Seven Women Speak: Perceptions of Economic Empowerment Opportunities Among Diverse Women in Four Different Cape Town Communities Today

The research study described in this paper examines different women’s perceptions of their economic opportunities and sense of empowerment in Cape Town today. Although post-apartheid South Africa boasts many more opportunities for women than under apartheid, there is still a large disparity in the treatment of women in the workforce compared to men – from the number of women employed to wage inequality to the levels and types of jobs to which women are constrained. This gender discrimination has reverberating effects on the poverty and development of South Africa the nation, as many argue that women’s economic empowerment is directly correlated with the overall growth of a country. The research in this study is therefore relevant because South African development policymakers may benefit from comparing and analyzing women’s views of their own economic opportunities today. The seven participants of this small-scale qualitative research study are women of diverse races and ages, and the synthesis of this cross-racial and generational research provides a non-representative sample of the concerns of women in Cape Town today regarding economic opportunities. I conducted my research through seven interviews with women who live in Bo Kaap, Langa, Oranjezicht, and Sea Point and who are of younger and older generations. From these interviews I found that cultural upbringing is a highly influential factor on women’s opportunities to succeed on their own financially and can significantly restrict or increase women’s economic empowerment. My research also highlighted the underlying insecurity that many women in the workforce today feel regarding their abilities, which reinforces negative stereotypes of women. Overall, the findings of my study suggest that women’s unique experiences with economic opportunity depend greatly on their individual culture and family structure, rather than purely racial and class distinctions. This research provides valuable insight into the complex causes and details of the gender gap felt by women of different races, ages, and cultures in Cape Town today

Seven Women Speak: Perceptions of Economic Empowerment Among Women in Cape Town

The research study described in this paper examines women’s perceptions of their economic opportunities and sense of empowerment in Cape Town. Although the status of women in South Africa has improved since apartheid, there are still significant inequalities among women and men in the workforce. This gender discrimination has reverberating effects on the poverty and development of South Africa as a nation, as many argue that women’s economic empowerment is directly correlated with the overall growth of a country. South African policymakers would benefit from comparing and analyzing women’s views of their own economic opportunities, as this study highlights that women experience complex forms of discrimination based on their identities in society today. The participants of this small-scale qualitative research study are seven women of diverse races and ages. The synthesis of this cross-racial and generational research provides a non-representative sample of the concerns of women in Cape Town regarding economic empowerment. From these interviews it was found that cultural upbringing is a highly influential factor in women’s economic success that can significantly limit or promote women’s economic empowerment. This research also highlighted underlying insecurities that many women in the workforce feel regarding their professional abilities and value, an issue that results from intersectional oppressions experienced by women and from apartheid’s legacies of patriarchal power dynamics. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that women’s experiences with economic empowerment depend greatly on their unique culture and family structure, rather than purely racial and class distinctions. This research highlights the intersectional gender discrimination faced by women in Cape Town and emphasizes the need to address oppressive remnants of apartheid in South Africa today

A scoping review on active vs. passive range of motion approaches to treat heterotopic ossification at the elbow

ObjectiveThe objective of this scoping review is to synthesize and clarify literature on the effectiveness of active and passive range of motion therapy techniques to address range of motion in people with heterotopic ossification (HO), and to provide guidance to therapists in clinical decision-making based on current evidence.MethodTo find articles that included therapeutic interventions to maintain or improve range of motion in people with heterotopic ossification, the authors searched the following databases: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and OTSeeker. To ensure that the search was comprehensive, the authors also searched Burns and Trauma, Burns Journal, Burns Open, and the Journal of Hand Therapy. Searches were limited to peer-reviewed articles published in the English language. No publication date limits were set. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database PEDro scale was utilized to measure the validity of the methodological quality of each article.ResultsFive studies met the inclusion criteria.. Two studies emphasized that passive range of motion was effective in less than 50% of their subjects, while the other three studies utilized active range of motion only, reporting 50% of patients did not require surgery.Discussion/conclusionThere is insufficient evidence to determine effective therapeutic management of HO and the literature that does exist is contradictory and inconclusive. Future research is necessary to determine if any effectiveness of manual therapeutic approaches exists for patients with HO

The complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Recent evidence has demonstrated that the complement cascade is involved in a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in addition to its role as an immune effector. Research in a variety of organ systems has shown that complement proteins are direct participants in maintenance of cellular turnover, healing, proliferation and regeneration. As a physiologic housekeeper, complement proteins maintain tissue integrity in the absence of inflammation by disposing of cellular debris and waste, a process critical to the prevention of autoimmune disease. Developmentally, complement proteins influence pathways including hematopoietic stem cell engraftment, bone growth, and angiogenesis. They also provide a potent stimulus for cellular proliferation including regeneration of the limb and eye in animal models, and liver proliferation following injury. Here, we describe the complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Using a Participatory Approach to Create SEL Programming: The Case of Ahlan Simsim

تسلط هذه الورقة الضوء على استخدام النهج التشاركي القائم على معرفة تأثير الصدمات في إنشاء برنامج أهلاً سمسم التلفزيوني للشرق الأوسط، وتؤكد على أهمية استخدام نهج تشاركي لتصميم محتوى تعليمي اجتماعي وعاطفي (SEL) وثيق الصلة بالثقافة. أهلاً سمسم هو أحد عناصر مبادرة أكبر تحمل الاسم نفسه، تم إنشاؤها بواسطة ورشة سمسم ولجنة الإنقاذ الدولية بتمويل من مؤسستي MacArthur و LEGO. يقدم هذا البرنامج التعلم المبكر والرعاية للأطفال والأسر المتضررة من الأزمة السورية من خلال مزيج من وسائل الإعلام وبرامج الخدمات المباشرة. في هذا المقال، نقدم مراجعة للبحوث والمشاورات التي أجرتها ورشة سمسم مع المجتمعات المحلية وخبراء تنمية الطفل المحليين في العراق والأردن وسوريا ولبنان من آب / أغسطس إلى تشرين الثاني / نوفمبر 2018. كان هدف ورشة سمسم هو تحديد مجال تركيز البرنامج التلفزيوني وتحسينه وإنشاء محتوى ملائم محليًا وقائم على معرفة تأثير الصدمات ويستمد من استراتيجيات التعلم الاجتماعي والعاطفي (SEL) التي لها أقصى صدى ولها تأثير أكبر على الجماهير في منطقة الاستجابة السورية. نجادل أنه من أجل وصول برمجة التعلم الاجتماعي والعاطفي (SEL) لتحقيق أقصى قدر من التأثير، من الأهمية بمكان أن يقوم مصممو البرامج بتطوير أطر اجتماعية عاطفية للأطفال من الألف إلى الياء من خلال العمل مع مقدمي الرعاية والممارسين المحليين

ملاحظة ميدانية: استخدام النهج التشاركي لإنشاء برامج التعلّم الاجتماعي والعاطفي (SEL): حالة أهلاً سمسم

