Mindfulness and yoga self-care workshop for Northern Ugandan teachers: A pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-367
Author(s):  
M. Kyle Matsuba ◽  
Lenny Williams

Teacher stress is evident in many developed countries; however, teacher stress is also evident in many low-income sub-Saharan countries such as Uganda where teachers face additional challenges compared to their North American/European counterpart. The goal of this study was to pilot test a mindfulness and yoga self-care workshop designed for teachers working in post-conflict Northern Uganda to help them cope with stress. Twenty teachers participated in the workshop and were compared to a group of matched wait-list teachers on psychological well-being measures. Results show that self-care teachers showed greater reductions in levels of anger, fear, sadness and perceived hostility, and greater increases in levels of emotional support and friendship compared to wait-list teachers. Moreover, longitudinal exploratory data analyses suggest that many of these effects gradually emerge over the course of the three-month school term. These finds are discussed in the context of how school psychologists can help teachers in developing countries through from yoga-based, mindfulness-type programs, and the need for more scaled-up research.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkosinathi Sithole ◽  
Gillian Sullivan Mort ◽  
Clare D'Souza

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the effects of the customer-to-customer co-creation experiences of savings/credit groups in the African context and how savings/credit groups influence financial capability and enhance financial well-being.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive sampling, a study of a total of 18 focus groups was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine urban-based savings/credit groups were drawn from across South Africa and additional nine, rural-based savings/credit groups were studied in the Monduli district of Tanzania.FindingsFindings demonstrate that the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which promotes customer-to-customer interaction, is the cornerstone of the customer-to-customer co-creation experience. Ubuntu philosophical principles were found to influence the dialogue, access, risk and transparency model of co-creation and customer-dominant logic. The results show further that customer-to-customer co-creation experience positively influences the cognitive, financial, personal and social experiences of members. Specifically, it was found that cognitive and financial experiences positively influence financial satisfaction, financial self-esteem, financial self-efficacy and financial capability, all of which enhance financial well-being. In addition, personal and social experiences positively influence equality, self-confidence, entrepreneurial skills and motivation that in turn enhance social well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for many different stakeholders concerned with the financial inclusion of low-income consumers, particularly in the southern part of Africa.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the effects of customer-to-customer co-creation experiences in traditional financial services settings in order to understand how these indigenous financial services influence the financial capability and financial well-being of co-creation members.


2016 ◽  
pp. 1208-1227
Author(s):  
Monica Gray

Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death and is the major cause of malnutrition in children under age 5 worldwide. More than 50 percent of the cases occur in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Open defecation, substandard fecal disposal systems, and contaminated water supplies are the typical causes of diarrheal diseases. This public health crisis in low income countries mirrors the experiences of today's industrialized nations two centuries ago. The lessons learned from their sanitary evolution can be instructive in charting a sustainable path towards saving the lives of almost 2 million children annually. In this chapter a case study of Cuba's sanitary reformation is also presented to showcase successes, similar to those of developed countries, within a developing country and economically challenging context.


Author(s):  
Vivien A. Schmidt

Expectations are high regarding the potential benefits of public–private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure development in poor countries. The development community, led by the G20, the United Nations, and others, expects PPPs to help with “transformational” megaprojects as well as efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But PPPs have been widely used only since the 1990s. The discussion of PPPs is still dominated by best-practice guidance, academic studies that focus on developed countries, or ideological criticism. Meanwhile, practitioners have quietly accumulated a large body of empirical evidence on PPP performance. The purpose of this book is to summarize and consolidate what this critical mass of evidence-based research says about PPPs in low-income countries (LICs) and thereby develop a more realistic perspective on the practical value of these mechanisms. The focus of the book is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to most of the world’s poorest countries, although insights from other regions and more affluent developing countries are also included. Case studies of many of the best-known PPPs in Africa are used to illustrate these findings. This book demonstrates that PPPs have not met expectations in poor countries, and are only sustainable if many of the original defining characteristics of PPPs are changed. PPPs do have a small but meaningful role to play, but only if expectations remain modest and projects are subject to transparent evaluation and competition. Experiments with PPP mechanisms underway in some countries suggest ways in which PPPs may be evolving to better realize benefits in poor countries.


