Biståndet göder Eritreas diktatur

Now the EU member status to the aid of 1.3 billion kronor to the dictatorship in Eritrea. Billion aid is devastating for the political prisoners, writes exileritreanen Daniel R Mekonnen, Doctor of Human Rights. "I hope now that Gunilla Carlsson dare stand up for the millions eritraner - which sometimes Dawit Isaak - who are unable to do it ourselves." Eritrea is one of the world's poorest and most famine-stricken countries. It is also governed by one of the most corrupt and repressive regimes on Earth. Therefore, attention in Sweden around Dawit Isaak is important, not only for his own part. This week is also the Swedish Government and Aid Minister Gunilla Carlsson chance to make an important contribution to light a hope for democracy and human rights in Eritrea. More than 20 000 political and religious prisoners, together with Dawit Isaak disappeared into the Eritrean prisons. Eritrea is, along with North Korea, the only country to deny Red Cross access to prisons. One of the largest donors to that country is the EU. The money was given with good intentions, but unfortunately they end up in the pockets of thieving regime

Risky sexual behaviour and associated factors among students of Debre Tabor University, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Youth are the foundation of any society. Neglecting their sexual and reproductive health leads to high social and economic crisis. However, there is limited information on the sexual and reproductive health aspects of University students in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess risky sexual behaviours and associated factors among students of Debre Tabor University.Methods and materials: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 1February and 30 March 2014 using self-administered structured questionnaire to collect data on socio-demographic, sexual and associated risk behaviours among 394 University students. Descriptive and stepwise logistic regression model was carried out using SPSS version 21. A p value of < 0.05 and 95% CI was considered to test statistical significance.Results: A total of 394 students were enrolled in the study. Among these, 347 (88.1%) provided complete responses. About 97 (28.4%) study participants had sexual experience at the mean age of 18.9 years (SD 1.9 years). Out of these, 59 (62.1%) had sexual contact with their regular friends. Female students under the age of 18 were less likely to start sexual intercourse compared with males [AOR=0.2, 95%CI (0.7-0.9)]. Students who had symptoms of sexually transmitted infection (STI) were 16 times more likely to have early sexual contact compared to those students who had no symptoms [AOR = 16.4, 95% CI (1.4-193]. Not using condom at the first [AOR= 3.2 95%CI (1.2-10.5)] and last [AOR= 3.8, 95%CI (1.2-13.6)] sexual engagement were significant predictors of having multiple sexual partners.Conclusions: This study revealed risky sexual behaviours among Debre Tabor University students. Thus, continuous and intensified public health strategies on health education and reproductive health services are required to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of the students.Key words: Risky sexual behaviours, University students, Debre Tabo

Weed Population Dynamics in Four Year Conservation (CA) and Conventional (CN) Agriculture Plots in Southern Maize belt of Ethiopia

CA methods have become increasingly popular in world due to increasing fuel cost and environmental concern. But, the sustainability of CA systems depends on the development of economical and effective weed management systems. Weed scoring was conducted on plots of conventional (CN) and conservation agriculture (CA) during the main cropping season of 2012 and 2015 in Sidama zone (Loka abya, Boricha and Awassa) with an objective of characterizing weed population dynamics in the permanent plots of maize based production systems. From each location four samples were taken using a 0.5mx 0.5m (0.25m2) quadrant. A total of 27 weed species identified in the base year became 28 weed species in the fourth year. After four years, weeds species composition, frequency, abundance and dominancy were analyzed. There was a shift in weed population from time to time and from location to location.  Quantitatively, the broadleaf weeds were found to be the most abundant family under CA systems suggesting that weed management practices should focus more on broad-leaved weeds under CA. conversely, both grass, sedge and broadleaved weeds were common in CN. The findings of this assessment could also provide important information about weed density under CA and CN systems to design site specific weed management strategies for the future as well as to assess weed dynamics under CA agriculture system. Academia, research, development organizations and policy makers shall consider annual weed surveillance to harness newly emerging weed species. Keywords: CA (conservation agriculture), CN (conventional agriculture), weeds species, frequency, abundance, dominanc

Social interactions, aspirations, and agricultural innovations : Linkages with income and food security in rural Ethiopia

