Community Engagement and Building Trust to Resolve Ethical Challenges during Humanitarian Crises: Experience from the CAGED Study in Ethiopia

Abstract Background According to data from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre’s Global Report on Internal Displacement 2019, Ethiopia had the highest number of people newly displaced within their own country due to violence. Several regions in the country experience on-going ethnic tensions and violent tribal conflict, which leaves smallholder farmers suspicious and distrustful of any outside activities in their locale, fearing harm from other ethnic groups. Changes in the central Ethiopian government have also led to suspicion of non-local agencies. The Campylobacter Genomics and Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) research project’s objective is to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers and was conducted during this period of increased tension and violence. The project aims to assess the impact of reducing exposure to chicken excreta on young children’s gut health and growth. To inform the study design, formative baseline field data was collected between March 2018 and February 2019 by a team of trained and experienced human and animal health professionals from the same region, who speak the local language. Discussion This research is important to determine whether Campylobacter infection in chickens contributes to illness and stunting in children. Stunting is widespread in humanitarian settings, with major implications for children’s well-being and social inequalities. During this research, violence against other researchers elsewhere in Ethiopia led to mistrust and lack of engagement by the community. Hostile reactions developed until the team was fearful about returning to certain households. The team designed mitigation strategies in response, including establishing two types of community advisory boards. One used pre-existing village elder structures and another included village youth. Data collection team members received training in principles of ethics, consent, and crisis management, and were provided on-going support from local and international principal investigators and the study’s ethics advisor. Conclusion Tension and conflict led to mistrust of outsiders which generated fear among the CAGED data collectors The resulting challenges were addressed by innovative strategies which also delayed the research process. The interventions resulted in successful completion of the field activities. The lessons learned are being implemented with other projects being conducted in various parts of Ethiopia.

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Community engagement and building trust to resolve ethical challenges during humanitarian crises: experience from the CAGED study

Conflict and Health ◽

10.1186/s13031-020-00313-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Getnet Yimer ◽

Wondwossen Gebreyes ◽

Arie Havelaar ◽

Jemal Yousuf ◽

Sarah McKune ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Internal Displacement ◽

Gut Health ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Monitoring Centre ◽

Advisory Boards ◽

Displaced People ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre report on global human displacement, Ethiopia has the highest number of newly displaced people forced to flee their homes. Displaced people have arrived in other regions, sometimes leading to conflict. Several regions in Ethiopia experience on-going ethnic tensions and violence between tribes, which leaves smallholder farmers suspicious of any outside activities in their locale, assuming other ethnic groups may harm them. Changes in the central Ethiopian government have also led to suspicion of non-local agencies. The Campylobacter Genomics and Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) research project’s objective is to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers and was conducted during this period of increasing violence. The project aims to assess the impact of reducing exposure to chicken excreta on young children’s gut health and growth. This paper does not report empirical findings from CAGED, but is part of a series that aims to identify challenges in humanitarian research and reports on mitigation strategies during this research. Discussion This research is important to determine whether Campylobacter infection in chicken’s contributes to illness and stunting in children. However, violence against other researchers in different parts of Ethiopia led to mistrust and lack of engagement by the community with the researchers. Some reactions were so hostile that the team was fearful about returning to some households. As a result, the team designed strategies to respond, including establishing two types of community advisory boards. One used pre-existing village elder structures and another was composed of village youth. Data collection team members received training in principles of ethics, consent, and crisis management, and were provided on-going support from local and international principal investigators and the study’s ethics advisor. Conclusion The hostility and mistrust led to fear among the data collectors. These and the resulting strategies to address them resulted in delays for the research. However, the interventions taken resulted in successful completion of the field activities. Moreover, the lessons learned from this project are already being implemented with other projects being conducted in various parts of Ethiopia.

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Community Engagement and Building Trust to Resolve Ethical Challenges during Humanitarian Crises: Experience from the CAGED Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25533/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Getnet Yimer ◽

Wondwossen Gebreyes ◽

Arie Havelaar ◽

Jemal Yousuf ◽

Sarah McKune ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Internal Displacement ◽

Gut Health ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Monitoring Centre ◽

