Prayer: An Instrument for Assessment of Spiritual and Psychological Concerns for Burundian Refugee Women in Maison Shalom Rwanda

A qualitative research methodology was designed to analyze how prayer can be used as an instrument to reveal various spiritual and psychological issues Burundian women refugees face in Rwanda. Six Burundian refugee women were surveyed throughout the seven weeks of the research. Various modalities of prayer were used to assess different concerns that they might have had. Participants met in both one-on-ones and group sessions. Data gathered suggested that prayer was a crucial tool that allowed the participants to reveal their traumatic events and created a strong bond among participants. The collected data indicates that the practice of prayer became therapeutic for the participants. The results gathered from this research will be one of the building blocks in building a future a program based on prayer to assess the needs of Christian Burundian women

Review of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB: global perspectives with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global emergency and is responsible for 1.7 million deaths annually. Widespread global misuse of isoniazid and rifampicin over three decades has resulted in emergence of the ominous spread of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) globally. These difficult to treat resistant forms of TB are increasingly seen in Asia, Eastern Europe, South America and sub-Saharan Africa, disrupting TB and HIV control programmes. We review the latest available global epidemiological and clinical evidence on drug-resistant TB in HIV-infected and uninfected populations, with focus on Africa where data are scanty because of poor diagnostic and reporting facilities. The difficult management and infection control problems posed by drug-resistant TB in HIV-infected patients are discussed. Given the increasing current global trends in MDR-TB, aggressive preventive and management strategies are urgently required to avoid disruption of global TB control efforts. The data suggest that existing interventions, public health systems and TB and HIV programmes must be strengthened significantly. Political and funder commitment is essential to curb the spread of drug-resistant TB

A co-creates framework to foster a positive learning environment for students\u27 professional development in Rwanda

Co-CREATES is a collaborative framework that aims to build and sustain an empowering practice learning environment for nursing students. The framework is relevant to educators, clinicians, academic leaders, nurse leaders within practice settings and educational institutions who strive for a collaborative partnership in the preparation of students for professional practice

PROMOTING NON-VIOLENT PARENTING AMONG REFUGEE MOTHERS IN DURBAN

This research began by examining the attitudes and behaviour of mothers from the Durban refugee community regarding the use of corporal punishment in bringing up children. Its use was found to be widespread and frequent among a sample of 50 mothers. A training course in non-violent parenting was designed and administered to 16 mothers. A very preliminary evaluation suggests that there were significant shifts of attitude among the participants in favour of non-violent parenting

Access to justice in civil matters : a critical analysis of legal representation of minors under guardianship in Rwanda

Every person is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in international human rights instruments without distinction of any kind: this includes race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. In particular, every person is entitled to access justice to vindicate his or her rights. Although age is not expressly mentioned as one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination, particular provisions provide for special legal protection for minors. In addition, other particular instruments have been adopted to protect the rights of minors. The right to an effective judicial remedy for acts violating fundamental rights is guaranteed to minors by human rights instruments. The notion of ‘access to justice’ is used here in reference to an individual’s opportunity to enjoy equal access to legal services necessary for the protection of one’s rights and interests regardless of one’s means. It also implies the mechanism by which an individual may seek legal assistance including, among other things, drafting formal documents (wills, contracts), In reality,the effective enjoyment of rights is not possible when the holders of the rights have limited access to justice, i.e. access to judicial remedies in cases where their rights have been violated.Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011.http://www.chr.up.ac.za/nf2012Centre for Human RightsLL

Exploring depression among people living with HIV/AIDS and attending a primary health care centre in Kigali, Rwanda : a descriptive, cross-sectional study.