تسلط هذه الورقة الضوء على استخدام النهج التشاركي القائم على معرفة تأثير الصدمات في إنشاء برنامج أهلاً سمسم التلفزيوني للشرق الأوسط، وتؤكد على أهمية استخدام نهج تشاركي لتصميم محتوى تعليمي اجتماعي وعاطفي (SEL) وثيق الصلة بالثقافة. أهلاً سمسم هو أحد عناصر مبادرة أكبر تحمل الاسم نفسه، تم إنشاؤها بواسطة ورشة سمسم ولجنة الإنقاذ الدولية بتمويل من مؤسستي MacArthur و LEGO. يقدم هذا البرنامج التعلم المبكر والرعاية للأطفال والأسر المتضررة من الأزمة السورية من خلال مزيج من وسائل الإعلام وبرامج الخدمات المباشرة. في هذا المقال، نقدم مراجعة للبحوث والمشاورات التي أجرتها ورشة سمسم مع المجتمعات المحلية وخبراء تنمية الطفل المحليين في العراق والأردن وسوريا ولبنان من آب / أغسطس إلى تشرين الثاني / نوفمبر 2018. كان هدف ورشة سمسم هو تحديد مجال تركيز البرنامج التلفزيوني وتحسينه وإنشاء محتوى ملائم محليًا وقائم على معرفة تأثير الصدمات ويستمد من استراتيجيات التعلم الاجتماعي والعاطفي (SEL) التي لها أقصى صدى ولها تأثير أكبر على الجماهير في منطقة الاستجابة السورية. نجادل أنه من أجل وصول برمجة التعلم الاجتماعي والعاطفي (SEL) لتحقيق أقصى قدر من التأثير، من الأهمية بمكان أن يقوم مصممو البرامج بتطوير أطر اجتماعية عاطفية للأطفال من الألف إلى الياء من خلال العمل مع مقدمي الرعاية والممارسين المحليين

Developing and Implementing a Community Empowerment Center to Build Local Capacity for Community-level Change

Background: Health disparities research is increasingly influenced by two paradigms: community-based participatory research (CBPR) and social determinants of health (SDOH). CBPR calls for collaborative research relationships that empower communities to co-generate research programs while SDOH perspectives focus on macro-level, “upstream” factors influencing health. The purpose of this study was to utilize a CBPR approach to address SDOH among residents of a public-housing community and adjacent neighborhood in Columbia, SC. Methods: A mini-grant program was developed to encourage community members to develop community-level, community-engaged interventions focused on creating a healthier environment. A six-session training program guided community members in proposal development, with 25 individuals attending at least one session. Results: Six proposals were submitted for external peer-review. Proposals were scored according to the degree of widespread community benefit, effective community engagement, and feasibility of implementation within a 6-month timeframe. Submitted proposals focused on food security (n=2), exercise (n=1), computer literacy (n=2), and community advocacy (n=2). The three awarded interventions focused on food security, exercise, and community advocacy. Each awardee team received $12,000 for implementation over six months. Additionally, a community garden was implemented in the community. The four interventions were evaluated collectively using a quasi-experimental design to assess their ability to increase community participation among residents. Conclusions: Community-generated, community-level, and community-engaged interventions provide community members with opportunities to address neighborhood concerns within a locale-specific context. The findings provide guidance for engaging community members in the development of community level interventions

HIV/AIDS: A Case-Based Learning Module for First-Year Medical Students

In medical and healthcare-related education, case-based learning (CBL) is a teaching strategy that uses clinical cases to engage students in active learning using course concepts to solve important problems. Here we describe the design and implementation of a CBL module to teach first year medical students about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acute retroviral syndrome, clinical progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, HIV diagnostics, assays used to assess stage of disease and response to antiretroviral treatment, and highly active antiretroviral therapy. A team of basic science and clinical faculty in the disciplines of microbiology, immunology, infection prevention and control, clinical medicine, pharmacology, and medical ethics collaboratively designed the CBL module. The results of a questionnaire indicated that the students found the CBL case interesting, engaging, and a useful educational strategy for linking basic science concepts to important clinical problems. In our experience, the CBL promoted student synthesis of basic science concepts across disciplines and engaged learners in the application of basic science knowledge to address significant real-world clinical problems

Implementing a Community Empowerment Center to Build Capacity for Developing, Implementing, and Sustaining Interventions to Promote Community Health

The Community Empowerment Center used a community-engaged approach to build capacity among residents to develop and implement interventions focused on creating a healthier environment. The Center partnered with residents living in a public housing community and adjacent low-income neighborhood and provided support through a mini-grant program. A six-session training program guided community members inmini grant development; 25 individuals attended at least one session. Six grant proposals were submitted; three were awarded $12,000 each for intervention implementation. Findings offer a model for engaging residents from low-resource settings in intervention development, implementation, and sustainability for community health promotion