Validating that palliative care giving is a stressful occupation: the case of the Kanye community home-based care programme, Botswana

Background: It remains an incontrovertible fact that the phenomenon of HIV/AIDS has not only posed major health and development challenges, but is also a stressor experienced at local, regional and global levels. This article explores the stressrelated challenges facing volunteer palliative caregivers in the Kanye community home-based care (CHBC) programme.Methods: The study was explorative in nature and qualitative in design, and used convenience sampling methodologies to involve 82 registered primary caregivers and the five CHBC nurses in the programme as research participants. Participant observation was also used.Results: The study found the following aspects inherent in care giving to be immensely stressful and challenging:• Heavy caseload of the caregivers;• Ageing of the caregivers;• Stigma and discrimination abound in care giving;• Conflict between caregivers and clients;• Poor state of referral networks;• Inadequate care packages;• Poverty of the caregivers themselves; and• Inadequate food, psychological support and community support networks.Conclusion: The study recommends that putting in place a favourable working atmosphere and environment to address the stresses and stressors of care giving would be pivotal to improve this occupation

Traditional healers as caregivers to HIV/AIDS clients and other terminally challenged persons in Kanye community home-based care programme (CHBC), Botswana

The research study done at the Kanye village of Botswana was qualitative in design and exploratory in nature. While the broad goal aimed at assessing the contributions of caregivers in the Kanye CHBC programme, this article aims at evaluating the traditional healers’ contribution as providers of care to HIV/AIDS patients and other chronically ill persons. The study conveniently involved all the 140 registered caregivers in the Kanye programme, but with only 82 caregivers turning up for focus group discussions. The caregivers were grouped in 10 focus group discussions, and all of the 5 CHBC nurses were subjected to one-on-one interviews. Both the focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with the nurses used two slightly different interview schedules as data collection instruments. The study findings revealed that traditional healers are important players in caregiving of persons with various ailments but their role, position and contribution in the battle against HIV/AIDS is fast waning with time. The government has been challenged to map out strategies of collaboration between the two systems as traditional healers can complement the services of biomedical practitioners in this era of HIV/AIDS

Gender discrepancies in the HIV/AIDS Community Home-Based Care Programme in Kanye, Botswana

The aim and objective of this paper is to discuss the gender discrepancies associated with caregiving based on empirical findings from the Kanye HIV/AIDS Community Home-Based Care (CHBC) Programme. The research study was explorative and descriptive in nature and qualitative in design. It used focus group discussions among the caregiver respondents andone-on-one interviews with the CHBC nurses. The findings indicate that the caregiving role among women, and spilling over to girl children, is a result of socialisation that is deeply ingrained in the belief systems of cultures and communities, presents a state of gender exploitation and a human rights denial, is reinforced by the forces of patriarchy, and contributes immensely to the feminisation of poverty. The study recommends gender mainstreaming and analysis in all the institutions of social development, as well as poverty mitigation measures and education to surmount the effects of gender imbalances, gender inequality and gender inequity

Fulltime biometric mouse design for continuous authentication

As we embrace the information and communication technology in our everyday activities and day-to-day transactions, security concerns have increasingly come to light, especially in some of the critical areas of our society today such as education, health and commerce, where such security concerns are even higher. The need for complete and clear authentication and authorisation is of paramount importance. This paper explores andpresents the optimal use of full-time biometric mouse (FBM) for continuous authentication, which would not only enable authentication during log in and start of an application, but will enable continuous authentication throughout a transaction. We formulate a full-time biometric mouse (FBM) design that would ensure thumb positioning and its  ergonomics while ensuring comfort and maximum contact with the scanner to enable continuous authentication of the user in a speedy, easy and non-strenuous way. The mouse employs a simple algorithm that ensures quick operation to cut on possible delays and yet maintain the accuracy of the system

The Panacea and Perfidy of Cultural Rites of Circumcision in African Countries: Examples From Kenya, Botswana and South Africa

Cultural rites can be a panacea when the immense social capital embedded in them is taken stock of as well as they can be a perfidywhen all the retrogressive aspects they constitute are taken into consideration. The aim and objective of this article is to generatedebate and discourse on panacea and perfidy of cultural rites with particular focus on circumcision. The article used eclectic data sources.Cultural rite of circumcision is a panacea due to an array of factors: it marks entry into adulthood from childhood; it is a mark of culturalsocial identity in many societies of the world; it constitutes immense social capital and, currently, it serves as a platform for mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS. Cultural rite of circumcision is also a perfidy due to: its violation of human rights to health; because it undermines boys’ and girls’ access to school; and because it is usually a leeway to early sexual overtures. The paper recommends to governments to: hold on their responsibilities to safeguard their citizens’ rights to health; ensure that male circumcision is surgically safe and done in a hygienic environment; and, alongside NGOs and civil society, educate communities to balance between the human rights pertaining to circumcision and cultural rights.Keywords: Panacea, perfidy, cultural rites, circumcision, social capital, HIV/AIDS, adolescent

The Panacea of Psychological Nourishment to Caregivers Taking Care of HIV/AIDs Clients: The Case of the Kanye Community Home-based Care (CHBC) Programme in Botswana

The study is qualitative in design and explorative in nature, involving 82registered primary caregivers and five CHBC nurses. The followingwere found to be challenges affecting psychological provision to caregivers: inadequate counselling, inadequate motivation and incentives, caregivers’ inadequate confidence with traditional and spiritual healers, inadequate spiritual support from faith-based organizations, and lack of support groups and debriefings. The study recommends: increased counselling, increased motivation and incentives, creating a link between traditional/spiritual healers with the modern medical system, expediting the formation of support groups,and having the programme institute and hold debriefings to increase thepsychological well-being of caregivers, thereby increasing care productivity