Advisory Boards ◽

Displaced People ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre report on global human displacement, Ethiopia has the highest number of newly displaced people forced to flee their homes. Displaced people have arrived in other regions, sometimes leading to conflict. Several regions in Ethiopia experience on-going ethnic tensions and violence between tribes, which leaves smallholder farmers suspicious of any outside activities in their locale, assuming other ethnic groups may harm them. Changes in the central Ethiopian government have also led to suspicion of non-local agencies. The Campylobacter Genomics and Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) research project’s objective is to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers and was conducted during this period of increasing violence. The project aims to assess the impact of reducing exposure to chicken excreta on young children’s gut health and growth. This paper does not report empirical findings from CAGED, but is part of a series that aims to identify challenges in humanitarian research and reports on mitigation strategies during this research. Discussion: This research is important to determine whether Campylobacter infection in chicken’s contributes to illness and stunting in children. However, violence against other researchers in different parts of Ethiopia led to mistrust and lack of engagement by the community with the researchers. Some reactions were so hostile that the team was fearful about returning to some households. As a result, the team designed strategies to respond, including establishing two types of community advisory boards. One used pre-existing village elder structures and another was composed of village youth. Data collection team members received training in principles of ethics, consent, and crisis management, and were provided on-going support from local and international principal investigators and the study’s ethics advisor.Conclusion: The hostility and mistrust led to fear among the data collectors. These and the resulting strategies to address them resulted in delays for the research. However, the interventions taken resulted in successful completion of the field activities. Moreover, the lessons learned from this project are already being implemented with other projects being conducted in various parts of Ethiopia.

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Community Engagement and Building Trust to Resolve Ethical Challenges during Humanitarian Crises: Experience from the CAGED Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25533/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Getnet Yimer ◽

Wondwossen Gebreyes ◽

Arie Havelaar ◽

Jemal Yousuf ◽

Sarah McKune ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Internal Displacement ◽

Gut Health ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Monitoring Centre ◽

Advisory Boards ◽

Displaced People ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre report on global human displacement, Ethiopia has the highest number of newly displaced people forced to flee their homes. Displaced people have arrived in other regions, sometimes leading to conflict. Several regions in Ethiopia experience on-going ethnic tensions and violence between tribes, which leaves smallholder farmers suspicious of any outside activities in their locale, assuming other ethnic groups may harm them. Changes in the central Ethiopian government have also led to suspicion of non-local agencies. The Campylobacter Genomics and Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) research project’s objective is to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers and was conducted during this period of increasing violence. The project aims to assess the impact of reducing exposure to chicken excreta on young children’s gut health and growth. This paper does not report empirical findings from CAGED, but is part of a series that aims to identify challenges in humanitarian research and reports on mitigation strategies during this research. Discussion This research is important to determine whether Campylobacter infection in chicken’s contributes to illness and stunting in children. However, violence against other researchers in different parts of Ethiopia led to mistrust and lack of engagement by the community with the researchers. Some reactions were so hostile that the team was fearful about returning to some households. As a result, the team designed strategies to respond, including establishing two types of community advisory boards. One used pre-existing village elder structures and another was composed of village youth. Data collection team members received training in principles of ethics, consent, and crisis management, and were provided on-going support from local and international principal investigators and the study’s ethics advisor.Conclusion The hostility and mistrust led to fear among the data collectors. These and the resulting strategies to address them resulted in delays for the research. However, the interventions taken resulted in successful completion of the field activities. Moreover, the lessons learned from this project are already being implemented with other projects being conducted in various parts of Ethiopia.

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Lessons Learned From an Early Hotspot During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/0003134821994757 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000313482199475

Author(s):

Brett M. Chapman ◽

George M. Fuhrman

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Surgical Education ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Educational Environment ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Surgical Residency ◽

The Impact

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided challenges for surgical residency programs demanding fluid decision making focused on providing care for our patients, maintaining an educational environment, and protecting the well-being of our residents. This brief report summarizes the impact of the impact on our residency programs clinical care and education. We have identified opportunities to improve our program using videoconferencing, managing recruitment, and maintaining a satisfactory caseload to ensure the highest possible quality of surgical education.

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One Health, Fermented Foods, and Gut Microbiota

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods7120195 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Victoria Bell ◽

Jorge Ferrão ◽

Lígia Pimentel ◽

Manuela Pintado ◽

Tito Fernandes

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

One Health ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Animal Health ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Well Being ◽

