275 research outputs found
System Effectiveness of a Targeted Free mass Distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
No full textInsecticide-treated nets (ITN) and long-lasting insecticidal treated nets (LLIN) are important means of malaria prevention. Although there is consensus regarding their importance, there is uncertainty as to which delivery strategies are optimal for dispensing these life saving interventions. A targeted mass distribution of free LLINs to children under five and pregnant women was implemented in Zanzibar between August 2005 and January 2006. The outcomes of this distribution among children under five were evaluated, four to nine months after implementation. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in May 2006 in two districts of Zanzibar: Micheweni (MI) on Pemba Island and North A (NA) on Unguja Island. Household interviews were conducted with 509 caretakers of under-five children, who were surveyed for socio-economic status, the net distribution process, perceptions and use of bed nets. Each step in the distribution process was assessed in all children one to five years of age for unconditional and conditional proportion of success. System effectiveness (the accumulated proportion of success) and equity effectiveness were calculated, and predictors for LLIN use were identified. The overall proportion of children under five sleeping under any type of treated net was 83.7% (318/380) in MI and 91.8% (357/389) in NA. The LLIN usage was 56.8% (216/380) in MI and 86.9% (338/389) in NA. Overall system effectiveness was 49% in MI and 87% in NA, and equity was found in the distribution scale-up in NA. In both districts, the predicting factor of a child sleeping under an LLIN was caretakers thinking that LLINs are better than conventional nets (OR = 2.8, p = 0.005 in MI and 2.5, p = 0.041 in NA), in addition to receiving an LLIN (OR = 4.9, p < 0.001 in MI and in OR = 30.1, p = 0.001 in NA). Targeted free mass distribution of LLINs can result in high and equitable bed net coverage among children under five. However, in order to sustain high effective coverage, there is need for complimentary distribution strategies between mass distribution campaigns. Considering the community's preferences prior to a mass distribution and addressing the communities concerns through information, education and communication, may improve the LLIN usage
An examination of constraints on fruit production by smallholder farmers in Vhembe District
No full textMRDVInstitute for Rural DevelopmentThe production of fruit commodity is crucial for livelihood, job creation and income generation. Smallholder fruit farming has become one of the key strategies to tackle the problems relating to health, lack of employment and poverty amongst rural people. The purpose of this study was to investigate fruit production levels by smallholder farmers in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, with special focus on mango, avocado, and macadamia nuts. The author investigated factors affecting smallholder fruit farmer's productivity and suggested policy recommendations that could lead to enhanced production. The author used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection by interviewing smallholder fruit farmers, and officials dealing with fruit production using structured and unstructured administered questionnaires in making observations of their farming practices. Out of a total population of 439 fruit producers, 224 were selected by employing the stratified random sampling procedures in Thulamela, Makhado and Mutale local municipalities in Vhembe District. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 2012, 20) was used to capture and analyse data. This was done to draw frequencies and cross tabulations. Content analysis, frequency distribution, and descriptive statistics were used to answer the objectives of the study. The study revealed shortage of water, low input use, lack of storage facilities, inadequate access to land, insecure tenure, insufficient pests, insects and diseases control, lack of access roads, labour, communication infrastructure and lack of practical management skills as major constrains contributing to low fruit production. It was envisaged that the results of the research would provide compelling scientific information that would help create a better platform for implementing improved farming strategies by government
Longitudinal study of urban malaria in a cohort of Ugandan children: description of study site, census and recruitment.
