Traditional Methods of Protecting the Infant and Child Illness/Disease Among the Wazigua at Mvomero Ward, Morogoro, Region, Tanzania

Even though child and infant protection against health problems using various methods is as old as mankind, there is limited literature on traditional methods used to protect infant and child in Tanzania. To collect and critical analyze traditional methods used to protect child and infant against health problems in rural settings. Qualitative methods for sampling and data collection on both traditional and conventional methods for protecting child and infant against health problems were used. A total of 203 children of whom 48.3% were females were observed when medical students were assessing infant/children nutritional status. Besides the children a total of 20 women aged 20-48 years; and five traditional health practitioners (THPs) who were purposeful sampled were interviewed. The findings showed two methods were used; and these were traditional/indigenous and conventional methods. The used traditional methods included oral and bathing remedies, abstaining when mother was breast feeding, use of “hirizi” (amulet) for illness believed to be caused by personalistic factors, and herbs for “degedge” (convulsion) and other infant illnesses. Whereas on conventional methods were child growth monitoring; and vaccination against killer diseases to infants and children. The two different methods (traditional and conventional methods) used for protection of the child were not competing; but complemented each other on health care. Parents/guardians and (THPs) were aware some health problems affecting infants and children could be protected by conventional medicine and some needed use of traditional remedies. The problem is hygiene of traditional remedies and proper dosage to infants and children. There is a need to examine critical the used herbal remedies on healthcare in laboratories. These herbal remedies might have some curative elements on health problems currently cannot be treated by conventional medicine

The identification, measurement and competitive positioning of a higher education institution brand in Zambia : the case of Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies (ZCAS)

The aim of this research project was to identify and measure the ZCAS brand in the higher education (HE) sector in Zambia and, through the study, identify areas for strengthening the brand‟s competitive position. ZCAS is earmarked for conversion into a university following the completion of a major infrastructure expansion project that has doubled its service delivery capacity. This transition requires rebranding and repositioning the institution as a university; and this research could play a significant role in this undertaking by providing insights into brand building in the Zambian HE sector. The research was carried out in two phases. The first research phase was a qualitative multiple case study designed to identify the principal branding elements in the Zambian HE market. Data were collected through three focus group discussions with first year students at ZCAS and twenty semi-structured interviews with marketing executives at ZCAS and twelve universities. Thematic and content analysis of the discussions and interviews revealed that the top five most considered HE branding factors in Zambia are teaching quality, fees, course availability, facilities and employability; while course availability, teaching quality and facilities emerged as the top three sources of competitive advantage. The study also revealed that the most consulted information sources about universities are print media, friends, education expos and electronic media, while the most prolific influencers of student choice are friends, parents and self. In the second research phase a conjoint questionnaire was administered to 390 first year students in eight HE institutions to establish ZCAS‟ competitive brand position in Zambia. Five principal branding attributes (i.e. teaching quality, fees, course availability, learning environment and employability) identified in the first research phase were employed in the conjoint analysis. The study revealed that ZCAS has a strong brand position because the most important elements in its brand model, i.e. course availability, teaching quality and facilities, are also the premier brand dimensions in the market. This study therefore adds to the increasing body of knowledge on HE branding, particularly in developing countries, by developing and then testing a brand orientation model for the Zambian HE market

