An evaluation of the “new history" phenomenon

An evaluation of the "New History" approach to the teaching of history as a subject on the educational curriculum.The purpose of this article was to evaluate the “New History” approach. This paper explores the argument that the new “New History" phenomenon was an attempt to rejuvenate an interest in History. The “New History”phenomenon was launched because of the fear that History was in danger as it faced possible extinction from the curriculum. Basically, the proponents of the phenomenon believed that History was in the intensive care unit and had lost popularity among stakeholders. Some of the comments given by scholars like Haydn, Arthur and Hunt (1997:25) were that History was, "... a desiccated and stultifying subject of dubious relevance and little clear purpose”. The study was purely qualitative. Curriculum document analysis, classroom observations, and in- depth interviews were used as data collection methods. The study revealed that the possibility of negative attitudes towards History by pupils is primarily due to the teacher centred methods used. It is recommended that the progressive teaching methods such as document study, research projects, role playing, field work, debates, interviews and discussions, which are pupil centred, should be used to stimulate pupils ’ interest in the subject

Contraceptives: Adolescents’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices. A Case Study of Rural Mhondoro-Ngezi District, Zimbabwe

Adolescent reproductive health behaviour has become an emerging world concern as the age at menarche and sexual debut has plummeted globally. The primary objective of the paper is to understand the importance of reproductive health education to contraceptive use among adolescents in Mhondoro-Ngezi District. The paper also investigates knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) pertaining to contraceptive use among adolescents. Factors underlying KABP are further explored. In addition, this paper investigates the availability, accessibility, acceptability and affordability of contraceptives to adolescents. These issues are assessed from the perspective of all duty bearers (mothers, fathers, healthcare providers, religious leaders and secondary school teachers). The paper is based on a cross-sectional study which was conducted in Mhondoro-Ngezi area. A total of 185 adolescents aged 15-19 years were sampled with a sex ratio of 67. The study triangulated both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The results in this paper indicate that adolescents in Mhondoro-Ngezi engage in early sexual debut. Despite the fact that knowledge about modern contraceptives is universal (96%) among adolescents in Mhondoro-Ngezi, contraceptive use is very low, 21%. Limited contraceptive use among adolescents in the study area is a result of the interplay of demographic, policy, socio-cultural, religious and economic factors. The study has thus recommends that the government and other relevant stakeholders to formulate policies that promote reproductive education in order to foster the utilization of contraceptives by adolescents.Keywords: Reproductive health problems, Contraceptives, Sex, Sexuality, Cultur

Factors underlying early sexual initiation among adolescents: A Case Study of Mbare District, Harare, Zimbabwe

Early sexual debut among adolescents has become an emerging global concern since it exposes adolescents to a myriad of reproductive health issues such as early marriages, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, sexually transmitted and HIV infections. Rationalising evidence from a survey, focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the study investigated the factors undergirding early sexual debut among adolescents. It was noted that adolescents engage in early sexual inauguration primarily because of the following: poverty; curiosity and experimenting;  the absence of duty bearers (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers and religious leaders) in the sexuality socialisation process; cultural initiation ceremonies; peer and sibling pressure; media; coercion; and contradictions imbedded in policy. The study thus recommends an integration and active participation of all duty bearers in the socialisation process of adolescents and enforcement of laws in order to reduce the incidences of early sexual debut. This is done with the view of upholding adolescents’ reproductive health and behaviour

The Forgotten Women: A Case Study Of Reproductive Health Issues Among Women Living With Disabilities And Educational Implications In Harare, Zimbabwe

A ZJER case study on reproductive health issues amongst Zimbabwean women.The female population in Zimbabwe is currently pegged at 5997 477 (Central Statistical Office, 2002). Women living with disabilities (WLWD) represent 10% (599 747) of the total female population yet their reproductive health needs are poorly understood and not catered for. The study primarily identifies the reproductive health issues for WLWD by specifically investigating knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices pertaining to their reproductive health. It also establishes contributing factors to WLWD’s reproductive he'alth practices and identifies the barriers encountered by such women in their bid to seek reproductive health. The paper is based on survey data and focus group discussions from WLWD; and information from key informants. The study revealed that WLWD do not effectively utilize the available reproductive health services such as contraceptives, access to health information and treatment of STIs. Consequently, they face challenges that include lack of contraceptive use, and increased vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS. The study also noted that the aforementioned WLWD’s problems are a result of background variables which include socio-economic and traditional factors. The attitude of the society and healthcare providers undermine WLWD’s access to reproductive health services. Proximate determinants such as lack of reproductive health knowledge, inaccessibility, unacceptability and unaffordability of reproductive health services underlie the WLWD’s reproductive health issues. Thus, WLWD have therefore been referred to as ‘the forgotten women’. The study has thus recommended the government and other relevant stakeholders to formulate policies that promote equal access to RH services for the WLWD as other fellow women

