scholarly journals What determines the operational sustainability of rural drinking water points in Ethiopia? The case of Woliso woreda

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birki Gurmessa ◽  
Abate Mekuriaw

Abstract Water is a fundamental element essential for life and health. However, more than 33.3% of rural water services in Ethiopia are not functioning and hence sustainability of rural drinking water points in the country is under question. With this in mind, this study was undertaken to investigate the factors that affect the operational sustainability of rural drinking water points in Woliso woreda, Ethiopia. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected 211 households from six rural Kebeles, which were selected using stratified sampling technique. Focus group discussions and key interviews were also held along with observation. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were used to augment the results from the regression analysis. The results revealed that water service fee, willingness to pay, occurrence of conflict in the water points, monitoring by water user committees, willingness to sustain service, users' participation in the water point construction, satisfaction with the water point service, perception on the possibility of contamination, and training on maintenance are found to be significant factors that affect the operational sustainability of rural drinking water points. Therefore, these significant factors should be sufficiently addressed when planning water supply projects.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3330-3340
Author(s):  
Abate Mekuriaw ◽  
Birki Gurmessa

Abstract Access to safe drinking water is essential to healthy living. Thus, investment in rural drinking water points is increasing in Ethiopia. However, little is known about user satisfaction with rural drinking water points. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate determinants of the user's satisfaction with rural drinking water points in Ethiopia by considering Woliso District (Woreda) as a case study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered with 211 randomly selected households from six rural Kebeles (administrative areas), which were selected using a stratified sampling technique. Focus group discussions (FGD) and key interviews (KI) were also held along with observation. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were used to augment the results from the regression analysis. The results revealed that location of the water point, availability of guards, queueing time, service reliability, and distance significantly influence the satisfaction of users. Therefore, these significant factors should be addressed when planning water supply projects.


Author(s):  
Timothy K. Gontul ◽  
Tina Odinakachi Iirmdu ◽  
Mantau Maisamari ◽  
Timchang Nimnan Maikanu ◽  
Istifanus G Kassam ◽  
...  

Spectacular, unique natural, and human tourism features in Nigeria have suffered and are still suffering from one form of encroachment or another. The aim of this study was to chronicle all the encroachment activities at the Lame Bura Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. The methods used in the study were key informant interviews, focus group discussions and field observation. The qualitative data was analyzed, and the Purposive sampling technique was applied in the study. Findings from the results show that notable forms of encroachment include acquiring land illegally for agriculture, buildings, settlements, livestock grazing, hunting, poaching of wild animals, collections of forest products for medicine, food and timber. In conclusion, it was observed that there are outright contradictions in respecting the policies and conservation laws. It is therefore recommended that there should be urgent implementation of conservation policies and laws governing the establishment and management of protected areas in order to achieve sustainability within protected areas.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Muchiri

<p>Globally, it is estimated that over 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS with 67% of these coming from Sub Sahara Africa. While the epidemic has been receiving increasing attention towards and more emphasis placed on access to care and treatment, these efforts are bound to become unsustainable due to a high rate of new infections. In 2007, for every HIV patient who was put on drugs six others became infected with the virus. Voluntary testing and counselling (VCT) has been suggested as the most effective intervention that could reverse this rate of infection. Its utilization in Africa and many parts of the world has however, been at an all time low. In Kenya where populations of over 1.4 million people are living with the HIV/AID virus, less than 20% of the total population knows their status. The aim of this study is, therefore, to establish and document the dynamics of VCT uptake in Nakuru district of Kenya with a view to suggesting measures to increase this uptake. The main objectives of the study were to identify factors that influence VCT uptake and determine the levels of knowledge and prevailing attitudes on HIV testing. The role that gender plays in VCT utilization was also explored. This was a cross sectional study in which a mixed research method methodology employing quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used. Quantitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire while qualitative data was collected using focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The target population was residents of Nakuru aged 16-60. 480 distributed completed the structured questionnaire out which 422 were completed and returned. Six focus group discussions and five key informant interviews were carried out. The research found that the awareness regarding HIV and VCT among the community members is relatively high. However, there are still a significant proportion of people who hold misconceptions about the disease and the testing service. This may partially explain why people opted not to take the test for the virus. Further, a majority of the people wanted to take up the test but both social and health system barriers such as gender inequality, the cost of taking the service, service operational hours, accessibility; misconceptions about the disease are barriers to the utilization of the service. The study recommends the adoption of more pro-active model of testing which could include mobile and home-based testing to help remove most of these barriers and therefore lead to an increased uptake. Moreover promotional activities targeting couples, providing the service beyond the current normal working hours weekdays and weekends, strengthening the general public health facility to help win back the trust of the service consumer and provision of youth-friendly voluntary counselling and testing for HIV (VCT) service are recommended.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Muchiri