The persistence of poverty in some parts of the society across the globe inspired recent studies in development economics to embrace the use of multidisciplinary tools and concepts to better understand the situation of the poor. This thesis employs one of the recent conceptual tools, the aspirations-failure framework, which links the situation of the poor and their (under)investment behavior to aspirations failure. Based on individual and household level data collected from a sample of farm households in rural Ethiopia, the thesis first econometrically examines the effect of social interactions on aspirations (with respect to income, wealth, social status and education). The findings are in line with the theory which suggests that aspirations are socially determined through observations and social interactions. In particular, results indicate that social network size is an important determinant of aspirations and especially that of women’s, attesting to the importance of widening the ‘aspirations window’ – a person’s cognitive world that shapes their aspirations. One of the channels in which aspirations may affect behavior is through their effect on risk aversion. The thesis finds that the ‘aspirations-gap’ (AG) – the difference between the aspired and present status – indeed relaxes risk aversion, and the association is non-linear. Results also indicate that the effect of AG on risk preferences is stronger for women. Social interactions may also enhance diffusion of innovations and productivity. Based on social networks data collected using ‘random matching within sample’ procedure, the thesis identifies strong evidence of network externalities in the adoption of row-planting and also in farm productivity. The novelty of the thesis is also the identification of aspirations (or AG) as one of the key determinants of farmer innovativeness or the adoption of innovation products such as chemical fertilizers. The main goal of the thesis is ultimately to try to understand the implications of aspirations by examining their interactions not only with the underlying drivers of well-being (such as the adoption of agricultural innovations and risk behavior) but also their interactions with the well-being outcomes themselves. The thesis uses various outcome indicators including income and consumption expenditure, various triangulating measures of food security, and subjective well-being defined in terms of life satisfaction and happiness. In nearly all outcome indicators, the thesis finds suggestive evidence that aspirations are important predictors of household well-being in rural Ethiopia. The overall findings of the thesis clearly demonstrate that beyond the resource-related deprivations, low aspirations also play a role in rural households’ decision-making in Ethiopia, with consequences on well-being outcomes. Targeting the determinants of aspirations may therefore be a useful policy strategy.Soziale Interaktionen, Bestrebungen und landwirtschaftliche Innovationen : Zusammenhänge zwischen Einkommen und Nahrungsmittelsicherheit im ländlichen Äthiopien Entwicklungsökonomische Studien greifen immer häufiger auf multidisziplinäre Methoden und Konzepte zurück, um ein besseres Verständnis über die anhaltende Armutssituation in Teilen der Welt zu erhalten, greifen. Die vorliegende Arbeit verwendet ein solches Konzept, das aspirations-failure framework, das die Situation der Armen und ihr Investitionsverhalten mit dem „aspiration failure“ verknüpft. Anhand von Individualdaten und Haushaltsdaten von landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben in Äthiopien wird der Effekt von sozialen Beziehungen auf Aspirationen (in Bezug auf Einkommen, Wohlstand, sozialer Status und Bildung) ökonometrisch analysiert. Die Theorie besagt, dass Aspirationen gesellschaftlich bedingt sind, beispielsweise durch gegenseitige Beobachtung und durch soziale Interaktionen. Die ökonometrischen Ergebnisse bestätigen dies. Tatsächlich deuten die Ergebnisse an, dass die Größe der sozialen Netzwerke eine wichtige Determinante für Aspirationen insbesondere von Frauen ist. Auch die Relevanz des aspiration window wird bestätigt – dies ist die individuelle kognitive Welt, die Aspirationen formt. Ein Wirkungskanal, durch den Aspirationen das individuelle Verhalten beeinflussen können, sind die Effekte auf das Risikoverhalten. Die Analyse macht deutlich, dass der aspiration-gap – die Differenz zwischen angestrebten und gegenwärtigen Status – das Risikoverhalten in einer nichtlinearen Weise beeinflusst. Die Ergebnisse deuten auch an, dass der Effekt des aspiration-gap auf die Risikopräferenz bei Frauen stärker ausgeprägt ist als bei Männern. Darüberhinaus können soziale Interaktionen die Verbreitung von Innovationen und die Produktivität fördern. Die Analyse von sozialen Netzwerken, die die Methode „random matching within sample“ nutzt, zeigt einen starken Einfluss von Netzwerkexternalitäten auf die Adoption von Sätechniken sowie auf die landwirtschaftliche Produktivität. Entsprechend trägt diese Arbeit maßgeblich zur wissenschaftlichen Diskussion bei, indem Aspirationen (und deren Lücke) als Schlüsselvariable für die Innovationsfähigkeit der Bauern identifiziert werden und diese die Adoption von innovativen Produkten wie zum Beispiel chemischen Düngemitteln erklären können. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Implikationen von Aspirationen zu verstehen. Dazu werden die Interaktionen mit den grundlegenden Determinanten des Wohlbefindens untersucht (beispielsweise die Adoption von landwirtschaftlichen Innovationen und das individuelle Risikoverhalten) und die Interaktionen mit den direkten Folgen des jeweiligen Wohlbefindens. Verschiedene Outcome-Indikatoren werden verwendet, wie unter anderem Einkommen und Konsumausgaben, verschiedene triangulierte Food Security Indikatoren, sowie subjektives Wohlbefinden, das als Zufriedenheit und Glücksempfinden definiert ist. Für fast alle Outcome-Indikatoren wird ein Einfluss von Aspirationen auf das Wohlbefinden von ländlichen Haushalten in Äthiopien gefunden. Diese Arbeit zeigt auf, dass neben Ressourcenengpässen insbesondere auch nicht vorhandene Aspirationen eine entscheidende Rolle im Entscheidungsverhalten von ländlichen Haushalten in Äthiopien spielen, mit entsprechenden Konsequenzen für das Wohlbefinden. Folglich kann es eine erfolgreiche Policy Strategie sein, die Determinanten von Aspirationen zu berücksichtigen

