'They count us among the dead' : ageing women’s experiences of intergenerational conflict in a changing rural economy in sub-Saharan Africa

Rural economies in sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly changing. While these changes are viewed by policymakers as rural development, limited attention has been paid to how this transformation has precipitated intergenerational conflict. This qualitative research examines the consequences of a rapidly changing cash-crop economy on women’s ageing experiences. Based on a purposive sample of 14 participants, I argue that while agrarian rural development has led to strong marketisation practices aimed at accumulating capital and alleviating poverty, it has also contributed to tension between young people and those ageing in rural villages, most especially older women. This tension has created a sense of invisibility among older women, which some described as ‘being counted among the dead’. Through an inductive analysis of participants’ life stories, three overarching themes are discussed to reveal older women’s experiences of intergenerational conflict: marketisation and distorted land relations; labels of disconnect and broken social bonds; and destructive leisure consumerism. With a focus on Uganda, the paper contributes to articulating new dimensions to older women’s experiences of material and non-material deprivation within shared resource bases in transitioning rural economies of sub-Saharan Africa

Engaging social work students in research-based field education with place-based community organisations

Field education forms one of the fundamental pillars of social work training. The construction of this practicum around partnerships with place-based, not-for-profit organisations, though vitally important, remains challenging for contemporary social work. Historically, field education has been designed around students’ observation of clinical practice and interaction with clients within a supervised and structured environment. While this model empowers students to meaningfully interact with the clients, a sole reliance on this approach limits their understanding of the multi-faceted nature of factors that shape clients’ experiences of disadvantage. Pedagogical partnerships with community organisations and integrating research in field education practicum, will enable students to become critically aware of context-specific needs and socio-political structures within which social injustices occur. In this reflective article, framed within the lens of pedagogical partnerships, the authors maintain that place-based community partnerships, and work integrated learning within which students develop creative and innovative skills, is prioritised. Consequently, aspects of equity and social justice will be promoted. The authors reflect on the observations and lessons learned from engaging postgraduate social work students in a research-based (in form of an evaluation) field education practicum with a community organisation in Australia

Working with Older People: How Prepared are Social Work Students?

The safety and quality of care for Australia's rapidly growing ageing population is highly dependent on a skilled and competent human service workforce, and social workers have an important and emerging role to play within this space. Older Australians experience a multitude of complex and diverse care needs within their communities and other care settings. Within these contexts, the critical role of social workers cannot be underestimated, considering the evolving expectations of service users, their families, and carers as well as the local community. With such dynamics, exploring social workers' preparedness to work with older people becomes imperative and a policy priority. This report presents findings based on a qualitative pilot research project that explored social work students' preparedness to work with older people in NSW- Australia. The research also explored faculty perspectives on students' preparedness to work with older people. Preparedness in this research was contextualised as Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP). The research is a response to the Commonwealth Government 's aged care Workforce Strategy – A Matter of Care (2018), that calls for attention within the undergraduate training programs to ensure that they address current and future competencies and skills requirements for the sector. This is well-aligned with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendation 76 (2a). Several themes about enablers and constraints to social work students' preparedness emerged from in-depth interviews with seven final year undergraduate social work students, and five faculty who teach and coordinate subjects within the social work degree. Overall, the role of students' knowledge, attitude, perception, curriculum design, pedagogical practices, field placement opportunities were underscored as imperative in shaping preparedness to work with older people

WSU Liverpool City Campus Crèche Evaluation Report: Untold Stories of Student Parents

In Australia, being a working and/or studying parent can be isolating, stressful and challenging, especially for those student parents with limited or no access to family and formal childcare support. This report presents findings from an evaluation of the pilot creche care model implemented at the Western Sydney University (WSU) Liverpool city campus. The model presents as an alternative form of childcare support for student parents and faculty at WSU. The report demonstrates that the creche care model does not only improve student parents' overall university experience and study outcomes, but it also has the potential of mitigating isolation through the creation of a community of student parents with similar lived experiences