No full textBACKGROUND: Studies of malaria in well-defined cohorts offer important data about the epidemiology of this complex disease, but few have been done in urban African populations. To generate a sampling frame for a longitudinal study of malaria incidence and treatment in Kampala, Uganda, a census, mapping and survey project was conducted. METHODS: All households in a geographically defined area were enumerated and mapped. Probability sampling was used to recruit a representative sample of children and collect baseline descriptive data for future longitudinal studies. RESULTS: 16,172 residents living in 4931 households in a densely-populated community (18,824 persons/km2) were enumerated. A total of 582 households were approached with at least one child less than 10 years of age in order to recruit 601 children living in 322 households. At enrollment, 19% were parasitaemic, 24% were anaemic, 43% used bednets, and 6% used insecticide-treated nets. Low G6PD activity (OR = 0.33, P = 0.009) and bednet use (OR = 0.64, P = 0.045) were associated with a decreased risk of parasitaemia. Increasing age (OR = 0.62 for each year, P < 0.001) and bednet use (OR = 0.58, P = 0.02) were associated with a decreased risk of anaemia CONCLUSION: Detailed surveys of target populations in urban Africa can provide valuable descriptive data and provide a sampling frame for recruitment of representative cohorts for longitudinal studies. Plans to use a multi-disciplinary approach to improve the understanding of the distribution and determinants of malaria incidence and response to therapy in this population are discussed
Spatial and temporal dynamics of malaria transmission in rural western Kenya
No full textABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Understanding the impact of reducing Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission requires estimates of the relationship between health outcomes and exposure to infectious mosquitoes. However, measures of exposure such as mosquito density and entomological inoculation rate (EIR) are generally aggregated over large areas and time periods, biasing the outcome-exposure relationship. There are few studies examining the extent and drivers of local variation in malaria exposure in endemic areas. METHODS: We describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of malaria transmission intensity measured by mosquito density and EIR in the KEMRI/CDC health and demographic surveillance system using entomological data collected during 2002-2004. Geostatistical zero inflated binomial and negative binomial models were applied to obtain location specific (house) estimates of sporozoite rates and mosquito densities respectively. Model-based predictions were multiplied to estimate the spatial pattern of annual entomological inoculation rate, a measure of the number of infective bites a person receive per unit of time. The models included environmental and climatic predictors extracted from satellite data, harmonic seasonal trends and parameters describing space-time correlation. RESULTS: Anopheles gambiae s.l was the main vector species accounting for 86% (n=2309) of the total collected mosquitoes with the remainder being Anopheles funestus. Sixty eight percent (757/1110) of the surveyed houses had no mosquitoes. Distance to water bodies, vegetation and day temperature were significantly associated with mosquito density. Overall annual point estimates of EIR were 6.7, 9.3 and 9.6 infectious bites per annum for 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively. Monthly mosquito density and EIR varied over the study period peaking in May during the wet season. The predicted and observed densities and EIR showed a strong seasonal and spatial pattern over the study area. CONCLUSIONS: Spatio-temporal maps of malaria transmission intensity obtained in this study are not only useful in understanding variability in malaria epidemiology over small areas but also provides a high resolution exposure surface that can be used to analyse the impact of malaria exposure on mortalit
Benefits accruing to residents through rural electrification of Insiza South District in Zimbabwe
No full textMRDVInstitute for Rural DevelopmentIn the year 2002, the Zimbabwean government adopted a Rural Electrification Programme (REP) as a developmental strategy designed to improve villagers’ lives. Despite the government’s noble initiative to improve rural areas’ access to electricity, not much is known about the REP’s socio-economic benefits to grassroots communities in the country. Thus, a study was carried out to determine the REP’s socio-economic benefits accruing to villagers in Insiza South District located in Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. Appreciative inquiry was undertaken following a mixed method approach. Data were collected through two sequentially integrated phases. Multistage sampling was applied to select respondents from 15 villages within three administrative wards 5, 7 and 12 of Insiza South District. Out of the 110 respondents who participated in the study, the eight key informants who participated in the first phase were drawn from the institutions that coordinated the REP. One hundred and two residents participated in phase two of data collection carried out through application of focus group discussions (FGDs). Thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data collected in phase 1 of the study. Quantitative data was analysed using the International Business Machines, Statistical Product and Service Solution (IBM, SPSS) version 24 for Windows. More than 68 % of the respondents perceived basic uses (lighting, cooking, and for educational purposes) of electricity as the benefits accruing from the REP. Sixty six percent of respondents viewed modern uses (heating, cooling and air conditioning) of electricity as the benefits accruing from the programme. A much smaller proportion (31 %) of villagers singled out the benefits of electrification to be productive uses such as boiler making, manufacturing and mechanised farming. There were highly significant differences in perception among residents of the wards with respect to basic (P < 0.001) and modern (P < 0.01) uses. However, there were no differences in perception among male and female members of the three wards (P < 0.05). The collective community benefits included improved access to information, enhanced retention and attraction of teachers in rural areas, introduction of computer studies in schools and initiation of entrepreneurial projects such as welding and milling. Residents also benefitted indirectly from the REP through local electrified service centres. It was revealed that almost 91 % the local villagers were still using firewood while about 59 % of the villagers who could afford it had access to solar power. The study highlighted the need for a platform to deliberate on challenges relating to RE and its contribution to economy. The findings are crucial for rural development, policy reviews and academic research
