Advocacy Communication and The Child Trafficking Situation in Kenya: The Case of Mathare Constituency Primary Schools

Child trafficking is one of the leading crimes in Kenya. The purpose of this study therefore was to look at the efficacy of advocacy communication when it comes to addressing the complications of child trafficking in society. The study focus was Mathare constituency in Nairobi County. This is because there are many child trafficking cases from Mathare constituency that have been reported over the years causing a number of humanitarian organizations, who work with schools and community groups, to step in and address the issue. A purposive sample of 240 teacher respondents and 16 facilitators was selected as per Yamane’s formula while convergent parallel mixed methods design was used for data collection and analysis. The study established that videos and pictorials were the most popular advocacy methods used, with a 100 percent respondent rate while 98 percent observed that through advocacy, humanitarian organizations were making a difference in countering child trafficking. The study established also that all (100%) of the facilitators agreed that the stakeholders directly involved with children did contribute to the fight against child trafficking. The study concluded that integrated communication was adopted by facilitators and that the advocacy communication methods used were effective. The study recommends involvement of key stakeholders’ right from the planning stage for effectiveness. A recommendation of the study is that further investigations be done from the viewpoints of the children, parents and the local administration

Challenges to Implementing Partnerships in a College of Teachers’ Education and Secondary Schools in Hosanna Town, Southern Ethiopia

The study investigated the challenges of implementing effective partnerships in a College of Teachers’ Education and schools in Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia, using the study used a descriptive design. The study was conducted in Hosanna town which had two public secondary schools, one private secondary school and one College of Teacher’s Education. The total number of educators was 150. The researchers sampled 37 instructors and 41 school teachers to make a total of 78 respondents.  While there are benefits of forming partnerships among Colleges of Teachers’ Education and schools, bridging the gap between theory and practices of trainees is one of the main established challenges.  Other challenges include gaps between theoretical and practical parts of teacher education programs, lack of finance in implementing partnerships between the college and schools and lack of collaboration between college instructors and teachers. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education should allocate a budget for developing effective partnerships. The regional education office should give training to develop trust among partners. Training should be given to change the pattern of the top to down work order and solve the cultural differences between the colleges and schools

An investigation on the suitability of hydrated building lime from travertine limestone outcrop of Bogongo, South West of Cameroon

peer reviewedIn the present study, physico-chemical investigations were carried out on hydrated lime produced from the limestone of the travertine outcrop of Bogongo in the South West Region of Cameroon. The aim was to evaluate the suitability of that hydrated lime as building lime. The raw material was characterized and then fired at 900 °C. The fired product was hydrated, dried and also characterized. Chemical and mineralogical analyses, density, BET specific surface measurements and thermal analyses were performed. Results were compared to those for an EN 459-1 CL 90-S industrial commercial hydrated lime. It has been shown that, hydrated lime production using the raw material from the Bogongo travertine could yield products with almost similar physico-chemical properties compared to imported CL 90 S hydrated lime, thus could have positive consequence in the commercial exploitation of the Bogongo travertine limestone outcrop.11. Sustainable cities and communitie

Do clinicians adhere to practice guidelines? A descriptive study at a referral hospital in Kenya

Background: Clinical guidelines when implemented correctly have shown to improve disease outcomes. This study describes utilization of Kenya National guidelines in managing ante partum haemorrhage (APH) in 3rd trimester.Objective: To describe adherence to clinical guideline in management of antepartum haemorrhage at Garissa Provincial General Hospital Design: Crossectional mixed methods studySetting: Garissa Provincial General HospitalSubjects: Medical records of patients managed for APH between 2002 and 2012 and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) of Health workers.Results: 36.1% of the cases assessed were managed with strict adherence to guidelines. 90% of health care workers had high levels of awareness of the existence of guidelines and sited utilization challenges attributed to resource inadequacies.Conclusion: Clinicians are skilled on APH guidelines, but adherence levels are still low. Therefore, continuous appraisal of clinical practices, availing equipment, facilities and supplies to reinforce adherence is recommended

Adapting “MOVE” to accelerate VMMC coverage for HIV prevention in priority populations:Implementation experiences from Uganda’s military settings

This paper describes the WHO’s Model of Optimizing Volumes and Efficiencies (MOVE), adapted by the University Research Council (URC) - Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) to rapidly scale up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) within Uganda’s military health facilities. First, we examine the MOVE model and then present the URC-DHAPP adapted intervention package comprising of: a) a Command-driven approach, b) Mobile theatres c) Quality assurance d) Data strengthening and reflection. To expand VMMC, URC-DHAPP worked with army commanders to create awareness, mobilize their troops and surgeons were assigned daily targets. The mobile theatre involved regular visits to hard-to-reach outposts and placing several mobile camps at health facilities close to deployment sites. All stakeholders were briefed on performance trends of previous medical camps and the program was monitored through VMMC camp reports. URC-DHAPP registered an exponential increase in VMMC coverage from 13% performance at Q2 to over 140% in Q4. The integrated approach led to circumcision of over 22,000 men (15-49 years) in a record four months. Our approach also contributed to health system strengthening and national HIV preventiontargets. We conclude that the MOVE is cost-effective and can be successfully scaled up in resource-limited settings with a high HIV burden when implemented with cognizance of contextual specificities