<p>Globally, it is estimated that over 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS with 67% of these coming from Sub Sahara Africa. While the epidemic has been receiving increasing attention towards and more emphasis placed on access to care and treatment, these efforts are bound to become unsustainable due to a high rate of new infections. In 2007, for every HIV patient who was put on drugs six others became infected with the virus. Voluntary testing and counselling (VCT) has been suggested as the most effective intervention that could reverse this rate of infection. Its utilization in Africa and many parts of the world has however, been at an all time low. In Kenya where populations of over 1.4 million people are living with the HIV/AID virus, less than 20% of the total population knows their status. The aim of this study is, therefore, to establish and document the dynamics of VCT uptake in Nakuru district of Kenya with a view to suggesting measures to increase this uptake. The main objectives of the study were to identify factors that influence VCT uptake and determine the levels of knowledge and prevailing attitudes on HIV testing. The role that gender plays in VCT utilization was also explored. This was a cross sectional study in which a mixed research method methodology employing quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used. Quantitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire while qualitative data was collected using focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The target population was residents of Nakuru aged 16-60. 480 distributed completed the structured questionnaire out which 422 were completed and returned. Six focus group discussions and five key informant interviews were carried out. The research found that the awareness regarding HIV and VCT among the community members is relatively high. However, there are still a significant proportion of people who hold misconceptions about the disease and the testing service. This may partially explain why people opted not to take the test for the virus. Further, a majority of the people wanted to take up the test but both social and health system barriers such as gender inequality, the cost of taking the service, service operational hours, accessibility; misconceptions about the disease are barriers to the utilization of the service. The study recommends the adoption of more pro-active model of testing which could include mobile and home-based testing to help remove most of these barriers and therefore lead to an increased uptake. Moreover promotional activities targeting couples, providing the service beyond the current normal working hours weekdays and weekends, strengthening the general public health facility to help win back the trust of the service consumer and provision of youth-friendly voluntary counselling and testing for HIV (VCT) service are recommended.</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademola Adelekan ◽  
Philomena Omoregie ◽  
Elizabeth Edoni

Public health officials have advocated the involvement of men as a strategy for addressing the dismal performance of family planning (FP) programmes. This study was therefore designed to explore the challenges and determine way forward to male involvement in FP in Olorunda Local Government Area, Osogbo, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involved the use of a four-stage sampling technique to select 500 married men and interviewed them using semistructured questionnaire. In addition, four focus group discussions (FGDs) were also conducted. Mean age of respondents was 28.5 ± 10.3 years. Some (37.9%) of the respondents’ spouse had ever used FP and out of which 19.0% were currently using FP. Only 4.8% of the respondents had ever been involved in FP. Identified barriers to male involvement included the perception that FP is woman’s activity and was not their custom to participate in FP programme. More than half of the FGD discussants were of the view that men should provide their wives with transport fare and other resources they may need for FP. The majority of the respondents had never been involved in family planning with their wives. Community sensitization programmes aimed at improving male involvement in FP should be provided by government and nongovernmental agencies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. S25-S43
Author(s):  
Unnikrishnan K Nair ◽  
Keyoor Purani