The Impact of Income on Gender-Based Violence: A Case of Matabeleland South

The study assessed the effects of income on gender-based violence using a multinomial logistic regression and an ANOVA test to model the cross-sectional data collected from a survey of 305 respondents in Bulilima district, Matabeleland South province, Zimbabwe. The study is significant as understanding the role of income on gender-based violence guides policymakers in eradicating gender-based violence since it entails more economic costs such as lost wages, productivity and it also drains resources from justice, health and social service which slackens the effectiveness of poverty reduction programs. The results showed that more women than men experienced gender-based violence. Also, an increase in the proportion of women engaged in any economic activity was associated with the risk of encountering sexual and emotional violence. In addition, the likelihood of experiencing emotional violence increased with every Rand in income for a woman. The study recommends the government to prioritize employment creation and financial empowerment through promoting and supporting agricultural operations so that men retain their social role of providing for the family. Furthermore, monetary policies that benefit both men and women in small and medium-sized businesses should be implemented to increase household incomes

Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Causes and Intervention Strategies of Male Infertility: A Case Study of Mhondoro-Ngezi, Zimbabwe

The subject of male infertility has, to a large extent, been broached from a western perspective that often insists on the biological factor. This approach has led to a narrowed and narrowing perception of male infertility in that it often neglects other possible crucial socio-cultural dimensions pertaining to the issue. The study is purely qualitative. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews (with males and females) are used to collect qualitative data. The study notes that, unlike in western inclined discourses, male infertility is an intricate condition that transcends biology. Witchcraft and punishment either from God or angry ancestors were avowed to be the determinants of male infertility. The study notes that the Shona people in Mhondoro-Ngezi exclusively rely on socio-cultural intervention strategies to solve the problem of male infertility. The study thus recommends a holistic approach to male infertility which integrates the socio-cultural perspectives in policy and programming, if progress is to be made in unearthing the underlying causes and treatment options. (Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[2]: 89-101).Le sujet de stérilité masculine a été abordé, dans une grande mesure, à travers une perspective occidentale qui insiste souvent sur le facteur biologique. Cette approche a conduit à une perception réduite et le rétrécissement de l'infertilité masculine en ce qu'elle néglige souvent d'autres possibles cruciaux dimensions socioculturelles relatives à la question. L'étude est purement qualitative. Des groupes de discussion et des entrevues avec des informateurs clés (mâles et femelles) sont utilisés pour recueillir des données qualitatives. L'étude note que, contrairement à l'ouest discours inclinés, l'infertilité masculine est une condition complexe qui transcende la biologie. La sorcellerie et la punition soit de Dieu ou des ancêtres en colère ont avoué être les déterminants de l'infertilité masculine. L'étude souligne le fait que le peuple Shona dans Mhondoro-Ngezi basées exclusivement sur des stratégies d'intervention socioculturelles pour résoudre le problème de l'infertilité masculine. L'étude recommande donc une approche holistique de l'infertilité masculine qui intègre les perspectives socioculturelles dans les politiques et les programmes, si des progrès doivent être accomplis dans déterrer les causes sous-jacentes et les options de traitement. (Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[2]: 89-101)

The Determinants of Childhood Diarrhoea in Zimbabwe: Further Analysis of the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey

Diarrhoea is a preventable disease. The preventative measures of diarrhoea could be traced back to demographic, socio-economic, environmental and behavioural aspects of the family. Paradoxically, diarrhoea has become one of the major underlying factors to childhood morbidity and mortality globally, and specifically in developing countries. In Zimbabwe, despite the reported prevalence of diarrhoea, there is a lacuna of scholarly inquisition of the background and proximate predictors of childhood diarrhoea, a gap to be filled by this study. The study utilized secondary data from the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey. The target population of the study was an adjusted national sample size of 3545 under five children whose mother/women caregivers however responded on their behalf. Data was analysed used the univariate, bivariate and multivariate methods. The study established a significant association between diarrhoea and mother’s age (OR = 0.34 [99.9% CI: 0.205 – 0.561]), child’s age (OR = 5.4 [99.9% CI: 3.19-8.96]) , region Mashonaland East (OR = 0.64 [95% CI: 0.417 – 0.0.976]): Mashonaland West (OR = 1.5 [90% CI: 0.97 – 2.32]) and a shared toilet facility (OR = 1.47 [99.9% CI: 1.153 –1.871]). The study recommends the identification of diarrhoea as a significant contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality by the government, relevant stakeholders and implementation partners. Such recognition would lead to the designing and implementation of disease control strategies that reduce unhygienic practices in risk groups and provinces, educate communities on the benefits of diarrhoea awareness and girl child empowerment so as to reduce the mean age at first sex and marriage. Failure to do so, would mean that the healthcare strategies adopted in Zimbabwe since 1980 aimed at improving health and child health in particular, will remain a pipe-dream.Key words: childhood diarrhoea, mortality, morbidity, predictors, 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey

Praying until Death: Apostolicism, Delays and Maternal Mortality in Zimbabwe.

Religion affects people's daily lives by solving social problems, although it creates others. Female sexual and reproductive health are among the issues most affected by religion. Apostolic sect members in Zimbabwe have been associated with higher maternal mortality. We explored apostolic beliefs and practices on maternal health using 15 key informant interviews in 5 purposively selected districts of Zimbabwe. Results show that apostolicism promotes high fertility, early marriage, non-use of contraceptives and low or non-use of hospital care. It causes delays in recognizing danger signs, deciding to seek care, reaching and receiving appropriate health care. The existence of a customized spiritual maternal health system demonstrates a huge desire for positive maternal health outcomes among apostolics. We conclude that apostolic beliefs and practices exacerbate delays between onset of maternal complications and receiving help, thus increasing maternal risk. We recommend complementary and adaptive approaches that address the maternal health needs of apostolics in a religiously sensitive manner