Evaluation of a two-way SMS messaging strategy to reduce neonatal mortality: rationale, design and methods of the Mobile WACh NEO randomised controlled trial in Kenya

Abstract: Introduction Globally, approximately half of the estimated 6.3 million under-5 deaths occur in the neonatal period (within the first 28 days of life). Kenya ranks among countries with the highest number of neonatal deaths, at 20 per 1000 live births. Improved identification and management of neonates with potentially life-threatening illness is critical to meet the WHO’s target of ≤12 neonatal deaths per 1000 live births by 2035. We developed an interactive (two-way) short messaging service (SMS) communication intervention, Mobile Solutions for Neonatal Health (Mobile women’s and children’s health (WACh) NEO), focused on the perinatal period. Mobile WACh NEO sends automated tailored SMS messages to mothers during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks post partum. Messages employ the Information-Motivation-Behaviour Skills framework to promote (1) maternal implementation of essential newborn care (ENC, including early, exclusive breast feeding, cord care and thermal care), (2) maternal identification of neonatal danger signs and care-seeking, and (3) maternal social support and self-efficacy. Participants can also send SMS to the study nurse, enabling on-demand remote support. Methods and analysis We describe a two-arm unblinded randomised controlled trial of the Mobile WACh NEO intervention. We will enrol 5000 pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy at 4 facilities in Kenya and randomise them 1:1 to receive interactive SMS or no SMS (control), and conduct follow-up visits at 2 and 6 weeks post partum. Neonatal mortality will be compared between arms as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include care-seeking, practice of ENC and psychosocial health. Exploratory analysis will investigate associations between maternal mental health, practice of ENC, care-seeking and SMS engagement. Ethics and dissemination This study received ethical approval from the University of Washington (STUDY00006395), Women and Infants Hospital (1755292-1) and Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi (P310/04/2019). All participants will provide written informed consent. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences

Aspects determining the risk of pesticides to wild bees: risk profiles for focal crops on three continents.

In order to conduct a proper risk assessment of pesticides to bees, information is needed in three areas: (i) the toxicity of the pesticide; (ii) the probability of bee exposure to that pesticide; and (iii) the population dynamics of the bee species in question. Information was collected on such factors affecting pesticide risk to (primarily wild) bees in several crops in Brazil, Kenya and The Netherlands. These data were used to construct ?risk profiles? of pesticide use for bees in the studied cropping systems. Data gaps were identified and potential risks of pesticides to bees were compared between the crops. Initially, risk profiling aims to better identify gaps in our present knowledge. In the longer term, the established risk profiles may provide structured inputs into risk assessment models for wild and managed bees, and lead to recommendations for specific risk mitigation measures.Edição dos Proceedings of the 11 International Symposium Hazards of Pesticides to Bees, Wageningen, nov. 2011

High HIV Incidence and Sexual Behavior Change among Pregnant Women in Lilongwe, Malawi: Implications for the Risk of HIV Acquisition

HIV incidence is higher among pregnant women than their non-pregnant counterparts in some sub-Saharan African settings. Our aims were (1) to estimate HIV incidence during pregnancy and (2) to compare sexual activity between pregnant, postpartum, and non-pregnant women.We examined a retrospective cohort of 1087 women to identify seroconverters using antenatal and labor ward HIV test results. We also conducted a cross-sectional survey, including a quantitative questionnaire (n = 200) and in-depth interviews (n = 20) among women in early pregnancy, late pregnancy, postpartum, and non-pregnancy. Outcomes included measures of sexual activity, reported spouse's risky behavior, and beliefs about abstinence.11 of 1087 women seroconverted during pregnancy yielding a 1% seroconversion risk and an incidence rate of 4.0/100 person years (95% CI 2.2-7.2). The reported sexual activity of the early pregnancy and non-pregnancy groups was similar, but significantly higher than the late pregnancy and postpartum groups (p<0.001). During pregnancy, sex acts decreased as gestation increased (p = 0.001). There was no reported difference in the spouse's risky behavior. Most women believed that sex should cease between the 6(th) and 8(th) month of pregnancy and should not resume until 6 months postpartum. Some talked about conflict between their cultural obligation to abstain and fear of HIV infection if their spouses find other partners.HIV incidence is high among pregnant women in Malawi, and sexual activity decreases during pregnancy and postpartum. Pregnant women need to be informed of their increased risk for HIV and the importance of using condoms throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period