The role of gender equality on rural women development in agriculture

Gender is as a contract in society regulating the relations between men and women. But Gender equality is referred to as equal rights, roles and responsibilities for men and women. It is a crucial element in sustainable development, and it is considered as human rights. In Rwanda, Rural women’s development refers to things such as participating in private and public agricultural activities, necessary about changing the life of rural women in a positive manner. Productive agricultural activities are expected to generate incomes, food security and improve nutrition. In Rwanda, currently there is an important improvement in gender equality however higher workload including care duties, large number of women in agriculture, control over materials and financial income, and land are examples that have restrained women to development in the past years. The purpose of this thesis was to study gender equality in the context of rural agriculture development in a cooperative called KOPERATIVE DUHINGE IKIGORI KANJONGO “KODIKA”, in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda. In this thesis, research on gender equality based on the cooperative such as access to land, care duties in families, household’s agriculture activities, participation, division of labour, decision making, leadership and impacts of rewards on families from the cooperative are studied. It was found that most women are responsible for care duties and men as head of the family can help them sometimes such as during sickness. Moreover, household agricultural activities are divided on preference between men and women, but more women are found in seeding and weeping while men prefer jobs such as construction and transportation that can generate money daily. All participants in this study said that men and women have equal access to land and mostly they decide together on the usage of the rewards from the cooperative. In KODIKA, anyone can lead without restriction to election but many women still lack confidence to express their ideas. It is promising that regular training on gender and equality will enhance the agricultural production and the wellbeing of the KODIKA members

Prevalence and Risk Factors For Intestinal Nematodes Infections among Primary School Children at Kigeme Refugee Camp, Southern Province, Rwanda

Background Intestinal parasitic infections are common in camps of internally displaced people or refugees. Although, much has been done in Rwanda for their control in the general population, little is known about the prevalence among children in refugees’ camps. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal nematodes infections and associated risk factors among primary school children at Kigeme refugee camp, southern province of Rwanda in 2021. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted; a total number of 383 stool samples were collected and examined using formal ether concentration technique. Results Approximately, one out of two participants (48.0%) were found to be infected with at least one intestinal nematode. Ascaris lumbricoides was found to be most prevalent (81%), followed by Trichirus trichiura (7.1%) and hookworm (3.8%). Parental illiteracy was identified as a risk factor, while knowledge on transmission roots of intestinal nematodes was seen as a protective factor. Conclusion Family members and parental education in particular is key as far as prevention of intestinal nematodes infections is concerned. Enhancement of public health education about hygiene and sanitation as well as regular mass drug administration could be important in fighting against intestinal parasitic infections. Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(3):332-33

Cervical Cancer in Developing Countries: Effective Screening and Preventive Strategies

The purpose of this paper is to examine cervical cancer screening methods available in developing countries, and to discuss alternative effective methods of screening. Cervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease. However, it continues to threaten the lives of women today. Annual world incidence is an estimated 529,000 and mortality is 275,000. Eighty- five percent of cases and the majority of deaths due to cervical cancer occur in developing countries. Cytology via Papanicolaou (Pap) smear, the golden standard method of screening over the past decades, is not generally a suitable method of screening in low-resource regions. The implementation and sustainability of Pap smear programs have not yet been possible in those countries. Alternative methods have been developed and tested for low-resource countries, including visual inspection by acetic acid (VIA), HPV-DNA, and careHPV-DNA. These screening methods, along with the preventive vaccine, have a greater potential for decreasing the incidence of cervical cancer in developing countries. Nurses play a vital role in educating both health care providers and women in developing countries about the importance of preventive immunization and cervical cancer screening