Thesis (MN)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.HIV is major public problem in the world and in Sub-Saharan Region in particular. The literature has shown that mental disorders and particularly depression are common among people living with HIV/AIDS, but that little is known about the prevalence of depression and factors associated with it, among people living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done to assess the prevalence of depression, the clinical profile and the factors associated with depression among people living with HIV and attending a primary health care centre in Kigali-Rwanda. This study was informed by the stress and vulnerability framework. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and HIV related medical information, while depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory Scale, with a cut off of less than 10 for no depression and above 10 scoring positive for depression. Respondents were randomly selected from the patient appointment list for patients who were scheduled during the period of data collection and according to the sample selection criteria. The sample consisted of 96 people living with HIV. Permission to conduct the study was requested and obtained from the University of Kwazulu-Natal Ethics Committee, from the CNLS Research and Ethics Committee in Rwanda and from the management of the health care centre to consult patients' files. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS for window, 15). Descriptive data was analyzed by means of frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Cross tabulation using Pearson' chi-square test was performed to test the association between sociodemographic factors and HIV related medical information and depression for categorical variables, while t-test for independent simple test was performed for continuous variable. Multi logistic regression analysis was performed to test further association between the above mentioned factors with depression, while controlling for confounders. The results were presented by means of tables, histograms and graphs. The findings of the study revealed that depression is very high among HIV-infected patients attending a primary health care centre in Kigali, with a prevalence of 41.7%. The most frequent depressive symptoms presented were pessimism, fatigability, sad mood; lack of satisfaction, somatic preoccupation, loss of libido, crying spells, work inhibition, irritability, social v withdrawal and loss of appetite. The majority of respondents scored mild to moderate depression, whereas few had moderate to severe depression and only very few scored severe depression. Having considered all other socio-demographic and HIV related medical factors that were studied, being a female, having presented many HIV-related symptoms in the month prior to data collection, and having less than 250 CD4 counts were statistically associated with depression. On the other hand, having high social and family support was a protector factor to depression. Although the results of this study are not generalizable to the Rwandan population living with HIV, they underscore the importance of integrating mental health in HIV/AIDS services for the care of those who present mental problems related to HIV such as depression

Probing marital conflicts within the context of migrant families from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Doctor of Philosophy in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2017.This study is based on marital conflict among migrant families from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in Durban, South Africa. It aims to explore and examine the extent of marital conflicts among these migrant families, investigate the root causes of marital conflicts among them and examine whether there is any relationship between marital conflict and migration. Additionally, this study aims to investigate if there are any existing approaches to marital conflicts resolution among Congolese migrant families and if so, to identify them as well as examine their functions and effectiveness. The theoretical framework within which this study is constructed includes the theories of Social Constructionism, Symbolic Interactionism, and Conflict Transformation. This study utilises a qualitative approach; 20 men and 20 women married, divorced and separated Congolese migrants participated in the initial questionnaires. Respondents in this study were identified through two selected Congolese migrant Churches. In-depth personal interviews were conducted with 8 men and 8 women volunteers from those participated in the questionnaires and with two church leaders and church Counsellors from where participants were selected. The target group for this study were men and women married, divorced or separated, from Congolese migrant community living in Durban. Respondents in these categories are selected because of their own experiences in marriage. The research has used a random and judgmental sampling method. After examining the extent of marital conflict among migrant families from the DRC living in Durban, the findings show that marital conflict among these families is prevalent. The findings from this study also demonstrate that there are a number of root causes and factors that results in marital conflict among them. These include family life stress, unemployment, lack of communication between couples, changing behaviour of one or both partners, the influence of relatives or friends and lack of social support. It was also revealed that other factors such as the absence of one partner, emotional and financial depravation of one partner and alcohol abuse also contributed to marital conflict among migrant families from DRC living in Durban. In examining whether there is a relationship between marital conflict and migration among Congolese migrant families in Durban, the majority of the study participants agreed that there is a close relationship between marital conflict and migration. Several indicators were identified and these include the change of behaviour by one or both partners in the host country, family life stress, unemployment. With regards to whether there are any approaches to marital conflict resolution among these families, the findings from this study show that there are several approaches to marital conflict resolution. Negotiation and mediation however were considered to be the key approaches in solving marital conflict among Congolese migrant families living in Durban

Patients’ Experiences of Seclusion during Admission in Psychiatric Settings in KwaZulu-Natal: A Qualitative Study

Background In South Africa, seclusion is one of the practices used in the management of disruptive behaviors in psychiatric settings. Despite its continued use, seclusion is always subject to controversial debates, and patients who undergo it express a range of negative experiences. Objective To explore the experiences of patients regarding seclusion during their admission in a psychiatric hospital. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten patients attending a community psychiatric clinic in KwaZulu-Natal. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Results Two themes emerged from the findings: controversial views of seclusion and negative experiences of seclusion. Seclusion was considered more as a punishment measure which was often used abusively, than a therapeutic intervention. Participants expressed loneliness, humiliation, and powerlessness following their seclusion experience. Limited patient-staff interaction and communication worsened patients’ negativity towards seclusion. Conclusion Findings from this study underscore the need to review practices, policies and procedures regarding the use of seclusion. Seclusion should be only used when the need is absolute and as the last treatment option. Open communication between the care providers and the patients should be emphasized during the time of seclusion. Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2020;3(3):342-36