Using quantitative analysis to identify binding development constraints and options for their alleviation - two case studies in health and vocational training in Zambia

This report is a quantitative analysis of two case studies demonstrating the binding development constraints and options for their alleviation. The first case study is an analysis of health inequalities which remain an important policy issue in many developing countries. Using the 2014 data for the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), the paper assesses health inequality in Zambia using Child stunting as a health variable. The paper finds that those in the poorest group had more than thrice the Child stunting rate of the richest group, proving the existence of health inequality in Zambia. The paper further investigates the factors associated with stunting and finds that the mother's age, education, marital status, socio-economic status, location and nutritional status measured by body mass index (BMI) are significantly associated with Child stunting. Policy recommendations center on women empowerment, improving household food security and rolling out Social Cash Transfer schemes among others. The second case study is concerned with technical and vocational skills development, which despite being a key factor in economic growth remains limited in Zambia. Using multiple regression, the study finds that participating in skills training is determined by age, level of education, gender and location (rural or urban). These factors also affect participants' choices among the various skills training options that exist in Zambia: on-the-job training, public institutions, private institutions and apprenticeship. The study provides a number of recommendations. One relates to improved access to education for girls to improve their chances of accessing skills training. Another one calls for the formalisation of apprenticeships which remain informal and unofficial despite a substantial proportion of people acquiring skills through this avenue

Ethnicity, supersessionism and leadership in Acts 6:1-7 and beyond: assessing, with perspectives from rhetoric and deconstruction, the possibilities of appropriation in a contemporary denominational context

The purpose of this study is to pose possibilities in addressing the problem of ethnical discrimination, its development into supersessionism and the perpetual discriminatory practices in the contemporary church by engaging Acts 6:1-7 from a rhetorical and deconstructive perspective. The episode in Acts 6:1-7, where the seven men have been selected to deal with the issue of the “daily distribution of food” presents a problem with regard to its interpretation. The problem resides in the fact that the text itself contains a certain number of inconsistencies. The most obvious is the contradiction between the task assigned to the seven and their actual function in the subsequent narrative. The account of the selection of the seven has attracted the attention of many scholars. However, although they have identified the contradictions and incoherencies, the methodologies applied by these scholars to uncover the original meaning, did not enable them to dismantle the hierarchical dichotomies underlying the text, and to question how ethnical discrimination can be prevented as well as how the leadership is differently constructed. The objective of this study is to expose these contradictions and to ask how we can deal with this exposure, and how we can think with a text such as Acts 6:1-7 in addressing the problem of ethnical discrimination, supersessionism and leadership, not only in the church but also in its wider political manifestations. The research methodology used in this study derives from deconstruction and rhetoric within the wider ambit of critical theory. Acts 6:1-7, when read from a conjunction of rhetorical and deconstruction perspectives, demonstrates that there is indeed a problem of ethnicity in Acts 6, reveals how the author of Acts privileges an engendered masculinity ethos, exposes the absence of taking the plight of widows into full consideration, shows that the roots of supersessionism can be found in Acts 6: 1-7, and also infuses the notion of leadership with an ethical overturning that requires rethinking the implications for leadership. The significance of the study lies in considering how a continuation of ethnical discrimination in contemporary denominational context can be resisted via my thinking with Acts 6:1-7.New TestamentD. Th. (New Testament

Progressivity and determinants of out-of-pocket health care financing in Zambia

Includes bibliographical references.The need for health care financing mechanisms that are progressive in Zambia cannot be over-emphasized. It is necessary that health care financing mechanisms are in such a way that they are related to ability to pay. This is an equity objective. This is the main motivation for this study. It is envisaged that this study will provide empirical evidence on the progressivity and determinants of OOP payments. This information is important for policy making regarding health care financing