Baby ‘A’ and Another v Attorney General and Others [2014] eKLR

On or about 3rd May 2009, Baby A (1st Petitioner) was born as an intersex child.2 On 10th May 2009, Kenyatta National Hospital (2nd Respondent) conducted various medical tests on the 1st Petitioner and on one of the documents that captured the 1st Petitioner’s details, inserted a question mark ‘?’ in the column that indicated the child’s sex. The Petitioners claimed that the entry of a question mark to indicate the sex of Baby A violated the rights of the child to legal recognition, dignity and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment. These rights were guaranteed in Section 4 of the Children Act3 and Articles 27, 28 and 29 of the Constitution of Kenya. The Court in the case of Baby A acknowledged that there was a need to create laws and guidelines that were inclusive of and protected intersex persons. To this effect, the Court made several obiter remarks relating to the need to implement laws that were inclusive of intersex persons. These remarks may be of great persuasive value in the bid to realise the rights of intersex persons in Kenya. However, the Court did very little to ensure that such laws and guidelines are created as it ultimately made a decision that amounted to a request for ‘the powers that be’ to change the law to include intersex persons’ rights. The Court effectively neglected its duty and authority to ensure that such powers were in a position that would compel them to repeal laws that excluded intersex persons and create laws that were inclusive. Consequently, intersex persons still do not enjoy legal recognition of their sex and are still exposed to corrective surgery at birth which deprives them of their bodily integrity and autonomy

Economic Justice. Exploring what the churches are doing concerning the little taxes from copper

The churches in Zambia have been involved in the public as well as the spiritual lives of the people for many years. They have been part of Zambia through many programs ranging from health, education, disaster mitigation as well as human rights. The case of the churches on economic justice with a focus on taxes from minerals has gained interest only in recent years. This research has focused on the area of economic justice with a specific look at the taxes from the copper mines. In order to understand the churches and their fight for economic justice in the extractive sector, the research looked at what they are doing in response to the little taxes the copper mining companies are paying. It also looked at why the churches are engaged in the struggle for economic justice

Working Capital Management and Profitability of Banks in Zambia

The objective of this research was to assess how the management practices related to working capital impact the profitability of banks in Zambia. The primary research question guiding this study was: To what degree do the policies and practices regarding working capital management influence the profitability of banks in Zambia? In order to address this question, the study calculated the Return on Average Assets as a metric to measure bank profitability, which served as the dependent variable. Receivables collection period, payables payment period, and cash conversion cycle were adopted as predictor variables, while leverage, bank size, growth and credit risk were the control variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and fixed effects regression modelling using dummy variables were then used to analyse panel data for 14 commercial banks in the country for the period 2010 to 2021.Based on the findings, the study concluded that overall, effective management of working capital had a statistically significant positive impact on the profitability of banks in Zambia. With respect to individual working capital elements, it was observed that the period for collecting receivables and the duration of the cash conversion cycle had a negative and significant influence on bank profitability. Conversely, the period for making payments on payables had the opposite effect, positively impacting bank profitability.Additionally, the study discovered that when the receivables collection period and payables payment period were utilized instead of the cash conversion cycle in the regression analysis with return on average assets, there was a greater increase in R-square change and squared multiple partial R. This indicates that managing receivables and payables as distinct components of working capital is more advantageous for the banking sector in Zambia compared to employing the cash conversion cycle. Keywords: Bank, Profitability, Return on average assets, Working capital management, Zambia DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/14-16-06 Publication date:August 31st 202

Prospects and Challenges of Medicinal Plants Conservation and\ud Traditional Medicine in Tanzania

A qualitative study was carried to assess prospects and challenges of medicinal plants conservation and\ud traditional medicine in Tanzania. The study shows that TRM and medicinal have great prospects in healthcare\ud delivery worldwide. These prospects have more impact in developing countries where 70%-80% of population used\ud TRM for Primary Healthcare (PHC). It is reported that 25% of prescribed drugs in conventional healthcare were\ud derived from their ethnomedicinal use in TRM. Medicinal plants still provided hope for discovery of new drugs for\ud the resistant diseases and those that were not treated by conventional prescribed drugs. Traditional medicine and\ud medicinal plants were faced with challenges notably; threats due to increasing depletion of the natural resource\ud as an impact of population increase, urbanization, modernization of agriculture and climatic change. There was\ud erosion of indigenous medical knowledge as most of the traditional health practitioners were aging and dying, while\ud the expected youths to inherit the practice shy away from practice. The youths in rural settings who were willing\ud to practice some of them die because of AIDS. The other major challenges on traditional medicine and MPs were\ud constraints and include lack of data on seriously threatened and endangered medicinal plant species. Others include\ud inadequate and conflicting guidelines on management and utilization of natural resources, especially medicinal\ud plants. Efforts for scaling up the practice of TRM and medicinal plant conservation have been suggested. These\ud were creating awareness of the importance traditional medicine and medicinal plants in healthcare; training THPs\ud on good practices for provision of healthcare; conserving medicinal plants through in-situ and ex-situ programs and\ud sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants resources and training conventional health workers on the contribution\ud of TRM and medicinal plants in PHC. Traditional health practitioners, TRM and medicinal plants should be essential\ud components in PHC in order to meet the health millennium goals by 2025