Africa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Porter ◽  
Kate Hampshire ◽  
Albert Abane ◽  
Alister Munthali ◽  
Elsbeth Robson ◽  
...  

AbstractThere is a long history of migration among low-income families in sub-Saharan Africa, in which (usually young, often male) members leave home to seek their fortune in what are perceived to be more favourable locations. While the physical and virtual mobility practices of such stretched families are often complex and contingent, maintaining contact with distantly located close kin is frequently of crucial importance for the maintenance of emotional (and possibly material) well-being, both for those who have left home and for those who remain. This article explores the ways in which these connections are being reshaped by increasing access to mobile phones in three sub-Saharan countries – Ghana, Malawi and South Africa – drawing on interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research from twenty-four sites, ranging from poor urban neighbourhoods to remote rural hamlets. Stories collected from both ends of stretched families present a world in which the connectivities now offered by the mobile phone bring a different kind of closeness and knowing, as instant sociality introduces a potential substitute for letters, cassettes and face-to-face visits, while the rapid resource mobilization opportunities identified by those still at home impose increasing pressures on migrant kin.


Author(s):  
Romaric Joel Tetsiguia Momo ◽  
Jeanne Hortence Fouedjio ◽  
Florent Ymélé Fouelifack ◽  
Robinson Enow Mbu

Background: Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) is the death before the beginning of the work of the fetus from the 28th week of pregnancy or a fetus of weight greater than or equal to 1000g. It occurs in 98% in poor countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for IUFD in low-income countries.Methods: All the women with preeclampsia from 30 weeks onwards were enrolled in the study. The umblical artery (UA) Systolic-diastolic (S/D) ratio >2 standard deviation (SD) or UA-pulsatility index (PI) and UA-resistive index (RI) >2 SD were taken as abnormal. The middle cerebral artery (MCA) was visualised and cerebroumblical PI ratio calculated. MCA-RI<2SD was taken as abnormal.Results: Independent risk factors for IUFD are age over 30 years (ORa = 2.1, P = 0.052), (ORa = 2.4497, p = 0.01), household occupation (ORa = 2.0097, p = 0.0282), hypertension disorders (ORa = 2.11, p = 0.0176), antepartal haemorrhage (ORa = 3.9635, p = 0.000), multiparity (ORa = 13.3089, p = 0.0056).Conclusions: The main risk factors for IUFD identified in our study are maternal age greater than 30 years, hypertension, antepartal haemorrhage, multiparity, and the household profession. Any pregnant woman who has one of these factors should be follow-up closely during pregnancy with a weekly assessment of fetal well-being by the 28th week.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis F. Furia ◽  
Jacqueline Shoo ◽  
Paschal J. Ruggajo ◽  
Kajiru Kilonzo ◽  
Gopal Basu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The burden of kidney diseases is reported to be higher in lower- and middle-income countries as compared to developed countries, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa are reported to be most affected. Health systems in most sub-Sahara African countries have limited capacity in the form of trained and skilled health care providers, diagnostic support, equipment and policies to provide nephrology services. Several initiatives have been implemented to support establishment of these services. Methods This is a situation analysis to examine the nephrology services in Tanzania. It was conducted by interviewing key personnel in institutions providing nephrology services aiming at describing available services and international collaborators supporting nephrology services. Results Tanzania is a low-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa with a population of more than 55 million that has seen remarkable improvement in the provision of nephrology services and these include increase in the number of nephrologists to 14 in 2018 from one in 2006, increase in number of dialysis units from one unit (0.03 unit per million) before 2007 to 28 units (0.5 units per million) in 2018 and improved diagnostic services with introduction of nephropathology services. Government of Tanzania has been providing kidney transplantation services by funding referral of donor and recipients abroad and has now introduced local transplantation services in two hospitals. There have been strong international collaborators who have supported nephrology services and establishment of nephrology training in Tanzania. Conclusion Tanzania has seen remarkable achievement in provision of nephrology services and provides an interesting model to be used in supporting nephrology services in low income countries.