Decision support system for sustainable rainwater harvesting in South Africa

To reconcile its scarce water resources with the ever increasing demand for fresh water, the South African government continues to explore and investigate various demand management and water supply options such as: effluent reuse, interbasin water transfers, rainwater harvesting (RWH), water conservation as well as sea water desalinisation. RWH is an old but underutilised technology that can play a key role in the improvement of rural livelihoods, thus the need to investigate the potential it holds for South Africa. This thesis presents the Rainwater HArvesting Decision Support System (RHADESS) that was developed to facilitate the integration of three streamlined categories of RWH in the management and development of the country’s water resources at the quaternary catchment scale (± 500 km2). Using biophysical and socioeconomic datasets, RHADESS assesses the RWH footprint of any given area of South Africa. Although physical factors are important parameters in the assessment of the RWH suitability of a given area the non‐consideration of ecological and socioeconomic parameters lead to inappropriate targeting of RWH. Once the footprint is determined, the ecohydrological impact of RWH as reduction in river flow can be established. Despite the increasing adoption of RWH, very little is known about its potential ecohydrological impact. This thesis contributes to understanding these impacts for different levels of adoption of RWH at the quaternary catchment scale. Finally, RHADESS sizes the RWH tank per quaternary catchment, assesses its water security and calculates the area of land needed for a household to achieve food security when RWH is implemented. The decision support system was tested in two quaternary catchments which have contrasting rainfall regimes, the semi‐arid C52A and the humid V13D

Biblical interpretation as social discourse: a study of reconstructive religious discourse in post-colonial Democratic Republic of Congo

The contribution of the Church to the reconstruction of a nation is the primary reason for the present study. The paradox image that the Democratic Republic of Congo presents deserves particular attention. With more than 80% of DRC population being Christians, this study strives to examine the current Christian religious discourse in the DRC and to see in what way this discourse can be ameliorated in order to play properly the role of facilitating a positive transformation of this country. Notwithstanding I have been alienated from the country for some years now, the study analyzes the current situation on the ground on the basis of the data available, and makes some recommendations in order for the situation in the DRC to be ameliorated. This study thus urges a reconstructive Christian religious discourse in the hope of changing the nation’s mentality in order to reconstruct this beautiful Country.New TestamentM. Div. (New Testament

Mastitis in Small Ruminants

Bacterial mastitis in small ruminants is a complex disease, with massive economic loss in dairy sheep/goat industry due to poor productivity. The current mastitis prevention strategy relies on culling of infected ewes or does and or the use of antimicrobial agents to eliminate the bacterial infection. This has a potential risk for developing antibiotic resistant bacteria, posing human health risk from consumption of raw sheep or goat dairy products. Existing experimental and licensed vaccines on the market are ineffective against reducing the risk of mastitis in herds or flocks. Raising the needs for development of improved vaccines against mastitis for use in sheep and goats. This review examines, current understanding of the pathological processes and immunological responses against bacterial mastitis, using S. aureus as an example. By highlighting the protective defense mechanism induced in the udder against S. aureus mastitis. Based on evidence from published studies on pathological process and protective immune response mechanism, the need for improved vaccines for prevention of mastitis in small ruminant is highlighted and the development of a vaccine capable of enhancing immune response mechanism, that reduce the establishment of intramammary infection through induction of local IgA, IgG2 and Th17 immune responses is proposed

Cost-effectiveness of eye care services in Zambia.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of cataract surgery and refractive error/presbyopia correction in Zambia. METHODS: Primary data on costs and health related quality of life were collected in a prospective cohort study of 170 cataract and 113 refractive error/presbyopia patients recruited from three health facilities. Six months later, follow-up data were available from 77 and 41 patients who had received cataract surgery and spectacles, respectively. Costs were determined from patient interviews and micro-costing at the three health facilities. Utility values were gathered by administering the EQ-5D quality of life instrument immediately before and six months after cataract surgery or acquiring spectacles. A probabilistic state-transition model was used to generate cost-effectiveness estimates with uncertainty ranges. RESULTS: Utility values significantly improved across the patient sample after cataract surgery and acquiring spectacles. Incremental costs per Quality Adjusted Life Years gained were US$259 for cataract surgery and US$ 375 for refractive error correction. The probabilities of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios being below the Zambian gross national income per capita were 95% for both cataract surgery and refractive error correction. CONCLUSION: In spite of proven cost-effectiveness, severe health system constraints are likely to hamper scaling up of the interventions

