Involving Traditional Birth Attendants in Emergency Obstetric Care in Tanzania: Policy Implications of A Study of their Knowledge and Practices in Kigoma Rural District.

Access to quality maternal health services mainly depends on existing policies, regulations, skills, knowledge, perceptions, and economic power and motivation of service givers and target users. Critics question policy recommending involvement of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in emergency obstetric care (EmoC) services in developing countries. This paper reports about knowledge and practices of TBAs on EmoC in Kigoma Rural District, Tanzania and discusses policy implications on involving TBAs in maternal health services. 157 TBAs were identified from several villages in 2005, interviewed and observed on their knowledge and practice in relation to EmoC. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used for data collection and analysis depending on the nature of the information required. Among all 157 TBAs approached, 57.3% were aged 50+ years while 50% had no formal education. Assisting mothers to deliver without taking their full pregnancy history was confessed by 11% of all respondents. Having been attending pregnant women with complications was experienced by 71.2% of all respondents. Only 58% expressed adequate knowledge on symptoms and signs of pregnancy complications. Lack of knowledge on possible risk of HIV infections while assisting childbirth without taking protective gears was claimed by 5.7% of the respondents. Sharing the same pair of gloves between successful deliveries was reported to be a common practice by 21.1% of the respondents. Use of unsafe delivery materials including local herbs and pieces of cloth for protecting themselves against HIV infections was reported as being commonly practiced among 27.6% of the respondents. Vaginal examination before and during delivery was done by only a few respondents. TBAs in Tanzania are still consulted by people living in underserved areas. Unfortunately, TBAs' inadequate knowledge on EmOC issues seems to have contributed to the rising concerns about their competence to deliver the recommended maternal services. Thus, the authorities seeming to recognize and promote TBAs should provide support to TBAs in relation to necessary training and giving them essential working facilities, routine supportive supervision and rewarding those seeming to comply with the standard guidelines for delivering EmoC services

Using Interactive Reading Techniques with \u3ci\u3eWord World\u3c/i\u3e to Enhance Emergent Literacy

Facets of emergent literacy such as phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) are precursors to later conventional literacy (Dockrell, Stuart & King, 2010; Neuman & Dwyer, 2009; NELP, 2008). Interactive reading techniques such as dialogic reading (Whitehurst et al., 1988) and explicit print referencing (Piasta et al., 2012; Justice et al., 2010) have been used effectively with printed text to enhance emergent literacy. This quasi-experimental study was designed to determine the extent to which interactive reading techniques combined with the viewing of educational television may enhance facets of emergent literacy such as PA and AK. A convenience sample of 19 preschool children between the ages of 31- and 44-months were assigned randomly to an intervention group (n = 8) or a control group (n = 11). During a 6-week period, the intervention group viewed episodes of the educational television program Word World with their teacher, who implemented scaffolding in the form of interactive reading techniques, while the control group viewed the same episodes with no scaffolding. Before and after the intervention, students from both groups were assessed for PA and AK. Results of ANCOVAs controlling for pre-test differences indicated that children in the intervention group scored higher than did students from the control group. These differences were statistically significant. Recognizing the study\u27s limitations, the researcher recommends combining interactive reading techniques with the viewing of educational television in preschool settings to enhance emergent literacy

Holding Federal Prison Officials Accountable: The Case for Recognizing a Damages Remedy for Federal Prisoners’ Free Exercise Claims

I. Introduction II. Development of Damages Remedy Against Government Officials for Constitutional Violations ... A. Damages Against State and Local Officials Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 ... B. Damages Against Federal Officials Under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics ... C. The Future of Bivens III. Extending Bivens to Free Exercise Claims Brought by Federal Prisoners ... A. Is a Bivens Remedy for Free Exercise Claims Truly an Extension of Bivens? … B. Do Special Factors Exist That Would Counsel Hesitation in Expanding the Availability of a Bivens Remedy for Free Exercise Claims Brought by Federal Prisoners? ... C. Has Congress Created an Adequate Alternative Remedy to Address the Violation of Federal Prisoners’ Free Exercise Rights? IV. Importance of a Damages Remedy for Substantial Burdens on the Free Exercise of Religion in Prisons ... A. The Stanford Prison Experiment and the “Lucifer Effect”: How Prisons Create an Environment Ripe for Abuse ... B. The Importance of Religious Rights in Prison ... C. The Historical Purpose of Punitive Damages V. Conclusio