Rubella virus sero-prevalence and associated factors among non-vaccinated pregnant women in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Rubella virus infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse fetal outcomes and reproductive failures. In Ethiopia, little is known about the extent of the disease and rubella vaccination is not widely available. The main aim of this study was to assess the sero-prevalence of the rubella virus infection and its associated risk factors among pregnant women. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in the antenatal clinics of Debre Markos and Debre Tabor hospitals of Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia from March to June2015. Study participants were recruited until the calculated sample size was achieved at both hospitals. Data on socio-demographic and factors associated with rubella virus infection were collected through a structured questionnaire. A 5ml blood sample was also collected from all study participants and tested for Immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibodies against rubella virus infection using enzyme immune assay (EIA) test at the Amhara Regional Health Research Laboratory Center, Bahir Dar. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and frequencies, chi-square tests and Odds ratio were computed using a p value < 0.05 as a level of significance. Result: A total of 401 pregnant mothers were screened for rubella virus infection. The mean age of the study participants was 26.4 year (SD= 5.4) and the overall sero-prevalence of rubella anti-IgG was 46.4%. In connection, the sero-prevalence of anti-IgM among anti-IgG sero-positive cases was 3.2%. Pregnant women at first trimester (OR=2.49, 95% CI= 1.14-5.42) and HIV sero-status (OR= 0.33, 95% CI= 0.15-0.76) were factors found to be significantly associated with rubella anti-IgG sero-prevalence (p<0.05). Conclusion: The sero-prevalence of rubella virus infection among pregnant women was considered to be low, showing the high risk of a new infection. In addition to a comprehensive surveillance approach and efforts to determine rubella susceptibility profile among school-aged girls and women of childbearing age, it is also important to consider rubella vaccine in a national vaccination program. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018;32(3):00-000] Keywords: Rubella virus, unvaccinated, sero-prevalence, pregnant women, risk factors, Ethiopi

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with genotyping method among human immunodeficiency virus positive pediatric patients in Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study design

Abstract Background: Increasing evidence suggests that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are becoming more prevalent throughout the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected community. However, there is scarcity of data about the prevalence of MRSA among HIV positive pediatric patients in the study area. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and types of MRSA among S. aureus isolates of HIV positive pediatric patients in the Amhara National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Pediatric patients who attended the clinic from December 2013 to April 2014 were included in the study. Genotype MRSA VER 3.0 was used for characterization of S. aureus isolates. This detected methicillin-resistance-mediating mecA and mecC genes and the bicomponent cytotoxic virulence factor Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Among 126 S. aureus isolates, 37.3% and 11.9% were mecA and Panton–Valentine leukocidin gene positive, respectively. Patients of FHRH (P = 0.04) and DRH (P = 0.02) have statistical significance for mecA gene. Panton–Valentine leukocidin gene positive strains were about 97% less likelihood to be mecA gene positive (P = 0.001). Conclusion: A high prevalence of pathogenic MRSA strains among HIV positive pediatric patients was observed. Most of the MRSA types were hospital acquired. Hence, strict hygienic approaches by healthcare workers in hospitals should be implemented. In addition, screening and treatment of MRSA for HIV positive pediatric patients is recommended. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018;32(3):00-000] Key words: MRSA, pediatrics, HIV, Ethiopi

