Determinants of MFIs Group Loan Repayment Performance: A Case of Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Group loan repayment rate of Debub and Semien sub branch of DECSI microfinance institution in the city of Mekelle has decreased considerably from year to year and averaged around 43 percent default rate per year of the total loans dispersed for consecutive five years (2009 to 2013). Therefore, this study is an attempt to identify factors influencing the loan repayment performance of group borrowers.  Primary data was collected from a sample respondents (selected by using simple random sampling technique) through questionnaire and unstructured interview. The study has applied explanatory type of research, i.e., binary logistic regression model to analyze the factors influencing group loan repayment performance. Peer-monitoring, screening, peer-pressure, social ties, loan officer visit to the group, and other sources of credit were found to have statistically significant effect on the group loan repayment performance. Thus, to improve the group loan repayment performance, DECSI should consider those statistically significant explanatory variables and take corrective actions accordingly. Keywords: Binary Logit, DECSI, Determinant Factors, Ethiopia, Group Loan, Mekelle, MFIs, MSEs

Opportunities and constraints of tomato production in Eritrea

Tomato is an important vegetable in Eritrea, grown across the entire country. Yields in Eritrea are comparatively low, due to agronomic, institutional and market constraints. We carried out a survey throughout the country based on a participatory rural appraisal, discussion groups and interviews with staff members of the Ministry of Agriculture. Results showed that farmers preferred varieties with a prolonged harvesting period and a long storage life unless other varieties are better yielding and can immediately be marketed. However, their knowledge on varieties is limited while maintaining their own seeds. Seedlings are established in nurseries and subsequently transplanted once they have reached a height of 10 to 15 cm. Spacing, staking, pruning and irrigation are important aspects of proper crop management. Flower abortion is common in some areas and the crop is affected by several diseases and pests. The harvesting takes place over a prolonged period and timing of harvest of individual fruits is based on skin colour. There are significant price differences based on size grade. Seasonality of the crop causes problems with marketing and price fluctuation. It is recommended to improve the farmer’s knowledge on variety characteristics, to improve the seed systems and train the farmers in improved crop managemen

Factors Affecting Group Loan Repayment Performance: A Case of Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution (DECSI), Mekelle, Ethiopia

This study was an attempt to analyze the factors influencing the loan repayment performance of group borrowers.  Primary data was collected from sample respondents (selected by using simple random sampling technique) through questionnaire. From the total 87 questionnaires distributed, 83 that are 95% (response rate) were collected. The study has applied explanatory type of research. Chi-square test statistics was employed to test the association of each explanatory variable with group loan repayment performance (dependent variable). 15 explanatory variables were considered in the Chi-square test. Out of which seven variables (loan purpose, group members know the monthly sales of the group members, group members’ regularly visits other group members, group members’ help, group members knew the other group members before the group was formed, group members put pressure on other members to repay, and penalty) were found to have statistically significant association with loan repayment performance.  Thus, to improve the group loan repayment performance, DECSI should consider those statistically significant explanatory variables and take corrective actions accordingly. Keywords: Chi-square, DECSI, Ethiopia, Factors, Group Loan, Mekelle, MFIs, MSEs

Wood-dust exposure and respiratory health among particleboard workers in Ethiopia

