Dying for a Drink: How the Consumption of Home brews Affects Health within the Kibera Slum of Nairobi, Kenya

Home-brewed alcohols are inexpensive, thus they are especially consumed by low-income individuals such as those residing in Kibera. This project investigates three alcohols brewed within this area: muratina (mugasha), busaa and chang’aa. With the help of Philip Ndemwa, a nutrition expert from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, I was able to gain insight regarding the process of these alcohols, as well as the sanitation conditions of the production sites of these home brews and how these factors affect the health of the consumer. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilized in order to fully understand the health repercussions from consuming such products. Key informant interviews were conducted with producers in order to gain information about the process involved. The sanitation conditions of these breweries were l assessed using my observations and a guide created in accordance to the regulations as written in the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010 and the Kenya Health Act. In-depth interviews with experts within the chemical and alcohol field were conducted in order to provide technical information as to how the consumption of these products may affect health. The information gathered was used to determine how the original processing and sanitation conditions at the production site affect the health of consumers within Kibera

The Material Remains of World War II on Viti Levu: A Historical Archaeological Inventory

World War II was a global conflict that dramatically changed many aspects of society in the late 1940’s. It transformed the landscape of many locations, leaving behind a vast and diverse material record. Although the battles of the conflict never reached Fiji, a British colony in the South Pacific, the war greatly impacted the island group. Fiji was under threat of Japanese invasion for the majority of 1942 and part of 1943, which resulted in a build up of military forces and defensive installations. In the later years, Fiji was used as a forward base for the Allied forces, which resulted in the construction of transportation infrastructure, as well as an influx of Allied troops and supplies coming into the island. This study is a historical archaeological inventory of the significant World War II heritage sites on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu. The study also discusses how the war impacted Fiji and laid the groundwork for many aspects of modern life in the islands

An Adaptation of Reading Materials for Students of Science in English as a Second Language

This project is an udating of the reader Scientific English Practice. Its purpose is to substitute outdated subjects, and expand others with more recent scientific information. Vocabulary lists, comprehension questions, and grammar exercises were written to accompany several substituted essays. Vocabulary lists and exercises thereof were developed for the remaining essays, some of which were expanded upon

The Needs of the Marginalized; Documenting a Crisis Defined as Such by the Catadores de Lixo of Jangurussú

Catadore de lixo is a general term used by Brazilians to refer to those people who work with garbage. It encompasses those who work (and often live) in open landfills and scavenge for salvageable goods to consume, use, or sell; those who work in the street collecting garbage; those who collect only recyclables; and those who work within associations, companies, or cooperatives that sort, sell, and/or recycle refuse. Such a cooperative and the catadores who comprise is the focus of my research. My objective for spending three weeks in the homes and community of the catadoras de lixo was to see how they define, experience, and satisfy their needs. During the period I was conducting my field research, the usina de triagem (the facility in which mixed trash is sorted into its recyclable components) where the catadores work in a cooperative had been closed for almost two months because of a combination of political and technical problems. Because of this closure, the catadoras were not receiving any income. In conversations with them, it became evident that the reopening of the usina was at the top of their priority list. They defined their needs very narrowly, with a unified emphasis on the need for the recyclable sorting facility where they were all employed to re-open and function so that they might earn an income, however meager. This paper explores why this need is so unanimously prioritized by the community. In doing so, it illuminates the reality of the some of the most marginalized citizens of one of the most marginalized regions of the developing world and documents an employment crisis which is devastating their lives but which is virtually invisible to anyone from outside the catadore community. It discusses and describes the physical community, the people who are the catadores de lixo, the nature of their work, the history of their struggle for income, the politics at the heart of their crisis, how the catadores experienced and talked about the crisis, and what this reveals about their culture and experience of needs