Islamic finance and social finance, an opportunity for social enterprises

Social enterprises are defined as the real engine of social innovation because they have in their veins the objective of creating social impact and they are the companies with the best structure in the panorama of the third sector. After the recent crisis, social hardship has become more and more frequent in all situations, from health care to housing, for example. Poverty is another existing social phenomenon that has critical effects on the ecosystem. This leads to a decrease in the protection of the quality of life by increasing the need for health services, social assistance, housing and of course social aid on necessities. The engine that could encourage change is the grafting of socially disadvantaged people into the workplace, but the companies themselves need ideas and especially resources to assimilate more staff. It is essential to grow the companies For Impact, but it is not always easy for them to access funding. In order to guarantee a constant increase in social impact, the company's attention must always be combined with performance to ensure survival into the business. Progressively, in these years, there has been a growth of the financial instruments tied to the Islamic finance and these could have an important role not only for the Moslems, but also for the non-Muslim countries.The constant search for alternative ways of financing is always alive, more so by the companies that make up the third sector, which are open to instruments that respect ethical principles. To support this aspect, there is an evolution of the instruments of social finance and Islamic finance, both of which have the same values.This document, through an empirical analysis, wants to demonstrate how, through the meeting of the Islamic finance and social finance instruments, it is possible to restart the process of social innovation through the companies which are currently the major players in this field: the social cooperatives

Trend, Challenges and Opportunities of Illegal Wildlife Trafficking and Trade Activities within and through Ethiopia

Having improved knowledge on global, regional and/or national trends in illegal wildlife trade is required to develop effective combating strategies. In this paper, nine years (2011–2019) data on illegal wildlife trade and trafficking (iwt) seizure records were used to explore trends in iwt activities in Ethiopia and to identify countries involved most in the iwt. Trends of iwt activities were assessed in two indicators: as relative transaction index (ti), and as relative weight index (for ivory [wi]) or as relative number of items for ivory and other wildlife products [ni]. To account for potential yearly variations in seizure rates, proxy variables to law enforcement efforts and effectiveness were used and predictive models that produced bias-adjusted estimates of relative trends in iwt activities were built. To explore the underlying reasons for the trend observed, relevant national officers were also interviewed to assess how well has been wildlife law enforcement working in combatting iwt in the country. Linear or polynomial regressions, where appropriate, were fitted to the seizure data to establish trends in transaction index over the nine years. A total of 842 incidences of iwt seizure instance reports, involving 18 animal species, were recorded in the country during the nine years period. However, the highest seizure (94%) rate was ivory and ivory products. Our results generally showed declining trends in both ti and wi or ni. The observed trend was also supported by the experts’ opinions and likely reflects the positive impacts of the country’s implementation of its wildlife laws. Other interesting findings of this study were that China represented the single most important destination country and Chinese nationalities were the most traffickers. In conclusion, the results provide detailed evidence to inform national and international decision making on key species implicated in the illegal trade. Similar periodic assessment of the situation of iwt within the country is needed to evaluate effectiveness of the country’s past and present measures and to revise its future combatting policies and strategies

Bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial resistance profile among patients presumptive for meningitis at a referral hospital, northwest Ethiopia

Background: Bacterial meningitis remains as a major cause of mortality and morbidity in many developing countries, including Ethiopia. Data on the type and antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is limited in Ethiopia and particularly in the study area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify bacterial pathogens from CSF and to determine their antimicrobial resistance profile at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital (FHRH). Methods and Materials: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 176 CSF samples collected from patients presumptive for meningitis at FHRH. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected by an experienced clinician aseptically and inoculated on blood, chocolate and MacConkey agars. Bacteriological culture and identification of the isolates was done following the conventional bacteriological procedure. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed using the disk diffusion method. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were used to present and summarize the findings. Results: Of the 176 study participants, 112 (63.6%) were males and 70 (39.8%) were infants. The mean age of the study participants was at 14.3 years. Eight (4.5%) CSF samples were found bacteriological culture positive. Of these, gram-negative isolates accounted for five cases (62.5%), including three E. coli, and one case each of K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa. The remaining three isolates were S. aureus. In this study, the overall multi-drug resistance (MDR) rate was at 75%. Gentamicin and ciprofloxacin were found effective against S. aureus. Similarly, gram-negative isolates were found sensitive to ceftazidime and ceftriaxone. Conclusions: In this study, the bacterial isolation rate from CSF was relatively low (4.5%). S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa were identified and nearly one third of them were found to be multi-drug resistant which should be of concern to relevant stakeholders. A large-scale study is warranted. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2020; 34(1):14-21] Key words: Bacterial meningitis, Cerebrospinal fluid, types of bacterial isolates, antimicrobial resistance &nbsp