Participatory empirical research on water and sanitation demand in central northern Namibia: a method for technology development with a user perspective

Improvements in water infrastructure in developing countries are of major importance for achieving access to clean water. CuveWaters, a research based IWRM project, currently underway in Namibia, is testing different technical options to de-centralise water supply and upgrade sanitation. The Cuvelai Basin is affected by highly variable precipitation, mostly saline groundwater and a lack of perennial rivers. Water management is characterised by strong dependency on a water pipeline. Finding ways to improve the situation calls for a good grasp of the local situation regarding water utilisation patterns. Technologically sophisticated concepts can easily clash with users’ socio-cultural needs and everyday behaviour as well as their understanding of planning and maintenance. A demand-responsive approach has therefore been developed. It combines a qualitative socio-empirical perspective with participatory planning. This paper discusses method development, empirical application and results. The approaches aim is to support mutual learning as a basis for a sustainable change process

Increased Capacity of the Understanding of the Concept and the Ability to Solve Problems Through the Implementation of the Model of Teaching Mathematics Realistic Based on Cognitive Conflict Students

This research aims at: 1) the influence of the implementation of the model of teaching mathematics realistic based on cognitive conflict students to the ability to understanding the concept and troubleshooting capabilities; 2) determine the larger capacity of the understanding of the concept through the implementation of the model of teaching mathematics realistic based on cognitive conflict junior secondary school students the City of Bengkulu. 3) determine the great improvement of the ability to solve problems through the implementation of the model of teaching mathematics realistic based on cognitive conflict SMP students Bengkulu City.To achieve the goal of this research is to apply Research Design pseudo experiments with research design Pretest-Postest Nonequivalent Control Group Design, with the test instrument the ability to understanding the concept and test the troubleshooting capabilities. The data has been analyzed using the test gains. The results of this research is 1) the ability of understanding the concept and troubleshooting class experiment the given learning with PMR is better than with the ability to understanding the concept and troubleshooting control classes assigned to conventional mathematics lesson; 2) increase the ability of the understanding of the concept through the implementation of the model of teaching mathematics based on cognitive conflict SMP students Bengkulu City is significant with the index gain of 0,755 (high-level); 3) increase the ability to solve problems through the implementation of the model of teaching mathematics based on cognitive conflict SMP students Bengkulu City is significant with the index gain of 0,500 level (is)

International Actors and Internal Conflicts

Surveys the recent literature relating to conflict and mediation activities, and presents a range of options available to states, international organizations, regional organizations, and NGOs seeking to mediate internal conflicts

Settlement process of Afghan immigrant women based on cultural perspective in Finland

The study examined the settlement issues of Afghan immigrant women from a cultural perspective in Finland. The study explores the process of Afghan women settlement and focus on the cultural causes, aspects and the issues which make the settlement challenging and difficult for them. It also considers how these women face with these challenges during their settlement. The theoretical frameworks of this study are Frames for understanding settlement process and immigrant settlement experiences. The immigrant’s settlement experiences explain immigrant’s cultural challenges and the coping strategies which they use to deal with the cultural challenges. It also studies the services which immigrants receive during the process of their settlement such as social work services and migrations services during their settlement process which can make the process easier for immigrant women. This study is qualitative research where data was analyzed using content and thematic analysis. The data was collected from interview with six respondents. Participants in the study included six adult Afghans immigrant women who have resided in Finland more than 3 years .They were interviewed separately with open –ended in-depth interviews. The thesis explains the main cultural aspects which bring issues for Afghan women settlement (religion, language, discrimination, family…) and the cultural aspects which immigrants use in order to overcome their challenges (Religion, individual attributes, social support). The analysis of the interviews resulted in three core themes (1) cultural challenges (2) Personal coping strategies (3) Satisfaction level from receiving social services. The central argument of this study is about immigrants who face different challenges as soon as they left their countries. Beside self-awareness and having positive attitudes, immigrants need different kind of support in order to overcome these challenges and reach to a balance in their new lives. There is lack of knowledge about immigrants in between the people of countries which immigrants migrate and even between the service providers. There is a need for more comprehensive and multicultural knowledge about immigrants. People and service providers need to be more educated about immigrants in order to ease the process of their settlement after migration

Post-disaster housing and management in Malaysia: a literature review

Purpose – Malaysia is still in the process of reorganising and restructuring disaster management policy, learning from the national and international experiences. Argument about current situation of emergency management and housing in Malaysia can be used by the decision makers, authorities and NGOs to develop strategies and actions that include awareness raising and capacity building for enhancing enforcement of current legislation. Design/methodology/approach - The work concentrated mostly on academic reports of original investigations rather than reviews. The conclusions in this paper are generalizations based on the author's interpretation of those original reports. Findings - Malaysia is not a developed country and also not a developing country but more in the middle, follows any direction from the international arena to national situation. Malaysia has a developed country approach in disaster management policy but with the implementation of developing country. This paper argues that providing post disaster housing must accommodate requirement in the national disaster management policy and parallel with the needs from international concern to the rights of disaster victims. Originality/value - The outcomes from this discussion might give insights into designing and planning the national policy and disaster management framework by restructuring and reorganising the present National Disaster Management Mechanism in terms of enhancing the coordination of responsibility between and within government bodies in the National Disaster Management Mechanism

Counting Is Not Enough: Investing in Qualitative Case Reviews for Practice Improvement in Child Welfare

Outlines the value of quality case service reviews in child welfare systems, requirements for building and sustaining a robust process and adapting it under limited state budgets, and recommendations for jurisdictions, initiators, and national leadership

The e-learning benefits in the Romanian business environment

E-learning is learning based on information technologies, and particularly based on the Interne educational system has a lot of advantages, such as flexibility, availability, time and resources savings and it respects the individual learning rhythm of each of the employees. According as IT area advanced, training’s possibilities of employees were diversified, interactive lessons and training devices on demand, replacing classical lessons. The most competitive sectors of Romanian economy are those which use e-learning solutions. The portfolio of competences, the level of employees’ information, the models and the work methods are essential pre-requisites for the companies’ success. In this context, the investment in training of employees can prove most profitable for company.e-Learning benefits, e-Learning platform, blended learning, business environment