Background Work in the wood industry is often associated with exposure to wood dust, endotoxins and formaldehyde, which may cause respiratory health problems. Particleboard is a type of wood product manufactured primarily from wood chips, glued with urea formaldehyde resin and bonded under heat and pressure. In Ethiopia the manufacturing sector, like the wood industry, is growing. However, there is a scarcity of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) concerning chemical health hazards and personal protective equipment (PPE) among particleboard workers. On top of this, workers’ exposure to inhalable wood dust, endotoxins and formaldehyde and their effect on respiratory health has been insufficiently studied. Objectives The aim of this thesis was to assess exposure to wood dust, endotoxins and formaldehyde, respiratory health and KAP regarding chemical hazards and use of PPE among Ethiopian particleboard workers. Method and materials The thesis consist of three papers conducted in three phases from 2016 to 2017 at the two largest particleboard factories in Ethiopia. In Phase One a cross-sectional study design was used for collection of data on KAP concerning chemical health hazards and PPE in production and administrative workers (n=172), and the study used both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Both permanent and temporary employees were included in the study. In Phase Two an exposure study was performed. A total of 152 dust and endotoxin samples were collected using a conductive plastic inhalable conical sampler (CIS) in the two largest particleboard factories. One field blank sample was taken per day (n=18). In addition, 45 stationary formaldehyde samples were taken using Dräger tubes. Inhalable dust was analysed using the gravimetric method in a room with controlled climatic conditions using an analytical balance with 0.1 μg readability, and the concentration was estimated in mg/m3. Endotoxins were analysed using the Kinetic Amoebocyte Lysate test, and the concentration was estimated in EU/m3. In Phase Three a cross-sectional study involving 74 workers from two particleboard factories and 73 controls from two water-bottling factories was performed. Respiratory symptoms were collected using the American Thoracic Society’s (ATS) standard questionnaire. A lung-function test was performed using spirometry following ATS guidelines. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, content analysis, the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, the t-test, Pearson’s correlation analysis, regression analysis and mixed-effects models. Results For Paper I the mean age of the respondents was 28, and the average years of service was 3.7. The permanent workers were older than the temporary workers (29 vs 26 years, p= 0.001), and a very high proportion of the permanent workers had completed vocational education (90%), compared with the temporary workers (11%). The permanent production workers had significantly more knowledge of topics related to chemical hazards than did temporary workers, as well as more positive responses than temporary workers to questions about attitudes related to reduction of chemical hazards and the general work environment. Educational status was significantly associated with a total knowledge score. PPE was provided for permanent workers, but few temporary workers reported PPE provision from the factory. Neither permanent nor temporary workers were using a full set of PPE. The frequency of medical check-up at the health institution was reported as being 25% for temporary and 37% for permanent workers. The administrative personnel are aware of the chemical hazards in their factory. However, the majority of them believe all PPE offers the same level of protection, and they purchase PPE without any safety and quality specification. There was no regular training on occupational safety and health in the factory. In Paper II the overall geometric mean (GM) of 142 personal inhalable dust and endotoxin exposure were 4.66 mg/m3 (range 0.47 to 184) and 62.2 EU/m3 (range 0.9 to 9202) respectively. The highest exposure to inhalable dust was found among workers performing sizing, forming, flaking and chipping. The highest endotoxin exposure was found in chipping and flaking workstation workers. Of the 142 samples, 93% exceeded 1 mg/m3, the TLV set by ACGIH for inhalable dust, and 41% samples exceeded 90 EU/m3, the occupational exposure limit for endotoxins set by the Netherlands. The correlation between dust and endotoxin level was relatively high (r= 0.68). Factories and downtime explained 27% of the total variability in inhalable dust level, while workstations explained 34% of the total variability in endotoxin level. The highest median concentration of formaldehyde was recorded at blending workstations (3.5 ppm). Formaldehyde was detected at all the selected workstations except the first and last, i.e. chipping and sizing. Of the 45 samples, 13% exceeded the Norwegian peak exposure limit of 1 ppm. In Paper III particleboard workers were older than the controls (28 vs 25 years; p= 0.006). The exposed workers had also more years of service than the controls (4 vs 2 years; p< 0.001). The prevalence of all recorded respiratory symptoms, wheezing, cough, cough with sputum production, phlegm and shortness of breath was significantly higher in particleboard workers (range of prevalence: 24% to 45%) than in controls (2.7% to 15%). Lung-function status was not statistically different when comparing the exposed persons and the controls, and did not appear to be associated with inhalable dust, endotoxins or formaldehyde exposure. Conclusions The study revealed that permanent production workers had significantly more knowledge of topics related to chemical hazards, and more a positive response to attitudes related to reduction of chemical hazards and the general working environment than temporary workers. Practice in use of PPE depended on the access to PPE. The geometric mean exposure levels to inhalable dust exposure in the particleboard factories were above the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) of 1 mg/m3 set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The geometric mean endotoxin level was lower than the recommended Dutch occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 90 EU/m3. However, the endotoxin levels exceeded this limit at chipping and flaking workstations. The highest median formaldehyde concentration was found in blending workstations (3.5 ppm) – a level above the peak exposure limit value of 1 ppm set by Norway. There was a higher prevalence of respiratory symptom in particleboard workers than in water-bottling workers. However, lung function status was similar in both groups. The symptoms might be related to the high dust-exposure levels found in the factories, but the results must be interpreted with caution because of the cross-sectional study design

Investigating the Relationship between Team Cohesion and Self-Presentation among Different Competitive Team Sports of Ethiopian Universities

One of the most constantly studied constructs in team dynamic research is cohesiveness, because it’s not only associated with group level outcomes such as performance but also with individuals outcomes.  Self-presentation involves the selective presentation of particular characteristics of oneself that would make  the desired impression on others. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between  self-presentation and team cohesion among different competitive team sports of Ethiopian Universities. It is the hypothesis that high cohesion would be associated with low self-presentational concerns. The sample  consisted of 108 athletes (68 male, 40 female) from 11 different universities among 33, with the average of 20.94 ± 1.95 years of age, using random sampling technique. The data was obtained using Group  Environmental Questionnaire (GEQ), Self-presentation in Sport Questionnaire (SPSQ) and the Sport Anxiety  Scale (SAS) for team cohesion, self-presentation and competitive anxiety, respectively. The findings show  that the task and social cohesion are negatively related to self-presentational concerns in sports, explaining 4% of variance, which means higher perceptions of cohesion, are associated with low self-presentational  concerns.Keywords: Team cohesion, Self-presentation, Competitive anxiety, Team sports, Ethiopia