Adoption of survival strategies by agro-small and medium enterprises in the challenging rural environment in Zimbabwe
No full textMRDVInstitute for Rural DevelopmentThere is worldwide consensus among policy makers, economists and business experts that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) contribute substantially to aggregate economic growth. Agro-SMEs in particular, are regarded as the engines of economic growth and catalysts of socio-economic transformation in many countries. However, the resilience of agro-SMEs is increasingly becoming questionable due to a number of challenges which include, economic recession and climate change. Economic recession and climate change pose formidable challenges to the survival and growth of agro-SMEs. These complex challenges and barriers compel! agro-SMEs to adopt survival strategies in order to remain operational. Strategies that can appropriately enhance the resilience of agro-SMEs to shocks and how best to implement them, are still unknown. Thus, this case study investigated the survival strategies that were adopted by agro-SMEs in Kwekwe District of Zimbabwe in response to economic recession and climate change induced-stress between the year 2000 and 2010. All the agro-SMEs established before 2005, that survived the 2000-2010 challenging operating environment and were still operational during the time of the research, constituted the study population. Purposive sampling in the form of total population sampling was used. The main data collection tools that were used to gather data to answer the objectives of the study are appreciative inquiry, using key informant interviews and questionnaire survey; preference ranking using matrix scores; data mining of records kept by agro-SMEs government publications, journals and related books; and comparative scaling. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Thematic content analysis, frequency distribution analysis, measures of central tendency and the Binary Logistic Regression Model were used to analyse specific objectives of the study. Results show that a variety of strategies are available for adoption by agro-SMEs operating in a challenging environment. Adoption rates and preferences varied from one strategy to the other. Contribution of these strategies towards agro-SME survival also varied from no contribution at all to marginal to significant or very significant contribution.The study's results provide compelling scientific information that will act as a guideline on the strategies that can be adopted in challenging operating environments. This will also assist in the creation of a better platform for the implementation of improved agro-SME development strategies
Benefits accruing to rural communities from the mining industry corporate social responsibility projects in Moses Kotane Local Municipality of North West Province
No full textMRDVInstitute for Rural DevelopmentMining industry Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects are designed to improve the quality of life of neighbouring communities. However, it is increasingly argued that few of them actually result in tangible benefits for the communities where they are implemented. Moreover, few empirical studies have been undertaken on this subject. The dearth in research on this subject explains why there is inadequate evidence to draw informed conclusions and decisions. The current study sought to determine the nature of benefits accruing to rural communities from mining companies CSR projects in Moses Kotane Local Municipality of the North West Province. Specifically, the study sought to determine the characteristics of mining companies CSR activities, nature of community-perceived benefits derived from them and assess the perception of surrounding local communities on such initiatives. A case study design was used because of its power of providing detailed factual information on mining CSR activities. The study was carried out following a sequential mixed research method that integrated qualitative and quantitative techniques. Document review, questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. A total of 261 respondents randomly selected from households in five villages, 30 purposively sampled key informants who included 18 officials from various institutions and youth, were interviewed. Thematic content analysis was used to draw meaning from the qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and inferential tests were carried out using the Microsoft Excel software. It was revealed that CSR projects were improving water infrastructure, in addition to being used to construct and refurbish schools and clinics. Although the CSR projects were supporting the livelihoods of local households, there was still considerable room for improvement particularly in relation to creating sustainable employment opportunities. Only 8 % of the respondents believed that CSR projects were beneficial to them. Lack of consultation when developing the CSR projects and limited awareness campaigns led to inappropriate initiatives being implemented. This highlighted the need for adopting inclusive approaches in decision making processes starting from planning to implementation