Fermented Foods ◽

Being There ◽

The Impact

Changes in present-day society such as diets with more sugar, salt, and saturated fat, bad habits and unhealthy lifestyles contribute to the likelihood of the involvement of the microbiota in inflammatory diseases, which contribute to global epidemics of obesity, depression, and mental health concerns. The microbiota is presently one of the hottest areas of scientific and medical research, and exerts a marked influence on the host during homeostasis and disease. Fermented foods and beverages are generally defined as products made by microbial organisms and enzymatic conversions of major and minor food components. Further to the commonly-recognized effects of nutrition on the digestive health (e.g., dysbiosis) and well-being, there is now strong evidence for the impact of fermented foods and beverages (e.g., yoghurt, pickles, bread, kefir, beers, wines, mead), produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms, on general health, namely their significance on the gut microbiota balance and brain functionality. Fermented products require microorganisms, i.e., Saccharomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, yielding alcohol and lactic acid. Ingestion of vibrant probiotics, especially those contained in fermented foods, is found to cause significant positive improvements in balancing intestinal permeability and barrier function. Our guts control and deal with every aspect of our health. How we digest our food and even the food sensitivities we have is linked with our mood, behavior, energy, weight, food cravings, hormone balance, immunity, and overall wellness. We highlight some impacts in this domain and debate calls for the convergence of interdisciplinary research fields from the United Nations’ initiative. Worldwide human and animal medicine are practiced separately; veterinary science and animal health are generally neither considered nor inserted within national or international Health discussions. The absence of a clear definition and subsequent vision for the future of One Health may act as a barrier to transdisciplinary collaboration. The point of this mini review is to highlight the role of fermented foods and beverages on gut microbiota and debate if the need for confluence of transdisciplinary fields of One Health is feasible and achievable, since they are managed by separate sectors with limited communication.

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The impact of business schools in transforming the society case: AUC School of Business

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences ◽

10.1108/jeas-10-2018-0110 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 38-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sherif Kamel

Keyword(s):

Continuous Improvement ◽

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Content Type ◽

American University ◽

Advisory Boards ◽

American University In Cairo ◽

The Impact ◽

Business And Management

Purpose Business schools are becoming invaluable platforms linking academia, business and industry. The constantly changing nature of markets requires a continuous and iterative dialog between business schools and other constituents including the government, the private sector and the civil society to guarantee that business and management education is catering for local and global market needs. The purpose of this paper is to address the growing role of business schools in transforming the society, building on the experience of the school of business of the American University in Cairo, and its impact in preparing the business leaders and entrepreneurs who can make a difference in society through rigorous and adaptive business and management education while addressing the elements of governance, accreditation, internationalization, and relevance, creativity and innovation in research. Design/methodology/approach In this study, desk research is coupled with sharing of the development of the accreditation journey of American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business and the lessons learned over the last 15 years. Findings While undergoing multiple accreditations, the school should effectively and efficiently manage the timeline, otherwise the maintenance of all accreditations could end up in one year, and that could be really challenging, a situation faced by the school during the academic year 2016–2017. While having a task force or a committee is mandatory, for the long-term development and sustainability of a continuous improvement culture, an office for academic assessment and accreditation is a must. For the school, the office helps create and embed the culture that accreditation is a journey and not a destination. Accreditation as a process should involve all school stakeholders on and off campus including faculty, staff, students, alumni, advisory boards, employers and the university administration; they should all be engaged and their buy-in through creating a sense of ownership and empowerment is invaluable. Throughout the accreditation journey, nothing is more important than communication, a school can never have enough of it. While the accreditation process needs a strong, transparent, effective leadership style, a bottom-up approach aligning and motivating the school’s different constituents is essential. For accreditation and continuous improvement to be sustainable, it should be driven and guided by a unified school-wide strategy addressing and catering to its different objectives. Accreditation is all about an invaluable triangle of building blocks, including an informed human capital, a respected and well-thought process and a timely, accurate and efficient wealth of data and knowledge about the school. Research limitations/implications The limitations are primarily the focus on the case of Egypt and AUC School of Business. Obviously, there is no one size that fits all, but there are lessons learned that could be replicated and tested in business schools located in similar environments. Practical implications The study presents the experience of the governance model at AUC School of Business with both internal council of the school of business and external board of advisors. Social implications The study presents the implications of the school on the society and the role, directions, guidelines that accreditation and continuous improvement introduce to the curriculum. Originality/value Historical background of business and management education at large in Egypt and Middle East North Africa is coupled with the overview of the school of business, sharing the challenges and opportunities of accreditation and continuous improvement.

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The heterogeneous severity of COVID-19 in African countries: A modeling approach

10.21203/rs.3.rs-426664/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Salihu Sabiu Musa ◽

Xueying Wang ◽

Shi Zhao ◽

Shudong Li ◽

Nafiu Hussaini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Fatality ◽

Well Being ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Basic Reproductive Number ◽

Reproductive Number ◽

Time Varying ◽

African Countries ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Considerable Impact ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on global health and economics. The impact in African countries has not been investigated through fitting epidemic models to the reported COVID-19 deaths.Method: We downloaded data for the twelve most affected countries with the highest cumulative COVID-19 deaths to estimate the time-varying basic reproductive number (R0(t)) and infection attack rate (IAR). We developed a simple epidemic model and fitted the model to reported COVID-19 deaths in twelve African countries using iterated filtering and allowing a flexible transmission rate.Results: We observed high heterogeneity in the case-fatality rate across countries, which may be due to different reporting or testing efforts. South Africa, Tunisia, and Libya were affected most strongly, exhibiting a relatively higher(R0(t)) and infection attack rate.Conclusion: To effectively control the spread of COVID-19 epidemics in Africa, there is a need to consider other mitigation strategies (such as improvements in socioeconomic well-being, healthcare systems, the water supply, and awareness campaigns).