Water for small-scale biogas digesters in sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements This work was part-funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council funded ESPA project, NE/K010441/1 ‘ALTER – Alternative Carbon Investments in Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation’. We are also grateful to the AUC for funding part of this work under the Afri-Flame project on ‘Adapta- tion of small-scale biogas digesters for use in rural households in sub-Saharan AfricaPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Participation de la République Démocratique du Congo dans la Lutte contre la 1 Déforestation par la Production et l’Utilisation à Domicile de Biogaz dans les Milieux Ruraux

Jusqu’à la fin du 18ème siècle, l’expansion de l’homme s’est faite en utilisant l’énergie des animaux, du vent, de l’eau et du bois. Ce développement n’était pas durable car, il entrainait la déforestation. L’apparition des machines avec l’ère industrielle a relancé la croissance démographique et la demande en énergie. La deuxième moitié du 20ème siècle a vu le pétrole s’installer comme énergie reine, suivi du gaz naturel. Parallèlement, l’énergie nucléaire et les énergies renouvelables se sont développées. Parmi les énergies renouvelables, le biogaz est également l’un des nouveaux acteurs. Il est produit de plusieurs manières dont certains sont assistés, c’est le cas de la production par fermentation des biomasses dans les digesteurs. Les biomasses utilisées dans ce procédé sont : les déchets solides urbains et industriels, les eaux usées, les sous-produits agricoles, les déchets d’abattoirs… ces substrats subissent cinq types de réactions de fermentation dont quatre aboutissent à la formation de biogaz et une autre en crée l’inhibition. Le gaz obtenu présente quelques caractéristiques à l’état brut qui perturbe sa bonne utilisation comme tel, voilà pourquoi il passe à la purification, qui se fait soit pendant la fermentation ou après la production, donc, dans les filtres. Le biogaz épuré peut être utilisé dans les différents domaines de la vie demandant la présence d’énergie. Pour le cas des milieux ruraux, il est utilisé pour la cuisson et l’éclairage des ménages. Le biogaz participe à la lutte contre la déforestation et le réchauffement climatique ; voilà pourquoi il est important d’installer les micros digesteurs dans les ménages où le courant électrique est quasiment inexistant. Pendant la production, il se crée le résidu communément appelé digestat. Ce dernier est nécessaire dans le domaine agricole car, il est utilisé comme fertilisant bio. Son épandage dans les plantations produit un rendement non négligeable

Informing targeted HIV self-testing: a protocol for discrete choice experiments in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Introduction HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a new approach to HIV testing where a person collects his or her own specimen, performs an HIV test and interprets the result, either alone or with someone he or she trusts. It is becoming increasingly relevant as a complement to standard-of-care HIV testing and is now recommended by the World Health Organization. Few studies have explored user preferences around HIVST service delivery and optimal models for increasing uptake and linkage to care, particularly among hard-to-reach populations. This paper describes an ongoing study that uses discrete choice experiments (DCE) to identify key HIVST service characteristics that drive people’s willingness to self-test for HIV and link to care, measure the relative strength of user preferences, and explore preference heterogeneity in Southern Africa. Method and Analysis Two DCEs – one on HIVST delivery and one on linkage to care after a positive self-test – are being administered in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The designs in each country were informed by a qualitative study, which identified key HIVST service characteristics that influence user decision-making and refined scenario presentations and illustrations. Following data collection, DCE data will be analysed using a multinomial logit model as well as latent class, nested logit and generalised mixed models to examine heterogeneity in preferences by sociodemographic background, HIV testing experience and sexual behaviour. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the College of Medicine Research Ethics Committee in Malawi, the Biomedical Ethics Committee of the University of Zambia, the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and the Research Ethics Committee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Findings from the study will be presented at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. The results will help inform the HIVST implementation strategy in Southern Africa, particularly among populations underserved by standard-of-care services, such as men and young women