Development of a Workshop curriculum: Ensuring culturally competent services for African Immigrants and Refugees

The purpose of this project was to develop a workshop that will help to secure culturally competent social services for African immigrant and refugee families. The framework of the workshop focused on two areas. The first is to help the workers to become culturally competent by carrying out ethnic sensitive inventory to assess their competency. Skills developed included what to do during pre-contact. during problem identification and specification, goal formation, problem solving and termination. The second area focused on how to assess the needs and strengths of African immigrant and refugee families. Culturagram and Eco-map are the two major assessment tools that are used to conduct culturally appropriate assessment. The culturagram was used to assess each individual family member\u27s need, whereas the Eco-map was used to mirror the entire family\u27s needs and strengths. Social support was also highlighted to sustain family and community support for smooth adjustment to the new culture. Ecological and dual perspectives are used to describe the important environmental constraints that impact the lives of African immigrant and refugees and to acknowledge individual and group strength to carry out a culturally competent assessment for bringing about effective change

The Ethiopian Developmental State: Requirements And Perquisites

The paper will take a close look at Prime Minister Zenawi’s recent proposal of building a development state in Ethiopia with a view to determining whether such a scheme is practicable or even desirable in present day Ethiopia.&nbsp

EDITORIAL

The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development has contributed significantly by highlighting current topics on health on its special issues. The Journal is one of the few that has managed to reach the health professionals through the Ethiopian Health Professionals Union at the periphery where it is most needed. This special issue is devoted to the activities of the AIDS Control Programme. The Ethiopian AIDS Control Programme which was established in 1985 as a national task force, has gone a long way in such a short time to become one of the leading AIDS control programmes in Africa. There are a number of reasons for this; the first one is the commitment of the Peoples Democratic Republic Government of Ethiopia which had given and still continues to give its unreserved support to the programme. The commitment of all the other ministries, religious organizations and non-governmental organizations to educate the population so that the progress of the disease will be curbed before it reaches uncontrollable proportions

Opening Address

It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to address this august gathering of experts on the control of chronic communicable diseases and Primary Health Care with particular reference to leprosy and tuberculosis. The gains achieved by the Ethiopian Revolution are many and are well-documented. It may suffice to say that the gains are increasing year after year although there is still much to be done. The formation of the Workers ' Party of Ethiopia and the 10- Year perspective Plan are among recent developments in the history of the Revolution which will strengthen our effort to achieve the objectives of health for the broad masses. From the outset of our popular revolution, the Revolutionary Government of Socialist Ethiopia declared its commitment to sparing no effort in providing health for the broad masses as clearly stated in the national democratic revolution programme. To that end, and in accordance with the social goal of "Health for All by the Year 2000", the Ministry of Health established a health policy based on Primary Health Care which is rural-oriented. The broad masses were organized so that today they are actively participating in all socio-economic activities to facilitate the achievement of the nation's health aims and objectives

On The Need For A New Economic Nomenclature

Fully 14 years after it came to power, many observers are unsure about the exact nature of the ideological bases for the economic policies pursued by the government of Ethiopia.  It calls its political ideology revolutionary democracy and pronounces its economic policies as market based.  Given the tight control it exercises over much of the economy and given the absence of private ownership of land in particular, many observers are quick to point that those self ascribed labels do not accurately characterize the economic policy environment of present day Ethiopia.  Some would suggest that the Ethiopian economy is in actuality a centrally directed economy with aspirations of liberalization at some future date.  This essay explores how the economic policy environment in Ethiopia compares against the traditional standards of a market system.  It reports on the current policy framework and how that framework impacts on the efficiency of the operation of markets in such important regards as attracting adequate quantities of private investment from domestic and foreign sources and efficiently allocating the country’s labor and other critical resources.  The essay also explores the extent to which the policy environment protects private property rights and promotes risk taking.  The study concludes that the policy framework falls far short of what is normally expected in a free market economy.

Introduction: The ministry of health and health development

It is my pleasure to write a brief introductory note for this first issue of the Ethiopian Journal of Health Development. It is necessary for the health development policy of a nation to be thoughtfully planned, with well-defined objectives and properly outlined priorities; also, such a policy must be supported by a well-organized system of health research and evaluation. Of course, health research should be based on the community's needs and must emphasize critical analysis of the strategies and implementation of national health policy. The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development intends to promote precisely this type of research, and it should therefore be commended, encouraged and supported in its task

Economic Education: A Requirement For Building A Free Market Economy And A Liberal Democracy In Ethiopia

This essay presents the case for a national campaign of economic literacy in Ethiopia.  It  argues that given the lack of opportunities for exposure to a properly functioning market economy or for formal training in economic principles, Ethiopians tend to be predisposed to accepting and/or seeking guidance from government regulators as though that is the natural or only way to proceed in their business and personal choices.  This state of affaires is a key reason for the state of abject poverty Ethiopians have had to live in for generations.  The paper proposes a two track program of economic education to free the creative talents of the people of Ethiopia from the shackles of regulation.  Such a program, it is argued, is a necessary although not a sufficient condition for the Ethiopian economy to bust loose from its prolonged state of paralysis.  Economic education which helps let citizens be free from bureaucratic regimens to dream and to take calculated risk in the pursuit of their economic and financial ambitions will also make significant contributions towards expanding the scope for personal freedoms in other dimensions of life in Ethiopian

Professor Slideshow

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Intestinal parasitism among students in three localities in South Wello, Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites has been conducted in 1996 in South Wello in the towns of Kembolcha, Bati, and Mekaneselam. A total of 698 students were selected randomly by using the master list of the school as a sampling frame. The students were interviewed using a questionnaire on the use of toilets, sources of water for drinking, and purpose of washing. From the study subjects stool samples were collected and, screened for intestinal parasites using the Ritchie formol-ether technique. Of the examined, 304 (43.6%) were positive for various intestinal parasites. Schistosoma mansoni (24.9%) was commonest followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (18.3%) and Trichuris trichiura (4.4%). Other less frequent parasites were Hookworm Spp. (2%), Hymenolepis nana (1.3%), Giardia lamblia (1.1%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.9%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.3%), and Trichostrongylus Sp. (0.1%). Prevalence of S.mansoni was significantly higher in males than in females (P<0.01); in the 10-14 year old than in the 15-19 and 20+ age groups (P<0.05), and among the Bati students than in those in Kembolcha and Mekaneselam (P<0.001). Markedly higher rates of Ascaris and Trichuris were observed in Kembolcha(P<0.01) than in Bati and Mekaneselam but showing no difference between males and females, and between the two age groups. The public health implications of intestinal parasites among school children and possible control measures are discussed. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(3):231-235