Diversity between and within farmers’ varieties of tomato from Eritrea

Tomato yields in Eritrea are low (15 Mg/ha) compared with 19 Mg/ha in Africa and 27 Mg/ha worldwide. This is partly caused by poor quality of varieties used. This study analysed the diversity among and heterogeneity within farmers’ varieties of tomato from Eritrea and compared these varieties with other African and Italian varieties. Fifteen simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used for the genetic analysis. Genetic similarities among the varieties were calculated and an Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean analysis was performed. Furthermore, individual plants of varieties were genotyped to evaluate uniformity within varieties. A high degree of diversity was observed among the Eritrean varieties. Thirteen out of the 15 SSRs were polymorphic, with 2 to 5 alleles per marker. The dendrogram showed two major types of varieties: San-Marzano and Marglob. Eritrean varieties were closely related to old Italian varieties in both types. Analysis of the within-variety variation showed that the Eritrean tomato genotypes were less uniform than the other varieties, probably because of deliberate mixing. A survey among farmers showed that some of them purposely mixed seeds to prolong the harvesting period, for yield stability and stress tolerance. Farmers value ‘new material’ as a source of influ

Examining the Relationship between Team Cohesion, Comparative Anxiety and Self-Confidence among Ethiopian Basketball Teams

One of the most constantly studied constructs in group dynamic research is cohesiveness. Indeed it refers to two main construct namely task and social cohesion. Since organizations become increasingly depend on group cohesiveness to strive for better performance, these two construct (social and task cohesion) had consistency effect on the performance as suggested in many studies. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between task cohesion (ATG-T and GI-T), Self-Confidence Inventory (SCI), competitive state anxiety (A-State), and also if there would be a relation between cohesion and self-confidence. The sample consisted of 60 basketball players of both genders, male and female from 4 different clubs, aged between 19-26 years old.  The data for cohesion were abstained and measured using Portuguese version of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ), and to assess competitive anxiety, we used the Portuguese version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (SCAT). The results show that female athletes report experiencing more cognitive anxiety and less self-confidence than male athletes. Only cognitive anxiety relates in a significantly negative way with the perception of cohesion (GI-T, ATG-T) in the total number of participants and in male athletes. Relatively to the Somatic anxiety, it only relates negatively with the perception of the integration of the group in the total number of participants and in the male gender. Keywords: Cohesion, Anxiety, Self-confidence, basketbal

High Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Particleboard Workers in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Work in the wood industry might be associated with respiratory health problems. The production of particleboard used for furniture making and construction is increasing in many countries, and cause dust, endotoxin and formaldehyde exposure of the workers. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and to measure lung function among Ethiopian particleboard workers using Eucalyptus trees as the raw material. In total 147 workers, 74 from particleboard production and 73 controls, participated in the study. Mean wood dust in the particleboard factories was measured to be above recommended limit values. Particleboard workers had a mean age of 28 years and the controls were 25 years. They had been working for 4 and 2 years, respectively. Lung function test was done using spirometry following American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommendations. Respiratory symptoms were collected using a standard questionnaire of ATS. Particleboard workers had higher prevalence of wheezing, cough, cough with sputum production, phlegm, and shortness of breath compared to controls. Lung function status was similar in the two groups. The symptoms might be related to the work in the factories. Longitudinal studies are recommended to explore the chronic impact of work in particleboard factories on respiratory health.publishedVersio

Economic Analysis of Lean Wastes: Case Studies of Textile and Garment Industries in Ethiopia

In today\u27s competitive world, customers are demanding better quality products with fast and reliable deliveries. To meet this demand, new manufacturing technologies are developing rapidly, resulting in new products and improvements in manufacturing processes. As part of this effort, lean production principles have been established and are in use in developed countries to minimize and/or remove wastes. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse lean wastes surfacing in production lines of four textile and garment industries. The information will make it possible for them to minimize or eliminate lean wastes using recommended tools and techniques. As a result, a smooth working environment will be created which will improve the plants’ ability to produce exactly the right quantity with the right quality and at exactly the right time, with a minimum of interruption. This study has followed qualitative and quantitative research approaches for collecting and analysing the data of the four cases chosen. The main methods used for data collection are questionnaires, shop floor visits, and check sheets. The empirical findings are analysed using appropriate tools of investigation and by theoretical concepts of lean production and economic cost analysis. The aggregate data collected over time show that there is substantial waste in the production process from the start of producing products to the day of delivery, using all available resources. Furthermore, the result of the analysis mainly demonstrates that there is an inconsistent production rate per shift, and noticeable employee turnover

The experience of Eritrean immigrants regarding utilisation of healthcare services in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

This study explored and described the experiences of Eritrean immigrants regarding utilisation of healthcare services in Indianapolis. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was utilised. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview format, on eight conveniently selected Eritrean immigrants, living in Indianapolis. Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Framework for data analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged from data analysis: Healthcare financing system, Positive side of healthcare services and Challenges related to utilisation of healthcare service. All these factors have an impact on the utilisation of the Healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants. Recommendations have been put forward to advocate for policy change regarding financing of healthcare services for immigrants and improved healthcare services to accommodate cultural diversity. Further research should be conducted on ways of improving utilisation of healthcare services by Eritrean immigrants in Indianapolis.Public HealthM.A. (Health Studies