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Older Adults and the Impact of COVID-19: Lessons Learned from a Two-State Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2682 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 724-725

Author(s):

Amanda Sokan ◽

Tracy Davis

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Family Cohesion ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Aging Population ◽

Well Being ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

State Study ◽

Psychosocial Impacts ◽

Household Environment ◽

The Impact

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased strains on the rapidly increasing aging population’s mental, emotional, and physiological health. COVID-19, which belongs to a family of respiratory viruses, was first detected in China before spreading to other parts of the globe. Due to underlying health conditions and weakened immune systems, the aging population is at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. To better prepare for a future pandemic, it is necessary to explore the psychosocial impacts of limited human interactions to make the aging population feel safer while mitigating harm to their mental and emotional health. The purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences of the aging population with COVID-19, including psychosocial, behavioral responses to the pandemic, and older adults’ overall well-being. We surveyed a total of 203 adults 55 and older regarding their experiences with the pandemic. Survey components included the COVID-19 Household Environment Scale (Behar-Zusman, Chavez, & Gattamorta, ND), selected items from the COVID-19 Impact Study and open-ended questions, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (Williams et al., 2006), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978). Preliminary analyses indicate that most participants had not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms, nor did they know anyone who had passed away from the virus. However, participants did report loneliness and less family cohesion because of the pandemic. Findings from this study will be used to help older adults cope with the impact of the current pandemic and future pandemics.

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Linking Smallholder Farmers to the Heilongjiang Province Crop Rotation Project: Assessing the Impact on Production and Well-Being

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14010038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 38

Author(s):

Zheng Cai ◽

Shengsheng Li ◽

Guoming Du ◽

Ruhao Xue

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Well Being ◽

Pilot Project ◽

Farm Size ◽

Heilongjiang Province ◽

The Impact

Food security and environmental protection—led by sustainable agricultural development—are key development goals of Heilongjiang Province. One of the main challenges facing the Heilongjiang Province is improving soil and livelihood by integrating smallholder farmers into the pilot crop rotation project. This paper investigates a comprehensive project—the new crop rotation pilot project in Heilongjiang (NCRPPH)—which aims to improve the livelihood of the pilot participants by involving smallholder farmers in the pilot crop rotation program and connecting them with the food industry through farmers’ cooperatives. This paper analyzes the impact of the NCRPPH on farmers’ crop rotation, grain yield, multi-agent cooperation, food security, and education based on data collected in 2019 and other retrospective information. The instrumental variable method and three different estimation strategies are used to solve the endogenous problem. The results show that the project has a vast and positive impact on the gross and net value of grain production per hectare and the share of products sold to food manufacturers through cooperatives. Regardless of the farm size, farmers have equal opportunities from which they can benefit. In addition, our analysis shows that the NCRPPH improves the educational situation and food security without affecting crop rotation practices. Finally, our research proves the effectiveness of this project.

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Impact of Agrochemicals on Soil Microbiota and Management: A Review

Land ◽

10.3390/land9020034 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Ram Meena ◽

Sandeep Kumar ◽

Rahul Datta ◽

Rattan Lal ◽

Vinod Vijayakumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Animal Health ◽

Crop Protection ◽

World Health ◽

Soil Microbial Diversity ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Nutritional Security ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

The Impact

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that in developing nations, there are three million cases of agrochemical poisoning. The prolonged intensive and indiscriminate use of agrochemicals adversely affected the soil biodiversity, agricultural sustainability, and food safety, bringing in long-term harmful effects on nutritional security, human and animal health. Most of the agrochemicals negatively affect soil microbial functions and biochemical processes. The alteration in diversity and composition of the beneficial microbial community can be unfavorable to plant growth and development either by reducing nutrient availability or by increasing disease incidence. Currently, there is a need for qualitative, innovative, and demand-driven research in soil science, especially in developing countries for facilitating of high-quality eco-friendly research by creating a conducive and trustworthy work atmosphere, thereby rewarding productivity and merits. Hence, we reviewed (1) the impact of various agrochemicals on the soil microbial diversity and environment; (2) the importance of smallholder farmers for sustainable crop protection and enhancement solutions, and (3) management strategies that serve the scientific community, policymakers, and land managers in integrating soil enhancement and sustainability practices in smallholder farming households. The current review provides an improved understanding of agricultural soil management for food and nutritional security.

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