Agony resulting from cultural practices of canine bud extraction among children under five years in selected slums of Makindye : a cross sectional study

Background: Canine Bud Extraction (CBE) is a process of removing or gouging children's healthy canine tooth buds embedded underneath the gum using traditional unsterilized tools. The practice of CBE commonly known as false teeth removal continues to be an adopted cultural intervention of choice, in the prevention of morbidity and mortality from common childhood illnesses. However, it is a practice against the rights of the children with serious consequences. While CBE is associated with the perceived myth of curative gains, the agony emanating from the cultural practice exposes children to ill-health conditions such as dehydration, malnutrition, blood-borne diseases like HIV/AIDs, septicemia, fever and death. This research sought to understand the factors underpinning the practice of CBE among urban slum dwellers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from five randomly selected slums in Makindye division; 298 household heads or guardians with children below 5 years, who had ever suffered from false teeth were interviewed. The variables measured included guardians' socio-demographic profiles, determinants of CBE, common childhood illnesses assumed to be treated with CBE and the reported side-effects associated with the practice. Results: Of the 298 respondents with children who had ever suffered from "false teeth" interviewed, 56.7% had two or more children below 5years and 31.9% were from the central region. The proportion of households practicing CBE was 90.3%; 69.8% of the caretakers mentioned that it was done by traditional healers and for 12.1% by trained health workers (dentists). Number of children (OR=2.8, 95% CI: 1.1-7.2) and the belief that CBE is bad (OR=0.1, 95% CI: <0.001, p<0.001) had a statistically significant association with CBE. Additionally, number of children (χ2=4.9, p=0.027) and 2 sets of beliefs (CBE treats diarrhea (χ2=12.8, p=0.0017) and CBE treats fever (χ2=15.1, p=0.0005) were independent predictors of CBE practice. A total of 55.7% respondents knew that there were side effects to CBE and 31% mentioned death as one of them. Conclusion: The high proportion of households practicing CBE from this study ought to awaken the perception that the practice is ancient. CBE in this community as the study suggests was strongly driven by myths. The strong belief that CBE is bad provides an opportunity for concerted effort by primary health care providers, policy makers and the community to demystify the myths associated with false teeth and the gains of CBE

Adverse events profile of PrePex a non-surgical device for adult male circumcision in a Ugandan urban setting

Background: Safe Male Circumcision is a proven approach for partial HIV prevention. Several sub Saharan African countries have plans to reach a prevalence of 80% of their adult males circumcised by 2015. These targets require out of ordinary organization, demand creation, timely execution and perhaps the use of SMC devices. Objective: To profile Adverse Events rate and acceptance of PrePex, a non surgical device for adult male circumcision. Methods: A prospective study, conducted at International Hospital Kampala, Uganda, between August and October 2012. Ethical approval was obtained from Uganda National Council of Science and Technology. Results: Of 1,040 men received to undergo SMC, 678 opted for PrePex, 36 were excluded at an initial physical examination screening. 642 were enrolled and consented, and another 17 were excluded before device placement. 625 underwent the procedure. Average age was 24 years (67). Twelve moderate AEs occurred among 10 participants 12/625, (1.9%). These were all reversible. Five had device displacement, one had an everted foreskin; five had bleeding after the device was removed and one had voiding difficulties. The majority (279 out of 300) of men interviewed complained of some pain within the week of placement. Mean pain score at device placement (using visual analogue scale) was 0.5, at device removal 4.5 and within 2 min of removal the pain score was 1.4. Over 70% of the devices were placed and removed by non-physician clinicians. Presented with a choice, 60% of men chose PrePex over surgical SMC. Close to 90% would recommend the device to their friends. Odour from the necrotic skin was a concern. Removals done 1–2 days earlier than day 7 were beneficial and conferred no extra risk. Conclusion: AEs of a moderate or severe nature associated with PrePex were low and reversible. PrePex is feasible for mass safe male circumcision scaling up

[In Press] A rural-centric model for understanding women's later life precarity in an agrarian economy in Uganda