Assessment of the determinants of access to land for development in Mutale Local Municipality of Limpopo Province
No full textMRDVInstitute for Rural DevelopmentThe study was carried out to assess the community-perceived determinants of access to land for development in Mutale Local Municipality. It was conducted in the Makuya and Mutele Traditional Authority areas of the former Mutale Local Municipality. All the views relating to access to land for housing, agriculture and business development expressed during the Vhembe District Land Development Summits and Forum meetings held in 2008, 2010 and 2014 were consolidated. Using this information, a questionnaire comprising entirely closed-ended answers requiring responses on a Likert-type scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) was prepared. The questionnaire was administered through focus group discussions in community workshops during which youth (male and female), women, men and community leaders were the respondents. Open-ended questions were also administered focusing on the factors hindering or enabling access to land, and solutions that the community perceived needed to be taken. Mean and mode for each response were calculated. Chi-Square tests for association were conducted to determine whether there was any association in the responses obtained from the traditional authority areas. Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were conducted to determine the level of agreement of perceptions respondents with Vhembe district land development summits resolutions among youth, adults and community leaders. There were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in perception of issues relating to access to land for housing, agriculture and business development of land development. Thus, the issues are real and should form a solid basis for planning interventions that might unlock access to land for different types of uses. Moreover, improving transparency and deepening community participation and consultation over classification and sale of unoccupied land could minimise the likelihood of potential land conflict
Towards a sterile insect technique field release of <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>mosquitoes in Sudan: Irradiation, transportation, and field cage experimentation
No full textAbstract Background The work described in this article forms part of a study to suppress a population of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Northern State, Sudan, with the Sterile Insect Technique. No data have previously been collected on the irradiation and transportation of anopheline mosquitoes in Africa, and the first series of attempts to do this in Sudan are reported here. In addition, experiments in a large field cage under near-natural conditions are described. Methods Mosquitoes were irradiated in Khartoum and transported as adults by air to the field site earmarked for future releases (400 km from the laboratory). The field cage was prepared for experiments by creating resting sites with favourable conditions. The mating and survival of (irradiated) laboratory males and field-collected males was studied in the field cage, and two small-scale competition experiments were performed. Results Minor problems were experienced with the irradiation of insects, mostly associated with the absence of a rearing facility in close proximity to the irradiation source. The small-scale transportation of adult mosquitoes to the release site resulted in minimal mortality ( Conclusion It is concluded that although conditions are challenging, there are no major obstacles associated with the small-scale irradiation and transportation of insects in the current setting. The field cage is suitable for experiments and studies to test the competitiveness of irradiated males can be pursued. The scaling up of procedures to accommodate much larger numbers of insects needed for a release is the next challenge and recommendations to further implementation of this genetic control strategy are presented.</p
Determinants of sustainability of youth-owned small retail businesses in rural areas of Makhado Local Municipality
No full textInstitute for Rural DevelopmentMRDVYouth-owned small retail businesses in rural areas are perceived as a potential panacea for poverty, unemployment and agents of socio-economic integration. However, most of them often fail to reach their full potential. The businesses face several challenges, including lack of finance and entrepreneurial skills. Consequently, they fail to survive and grow. The current study examined the factors that influence the sustainability of youth-owned small retail (Spaza) businesses in Ha-Mulima village, in Makhado Local Municipality. An exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was used. The results of the first phase of the study, which was qualitative, were used to design and collect data during the second phase. The respondents were selected following the purposive sampling procedure. Data were collected using both open-ended and closed-ended questions in a face to face interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using the Atlas.ti version 8.0 software. Quantitative data collected from phase 2 were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0. Descrptive statistics such as means and standard deviations were calculated. Non-parametric data analysis was conducted. Specifically, the Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney tests were conducted.
Results showed that most youth who owned businesses were 31-35 years old, male, educated, single and had no children. A considerable number of factors enabled and constrained the sustainability of youth-owned small business. The need for introducing programmes aimed at raising awareness regarding funding agencies and criteria used to determine eligibility for youth intending to start small businesses was revealed. Further more the findings revealed that It is crucial to adopt local level policies and strategic interventions that enhance the attainment of the desired sustainable youth-owned small retail businesses in the rural areas.NR
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