Kalpak Healthcare Limited (KHL), a large pharmaceutical company in the southern part of India, once faced severe sales force turnover in its Life Branded Medications SBU, popularly called the Branded SBU (B-SBU). It became an issue of highest concern to the top management of KHL; so they appointed a team of consultants from a premier management school in the region to study the issue and recommend possible solutions and strategies. Over a period of 6 months, the consultants conducted extensive research—studying internal company records, analysing the industry and external environment, gathering qualitative data through in-depth interviews (DIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) among KHL employees and executing a division-wide quantitative survey labelled as Manpower Mood Meter (M3) among the field executives—and finally came up with recommendations. The case is organized as two independent, successive ones—A and B. Case (A) describes the consultants’ engagement with KHL and ends with them pondering over the types of analyses to be done with the huge volume of data they had collected. Case (B) details the kinds of analyses they actually do and the inferences they draw. The set of recommendations the consultants finally make to the KHL top management is given in the epilogue of the teaching note. The critical value of this case lies in its ability to open up the students’ minds to the dynamic interplay of multiple factors—individual, managerial, organizational, industrial-contextual and historical—that holistically affect a phenomenon like ‘attrition’ in organizations. This could perhaps also be one of those rare cases that makes use of the principles of System Dynamics in a real, applied and combined context of marketing and human resource (HR) management.


Author(s):  
Raymund E. Narag

Utilizing a combination of jail official data and qualitative data gathered through Focus Group Discussions and interviews with inmates, court actors, and jail officers, this article investigates the factors related to prolonged trial of detained defendants in the Philippines. Sensitizing concepts derived from Western literature are utilized to understand individual, court, and jail-level variations to prolonged detention. Results from official jail data show the magnitude and extent of the problem. The narrative data suggests the salience of organizational and cultural dynamics that lead to the delay of cases for detained defendants. Specifically, courts that are loosely coupled and subscribe to workgroup culture that condones leniency are more likely to be delayed. Implications to theory and policy are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-41
Author(s):  
Ondicho Machuki ◽  
Joan Mutua

Purpose: The study sought to examine the influence of mobile phone use on sexual behaviour of university students: a case study of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya. The study specifically, sought to examine the effect of characteristics of mobile phones users, uses and gratification of mobile phones and the frequency of using mobile phones on sexual behaviour of university students in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya. Methodology: The research design that was adopted was descriptive in nature. The study also used both quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the respondents using questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) guides. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires while qualitative data was collected using Focus Group Discussions. The study adopted a stratified random sampling technique to select the sample size from the three strata, which are the various Faculties in JKUAT. The study then used Fisher’s formula to arrive at an adequate scientific sample size of 384 students who were targeted using convenient sampling, that is those that are ready to respond to the questionnaires and the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The quantitative data in this research was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using SPSS v22.0. Results: It was concluded that male students are more likely to use protection consistently compared to female students. In addition, the findings imply that consistency in condom use is a factor that is dependent on the age of the individual. In addition, relationship status is a contributor to the behaviour of the students sexually. For those that are in serious relationships, their use of protection declines due to the build-up of emotional and intimate trust towards each other. The findings likewise indicate that the student’s usage of mobile phones correlates significantly with the consistent use of protection for safe sex. Those students who have had their phones since they joined Campus are more likely to practice safe sex. In addition, heavy users of mobile phones are likely to practice safe sex including those who browse the internet for news updates. Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: The study recommends the media practitioners need to step up the production of morally acceptable media content and offer a platform for advertising and campaigning for sexual conduct by encouraging and stressing the use of protection. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education should actively involve the undergraduate students in reproductive information awareness campaigns for ensuring positive attitudes towards responsible sexual behaviour and promoting best sexual practices.         


Author(s):  
Bridget Ogharanduk ◽  
Darren Jubb ◽  
Sean Lochrie ◽  
Ross Curran ◽  
Kevin D O&apos;Gorman

This chapter discusses three main methods for gathering qualitative data. These methods are interviews, focus group discussions and ethnography. Important steps and procedures for gathering qualitative data using these methods are highlighted with examples to enable users to conduct their own data gathering. The chapter also provides potential challenges that users may encounter while using these methods and suggestions to manage these challenges or minimise the effect on the data and overall research findings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Laroche ◽  
Mélanie Dufour-Poirier

This article aims to explain whether and to what extent formal and informal labor education and training initiatives help increase union participation among young members. Between 2009 and 2014, twenty-two interviews were conducted with ten national union leaders and twelve young leaders in two trade union organizations operating in the public and private sectors in Quebec. To complement these data, fifty-three focus group discussions were held, involving more than four hundred thirty young members (under the age of thirty). Our results reveal the presence of three areas of tension associated with the internal functioning of these unions. They also point out some factors that may boost the participation of young workers, internally.


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