Aging as a woman within the context of agricultural transformation where production and consumption values shape everyday life raises concerns of later life precarity. Gender economic inclusion is imperative in the achievement of inclusive rural development. But there is a tendency to homogenize female experiences of poverty based on gender and class, ignoring the impact of global economic and social changes on Uganda's rural economy and the elderly. Furthermore, in the agrarian context, precarity hinges on gender images of a desirable agricultural worker and neoliberal policies that exacerbate vulnerabilities of elderly women already living on the economic margins of global capitalism. Drawing on rural-dwelling older women's narratives, this article reveals that precarity in an environment of agrarian capitalism is a product of conflict between the desire to maintain relationships of reciprocity and engagement in production. In this article, a five-tier rural-centric model relevant to conceptualising risk factors to precarity is proposed. The model is influenced by the Bourdieusian theory of capital and Gudeman's economy theory. The model provides an opportunity to re-imagine and situate older women's later life precarity within the wider sociopolitical and economic context, and consequently design appropriate social protection initiatives

Not leaving 'Lone Migrant Mothers' behind : the role of place-based childcare support in Australia's marginalised neighbourhoods

In Australia, lone migrant mothers remain an invisible social category within the childcare-poverty discourse. There has been an increase in the population of lone mothers migrating to Australia in pursuit of a better economic life, though with no childcare support. Within the public and political spheres, they are homogenised as single mothers incognisant of how gender intersects with factors such as migration status, ethnicity, lone parenting, and class to induce poverty. Childcare support is not only a pillar to societal flourishment and advancement but also a strategy to settlement and integration. This study aimed at examining lone migrant mothers’ experiences with place-based childcare support within one of the marginalised neighbourhoods in theLiverpool LGA in Sydney, Australia. While dominant narratives broadly associate childcare support to women’s labour participation and gender equality, there is limited knowledge on the role of place-based childcare support among lone migrant mothers. Drawing on Sen’s capabilities theoretical framework, the article demonstrates that place-based childcare support is not only a welfare service but a tool for building localism. Consequently, translating into a structure for creating healthy spaces, place-making, and community cohesion, and building neighbourhood capacity – aspects considered core to socio-economic inclusion of women who migrate as lone parents

Evaluation Report: Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections Community Development Program

Poverty and social exclusion continue to be a significant problem in Australia with women and children being affected the most. Liverpool is one of the areas affected and this report documents the findings of the research-based evaluation of Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections Community Development Program. The evaluation was initiated in response to the government’s call for evidence-based community initiatives that contribute to the alleviation of economic and social exclusion among the most vulnerable populations in Australia. It is important that LNC is able to show the impact of its works to government and potential funders. - The overarching objective of this evaluation was to assess the impact of the Community Development Program on women’s livelihood and the broader community within the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA). An assessment of whether the program activities and outcomes are aligned with LNC values was done. This was conducted through the utilization of qualitative methods. The Agency’s Theory of Change was developed and then tested to ascertain whether it was on track in addressing the socio-economic needs of families in crisis within the suburb of Warwick Farm. Data was collected on women’s lived experiences of participating in LNC programs. This information is purposed to provide evidence on what works in relieving poverty among vulnerable neighbourhood populations. The findings of this report are presented under the following key themes; 1) description of the key attributes of the program beneficiaries, 2) essential program characteristics that work - the LNC approach to needs assessment, gender sensitive programs, flexible child support services, 3) perceived benefits of the program, and 4) challenges as expressed by participants. The report concludes with recommendations

Primary Healthcare in East Africa: For How Long Shall Countries Run After Diseases?

Primary Health Care (PHC) is a pivotal discipline in disease prevention, promotion of community-oriented primary care and implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve the health status of the people. This textbook focuses on PHC in the African context in comparison to the rest of the world. It provides fundamental concepts in health such as the current epidemiological trend in East Africa, comprehensive versus selective PHC, emerging and re-emerging diseases, social health insurance and a critical analysis of whether health for all has been achieved