Early Childhood Education, Care, and Development: Perspectives from around the Globe

Early childhood education, care, and development (ECECD) has reached prominence due to its recognition by the global community as an important national investment and right for children. ECECD programs advocate for quality in education, protection, health, and nutrition for children and families, in most countries and nation-states. Global seekers of quality programs and practices recognize variability in how quality is defined, developed, delivered, and assessed; as well as recognizing each nations' unique focus on culturally relevant aspects of programs and practices for specific contexts. Research indicates that well-designed ECECD programs of high quality contribute to children's holistic development and sense of well-being, educational attainment, workforce productivity, international collaborations, sustainability of peace-building initiatives, and improved economies in the long run. Eleven diverse articles are presented in this themed journal as a contribution to the rich, on-going conversations about the importance of global ECECD programs and practices

Primary schools’ development in Somaliland – The role of Community Education Committees

The study sought to determine the methods used to participate the community in school infrastructure projects. It also examined the extent and effectiveness of the community education committee participation process. Done as a cross-sectional survey using mixed methods of inquiry, the study targeted 1002 respondents consisting of 920 headteachers and 82 officers in charge of District Education (DEOs) in Somaliland. The sample comprised 257 headteachers and 22 DEOs. Multi stage sampling was used. Purposive sampling was used to draw a sample of regions, stratified random sampling to draw a sample of headteachers while simple random sampling was used to draw a sample of DEOs. Pilot testing of the questionnaire was done on 28 headteachers. DEOs were interviewed while Headteachers filled questionnaires. Reliability of the questionnaire was ensured using Cronbach alpha. Empirical literature review, peer review and pilot testing were used to ensure validity. The response was received from 20 DEOs and 247 headteachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data collected from DEOs. Headteachers data collected by questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics. Participating the community in decision-making, offering free labour and and fundraising were the leading methods of participating communities in school infrastructure projects. Communities perceived full ownership of completed school infrastructure projects. Community members were satisfied with the schools‘ participation process. Most schools had realized their community participation goals. The CEC process was just one of the numerous ways the community participated in school infrastructure projects. The CEC participation method was largely working and realising its goals. More school development could be realised if the CEC participation process was further strengthened

Harnessing Social Capital for School Development: Community Participation in School Construction Projects

The study examined how communities participate in school construction projects in primary schools in Somaliland and how community participation in school construction projects influences the performance of those projects. The study used a correlational design and was undertaken as a cross-sectional survey. The target population was 920 primary school headteachers in all the 13 regions of Somaliland and 82 District Education Officers. A sample of 257 headteachers was drawn using multistage sampling where purposive sampling and stratified random sampling with replacement were used to sample headteachers while 22 DEOs were sampled using simple random sampling. Data was collected from headteachers using questionnaires and from DEOs using semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire was pilot tested on 28 headteachers. The response was received from 247 headteachers and 20 DEOs. Variables relationships were analyzed using path analysis and tested using t-tests at α = 5%. The main methods used to involve the community in primary schools’ construction projects were: involving them in decision-making processes, volunteering labour and fundraising. The study found that community participation had no significant influence on the performance of construction projects. Community participation in public primary schools in postwar Somaliland is a policy-driven initiative and a fill-gap measure of deficiencies left by the government’s low and inadequate capitation to schools. Low social capital in the communities participated in projects coupled with the costs and the downsides of the community participation process can result in a negative impact on the performance of those projects. Urban schools tend to benefit more from community participation than rural schools due to higher social capital stocks in urban communities as compared to rural communities

Post-harvest technology transfer to reduce on farm grain losses in Kitui district, Kenya

Training and demonstrations on post harvest technology transfer to reduce grain losses at farm level were conducted in five divisions of Kitui district with the overall objective of consolidating what the farmers already knew about storage. It was also to assist them select appropriate storage methods with emphasis on proper application of pest control products. A total of 163 participants were trained in storage pest management covering pest infestation cycle, use of chemical and non-chemical methods of control, storage practices and identification of major pests using specimen and pictures, dangers of mycotoxins on maize followed by on demonstrations.Farmers demonstrated traditional practices of determining grain moisture content, and shovel mixing, both on the tarpaulin and wheelbarrows. Sticks were other tools used to mix chemical dust with grain on tarpaulins and in the bags. The research team from Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) demonstrated proper use of the shovel and the “fuffle”, a device that is faster and more efficient in mixing grain with chemical dusts.Treated grain and a control were stored on site in 90-kg bags. Evaluation, based on the level of damage and live infestation was done after 3 months. Despite anomalies like lack of uniformity of grain in different bags depending on source, KARI methods appeared better than farmers’ methods in most instances. Farmers were able to make informed decisions based on the mixing methods which gave better results. The fuffle was an effective tool for mixing grain with chemical dusts and farmers were keen to have it fabricated by local artisans. Farmers appreciated the training and demonstration and promised to adopt proper grain preservation techniques as demonstrated to improve grain quality.Keywords: Post harvest, Technology transfer, Grain losses, Farmer

Effect of nutrition education and dairy group membership on nutrition knowledge, practices and diet quality for rural Kenyan farm women