Strategic Harmonization of Higher Education Systems in Africa: The Dominance of Cross-State Organizations, Government Treaties and International Conferences in Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance

Quality of higher education and the need for effective quality assurance systems beyond those of institutions and nations themselves are becoming precedence themes in international strategies for higher education in African continent. Although the concepts of ‘Quality and Accreditation’ in higher education being multi-faceted, African countries are increasingly promoting them with the notion of having comparable academic standards and qualifications that can ultimately facilitate mobility of students, professional, informational and intellectual resources across countries. This paper attempts to review and give a brief account of the cross-state organizations, government treaties and conferences in higher education accreditation and Quality Assurance movements in Africa. The introductory part briefs the concept of quality in higher education and the international trend towards harmonization of higher education that require harmonized quality assurance and accreditation systems. The second part is dedicated to give an account of the notable multi-national quality assurance and accreditation organizations, treaties and international conferences that have been in place hitherto. Lastly, the paper winds up the account by discussion and conclusive remarks. Keywords: Accreditation, quality assurance, Higher education, harmonizatio

Competitive Positioning of a Higher Education Institution in Zambia: The Case of ZCAS

This study was the second phase of a larger research project that was designed to identify and measure a higher education institution’s brand in Zambia in order to ascertain areas for strengthening the brand’s competitive position. The objectives of this conjoint study were twofold: firstly, to identify the current position of the ZCAS brand as a case study and secondly, to establish the current position of the ZCAS brand relative to its higher education (HE) competitors in Zambia. This quantitative study involved administering a conjoint questionnaire to 110 first year students in ZCAS and 280 first year students in seven universities in the country. The 19 branding elements identified in the initial qualitative stage of the project were aggregated into five principal branding factors using Atlas.ti’s co-occurrence tools to facilitate this conjoint study. These five principal branding attributes are teaching quality, fees, course availability, learning environment and employability. The study revealed that ZCAS has a fairly strong brand position in the Zambian HE sector because the most important elements in its brand model, i.e. course availability, teaching quality and facilities are also the premier brand dimensions in the market. The study also revealed that ZCAS needs to reposition itself away from the competition in order to occupy a more favorable position in the minds of its prospective and existing customers. Accordingly, the study recommends that ZCAS increases its course offerings and collaborates with universities in the region. ZCAS should also consider setting up a quality assurance unit to foster quality in the institution. This study adds to the increasing body of knowledge on HE branding, particularly in developing countries, by developing and then testing a brand orientation model for the Zambian HE market

Assessing Meteorological Data for Reference Evapotranspiration in Kyela and Mbarali District

A study to assess meteorological data for reference evapotranspiration in Kyela and Mbarali District was necessary to equip farmers in ungauged improved traditional irrigation systems with information for improved planning, design and management of hydraulic structures. These systems are managed by farmers through irrigator’s organizations thus water depth is an important input in derivation and monitoring flow discharge. The current study estimated Evapotranspiration rate using Penman Monteith method whereby climatic data was obtained from Karonga and Igawa meteorological stations. FAO Climwat – Cropwat 7.0 was used to analyse climatic data, determine Crop Evapotranspiration (ETrice) and estimate irrigation water requirements.  The study recommends irrigators in Kyela and Mbarali Districts to utilize results from this study to gauge their irrigation infrastructures and regulate irrigation flows, as depth of water conveyed in the structures Keywords: Evapotranspiration, hydraulic structures, Irrigation water requirement