Author(s):  
James Leigland

Expectations are high regarding the potential benefits of public–private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure development in poor countries. The development community, led by the G20, the United Nations, and others, expects PPPs to help with “transformational” megaprojects as well as efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But PPPs have been widely used only since the 1990s. The discussion of PPPs is still dominated by best-practice guidance, academic studies that focus on developed countries, or ideological criticism. Meanwhile, practitioners have quietly accumulated a large body of empirical evidence on PPP performance. The purpose of this book is to summarize and consolidate what this critical mass of evidence-based research says about PPPs in low-income countries (LICs) and thereby develop a more realistic perspective on the practical value of these mechanisms. The focus of the book is on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to most of the world’s poorest countries, although insights from other regions and more affluent developing countries are also included. Case studies of many of the best-known PPPs in Africa are used to illustrate these findings. This book demonstrates that PPPs have not met expectations in poor countries, and are only sustainable if many of the original defining characteristics of PPPs are changed. PPPs do have a small but meaningful role to play, but only if expectations remain modest and projects are subject to transparent evaluation and competition. Experiments with PPP mechanisms underway in some countries suggest ways in which PPPs may be evolving to better realize benefits in poor countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e005388
Author(s):  
Cleothia Caroline Alford ◽  
Yuko Otake

BackgroundSub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experienced a burden of organised violence within 18 low-income and middle-income countries and hosted over 33 million displaced persons in 2019. Community-centred mental health and psychosocial support (cc-MHPSS) programmes may provide insights to address the psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected individuals, though literature is mixed on community impact. This review aimed to synthesise qualitative evidence to understand the kind of experiences conflict-affected participants have and how these experiences occur during cc-MHPSS programme engagement in SSA.MethodsWe searched Global Health, MEDLINE, Psychological Information Database, Embase Classic+Embase, Social Policy and Practice, Web of Science, Africa-Wide Information, PubMed and Global Index Medicus databases. Eligible publications qualitatively reported on conflict-affected participants’ experiences of engagement in cc-MHPSS programmes. Data were extracted to summarise publication characteristics. The results were synthesised using a thematic synthesis analysis.ResultsThe search yielded 953 records, of which 20 publications were included in the review. Included publications were located in Rwanda (n=8), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (n=3), Mozambique (n=3), Sierra Leone (n=1), Ghana (n=1), Uganda (n=1), Zimbabwe (n=1) and South Sudan (n=1); one publication included three countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Uganda). Findings include the themes of (1) the experience of change in time and space, and (2) the sharing and silence of participants’ experiences. Findings demonstrate that elements transferred by participants from a cc-MHPSS programme to a natural community, and vice versa, contribute to participants’ healing. Elements’ transfer, or non-transfer, was often related to participants’ disclosure, or non-disclosure, of experiences.DiscussionFindings suggest that there are elements from a cc-MHPSS programme and a wider community which aid participant engagement and work therapeutically. More rigorous research is needed concerning how participants experience change during cc-MHPSS programme engagement in proximity to their relationship with the wider community.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020197300.


1985 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Kirkpatrick ◽  
Dimitris Diakosavvas

The problem of food insecurity in less-developed countries (L.D.C.s) continues to demand the attention of the international community. Despite the progress that has been made in increasing the world's production of cereals and other major foodstuffs, many L.D.C.s continue to face immense difficulties in ensuring an adequate level of food supplies on a regular year-to-year basis. The current African food crisis has once again demonstrated the vulnerability of low-income economies to a sudden shortfall in supplies, and has highlighted the need for additional measures to strengthen food security in the Third World.


Author(s):  
Monica Gray

Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death and is the major cause of malnutrition in children under age 5 worldwide. More than 50 percent of the cases occur in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Open defecation, substandard fecal disposal systems, and contaminated water supplies are the typical causes of diarrheal diseases. This public health crisis in low income countries mirrors the experiences of today's industrialized nations two centuries ago. The lessons learned from their sanitary evolution can be instructive in charting a sustainable path towards saving the lives of almost 2 million children annually. In this chapter a case study of Cuba's sanitary reformation is also presented to showcase successes, similar to those of developed countries, within a developing country and economically challenging context.


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