify and isolate relationships between sediment microorganisms and environmental pollution levels
Carpets, Education, and Documentation: A Case Study of the Jawalakhel Tibetan Handicrafts Settlement
Get PDFThe Jawalakhel Handicrafts Center has been the economic center of the Tibetan community in southern Kathmandu since its founding in 1961. The success of the carpet industry in Nepal allowed the Tibetans in Jawalakhel to become economically self-sustaining, the carpet factory provided livelihood for the refugees who fled from Tibet and their children. The young generation, however, has difficulties finding stable jobs due to the fact that they have no documentation and all formal sector jobs in Nepal require proof of documentation. This lack of opportunity among the younger generation has been a major driver of outmigration from Nepal. The Jawalakhel settlement is in decline because of people moving out and a decrease in demand for their carpets.
This paper details the political and community structures active in the Jawalakhel settlement. This paper also lays out the issues that the Jawalkhel settlement faces, namely lack of documentation, unreliable water access, and political repression and the factors that cause those issues. The third goal of this paper is to look at Tibetan identity in the face of Nepali political repression: how Tibetans conceive of their settlement, their own identities, the decline of the population in Jawalakhel, and the future of their settlement
Healing in the Himalayas: Mustangi Medical Practitioners’ Perspectives on Integrative Approaches to Chronic Illness
Get PDFThe purpose of this Independent Study Project is to capture a snapshot of the opinions and experiences of 13 health practitioners from 7 villages and towns in Mustang. Specifically, I asked independent healers (IH), amchis and health post workers about their practices and perspectives on chronic illness, integrative medicine and the intersection of the two. I found that there is a flow of information in one general direction, with practitioners along a continuum of most to least globally recognized. Understandably, the least well known (independent healers) are aware of Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) and conventional Western medicine (CWM). Subcategories of TTM practitioners include lineage practitioners closer to the IH, conventional university-trained amchi, and finally an amchi who is also a CWM health post worker. Awareness and recommendation continued in a relatively one-directional flow towards conventionality. My research concluded with the CWM healthpost workers, who exclusively recommended people to larger health posts and then hospitals “downstream”. I discovered trends that also followed this ‘flow’ in the practitioners’ responses to the questions I asked about how to heal chronic illness, if integrative medicine is possible and helpful, and how integration might be supported. In conclusion, integrative medicine as an approach to chronic illness has been and is organically unfolding, as patients with ongoing pain navigate these systems, educate themselves and find solutions that work for them. Amchis are much more educated on CWM systems, and the education of CWM practitioners on the existence and application of TTM and IH practices would greatly support those patients who often are unaware of their options until stumbling across alternative healing modalities on their own. A time-sensitive and relevant issue is that the local IH I spoke to are grandmothers who don’t have any students and whose children have no interest in learning their healing practices. Cultural preservation in some form would be beneficial to future generations who might be interested in these unique forms of energetic and physical independent healing after the practitioners pass away, as is now happening
Microplastics, The Environment, and Reproductive Health: How is The Accumulation of Microplastics in our Environment and Bodies Impacting Reproductive Health?
Get PDFAs global trends in both production and consumption of plastics continue to evolve, the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastic particles in our everyday lives follow suit. This increasingly relevant problem has only recently been explored in the context of global health, and more specifically, reproductive health. Along with this steady increase in plastics and our exposure to them, researchers have separately observed adverse patterns in reproductive health. The chemicals involved throughout the microplastic life cycle may be playing a key role in these simultaneous patterns. With the aid of previous studies and publications on microplastics, exposure pathways, endocrine disruptors, and reproductive health, the goal of this paper is to establish the linkages between these topics and explore the possibility of a causal relationship
Gen-Z, Gender, & Governmental Grievances: A post-transition political philosophy for the newest generation of women in a ‘failed’ state.
Get PDFOver a decade since the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, a new generation has come into adulthood, grappling with anxieties about their future in the midst of continuous national instability. This paper aims to bridge their sentiments of disillusionment and disengagement towards politics together with general conceptions of life by ‘Generation-Z’ women (between the ages of 18 and 30). The findings follow conceptions of history, freedoms, rights and personal life, particularly as they are affected by gender in Tunisian society. Specifically, this study is interested in how these aspects have changed from before to after the political changes of the past decade, and how they are reflected on by those with limited memory of before. The paper draws on formal (published) literature as well as contemporary online articles on new experimental frameworks, as well as interviews and survey responses from local women based in or near the capital city of Tunis