Policy research and promotional strategies: linking policy research to CASS/UP’s Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)

A conference paper on rural development integrated programmes in Zimbabwe.The programme recognizes that communities can overcome poverty if they create among themselves a new vision for the future, work together to achieve this vision, and are assisted with appropriate resources and technological capacity to implement their development initiatives. IRDP aims to establish a model for eradicating rural poverty through support, initially for three years, of development initiatives in nine rural sites in six countries in southern Africa, namely Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. IRDP developed four main objectives for its work in southern Africa: • To mobilize rural communities to work together, optimizing their institutional capacities to support sustainable and integrated development • To increase community capacity towards sustainable development, especially among economically marginalized groups, • To increase the capacity of individuals, families and communities to follow healthy and defensive lifestyles • To develop community capacity especially among women and the youth in life skills, family and community values, and sensitive and responsible leadership. To achieve these objectives, IRDP has taken an approach that includes, among many other things, adopting and advocating for policies that favour sustainable rural development at selected sites, national and SADC levels. IRDP further developed six cross-cutting impact services that provide strategic support to the whole programme, aiming to increase the programme’s impact, and therefore, chances of its success. The services function at the programme management and community levels, and consist of: monitoring and evaluation, technology, organizational learning, networking, communication, and public policy and promotion. This document has been written to highlight how public policy and promotion, the last in the list above, can be utilized to further IRDP’s objectives, as well as suggesting methodologies for using this service within the programme.The W K Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)-f'unded Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) being jointly implemented by University of Zimbabwe’s CASS Trust and Univeristy of Pretoria’s Postgraduate School of Agriculture and Rural Development has a principal goal to provide an operational framework for rural development. It aims to develop rural communities’ capacity to establish a sustainable economy with sufficient social services and structures

Malaria Outbreak Investigation in Chipinge, Zimbabwe: A Case-control Study

Background: Malaria outbreaks are common in Zimbabwe. They are common in Manicaland, which has the greatest burden of malaria in the country. Methods: A matched case control study was conducted to investigate the malaria outbreak in ward 13 and 14 of Chipinge district in Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe, week 30 to week 40 of year 2015. A sample size of 92 (46 cases and 46 controls) was used. Guided interviews were conducted with the aid of a structured questionnaire and a checklist. The investigation assessed factors associated with contracting malaria and the community knowledge levels on malaria. Results: Participants who stayed in houses with open eaves had 2.4 odds (95% CI=1.0; 5.6) of contracting malaria compared to those who lived in houses without open eaves. Staying within a radius of 3 km from the river or swamp also predisposed people to contracting malaria (OR =2.7, 95%CI=1.2; 6.3). People who had no insecticide treated mosquito nets hanged in their bed rooms had odds of 2.2 (95%CI=1.2; 6.4) of contracting malaria compared to those that hanged insecticide-treated mosquito nets in their bedrooms. Consequently, among people exposed to outdoor activities in the evening and at night, those that had insecticide-treated mosquito nets hanged in their rooms were more protected from malaria than those that did not. Conclusion: There is high need to intensify all pillars in the malaria prevention and control programs and maintenance of a strong surveillance system to prevent future occurrences of outbreaks