The typical high-starch, low diversity diet in developing countries is associated withundernutrition, morbidity and mortality. Previous research with households inMukurwe-ini Division (Central Kenya) found that members of a community-baseddairy development group were more food secure and had higher intake of certainmicronutrients compared with non-members; however, the prevalence of inadequateintake of multiple micronutrients was high among all women. A nutrition educationintervention was developed to enhance women’s nutrition knowledge and food skills toultimately improve diet quality and micronutrient intakes for women and their families.In addition, it was proposed that the intervention effects would be greater for dairygroup members. The Mukurwe-ini study group consisted of 88 women in four dairymembership-duration categories (n=4 x 22) and non-member women (n=23). The studygroup was previously selected using chain referral sampling. For the intervention,women from each duration-group and non-member women were randomly allocated tointervention (n=55) and control (n=56) groups. Nutrition knowledge and dietary intake(24-hour recall) data were collected from all women over three weeks immediatelyprior to the intervention (baseline) and again, six months post-intervention, inindividual face-to-face interviews. The intervention encouraged food-based strategiesto improve intake of vitamin A, iron and zinc and was developed and delivered incollaboration with a Kenyan dietitian. WFood2 was used to compute food and nutrientintakes, dietary diversity and the phytate:zinc molar ratio. Descriptive statistics andlinear and logistic regressions analyses were performed using Stata10. Independent ofdairy-group membership, a larger proportion of intervention group women, comparedto control group women, had the targeted nutrition knowledge and practiced thestrategies to improve intake of vitamin A (76% vs 67%, respectively) and zinc and iron(soaked beans and maize 80% vs 13%; avoided tea with meals 67 % vs 5%,respectively). A positive effect of the intervention on dietary diversity was dependenton dairy-group membership status. Positive intervention effects on intake of vitamin Aand C were found for non-member women. This study provided evidence that certainintervention effects were dependent on poverty reduction and that all women were ableto make positive dietary changes when informed. There is a need to examine longertermimpacts of nutrition education interventions and to explore effective methods todisseminate nutrition information and food-based strategies.Key words: nutrition intervention, micronutrients, food-based strategy, rural, women,dairy, smallholder farme

Early Childhood Education, Care, and Development: Perspectives from around the Globe

Early childhood education, care, and development (ECECD) has reached prominence due to its recognition by the global community as an important national investment and right for children. ECECD programs advocate for quality in education, protection, health, and nutrition for children and families, in most countries and nation-states. Global seekers of quality programs and practices recognize variability in how quality is defined, developed, delivered, and assessed; as well as recognizing each nations' unique focus on culturally relevant aspects of programs and practices for specific contexts. Research indicates that well-designed ECECD programs of high quality contribute to children's holistic development and sense of well-being, educational attainment, workforce productivity, international collaborations, sustainability of peace-building initiatives, and improved economies in the long run. Eleven diverse articles are presented in this themed journal as a contribution to the rich, on-going conversations about the importance of global ECECD programs and practices

An Application Of Extreme Value Theory In Modelling Electricity Production In Kenya

Extreme Value Theory provides a well-established statistical model for the computation of extreme risk measure which includes, Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall. In this paper we apply Univariate Extreme Value Theory to model extreme production for the Kenyan Electricity. We demonstrate that Extreme value theory can successfully be applied in predicting future Value at Risk to the electricity production. This will provide solutions to the problems faced by producers and consumers in the electricity market. In this paper Value at Risk is estimated using a Peak Over Threshold method. This technique models the distribution of exceedances over a high threshold rather than the individual observations. It concentrates on observation that exceeds central limits, focusing on the tail of the distribution. Extreme value theory is also applied to compute the tail risk measures at given confidence interval.  An overview of the Extreme Value Theory and Peaks Over Threshold Method are also given. These methods are applied to electricity production in Kenya and the data exhibit some trend and modeled as a Gumbel distribution since the shape parameter is not significantly different from zero. Keywords: Risk Modeling, Value at Risk, Extreme Value Theory

Bancroftian filariasis in Kwale District, Kenya

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti infection in an area designated for filariasis control trial.Design: A cross-sectional survey.Setting: Three villages in Kinango location, Kwale district, Coast Province, Kenya.Subjects/participants: Oral informed consent to participate was obtained from adults and parents or guardians of children below fifteen years of age.Main outcome measures: Microfilaraemia prevalences, microfilarial densities and clinical manifestations.Results: The overall prevalence of microfilaraemia in the population was 16.4%. The prevalence of microfilaraemia was age-dependent and the overall microfilarial density (MFD) was 69.4 mf/ml (geometric mean) and significantly higher in males (95.8 mf/ml) than in females (48.6 mf/ml) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of clinical signs of infection was also agedependent with elephantiasis being significantly higher in females (2.3%) than in males (0.9%) (p < 0.05). Among the males, the major clinical manifestation was hydrocele (10.4%).Conclusion: These findings show high prevalence of bancroftian filariasis in Kwale district and warrant similar studies followed by implementation of intervention measures to reduce transmission in all areas of endemicity in the Coast Province

Assurance of marketed milk quality in Kenya

Food safety standards require the implementation of specific standards from production-to-consumption. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is now a widely accepted methodology in risk analysis for industrially processed foods. The application of HACCP is a bigger challenge in developing countries where food market channels are less formal.. This study adapted a HACCP methodology to assess health risks at different points in the informal milk marketing network. Key critical control points identified for high total bacterial counts were channels with multiple transaction points which took considerable time from the farm without refrigeration facilities. High coliform counts were associated with the use of plastic versus metal containers. Approximately 13% of samples were adulterated with added water. Recommendations for procedures to improve milk quality and how these can be communicated to farmers, market agents and consumers are proposed and discussed

Factors associated with under-5 mortality in three disadvantaged East African districts

BACKGROUND: The high rate of avoidable child mortality in disadvantaged communities in Africa is an important health problem. This article examines factors associated with mortality in children 6 h away from the nearest health centre (6-23 h: AOR 1.66 [95% CI 1.4-2.0] and ?24 h: AOR 1.43 [95% CI 1.26-1.72]) reported higher mortality rates in children 6 h away from health centres and mothers who received inadequate ANC visits during pregnancy