scholarly journals Impact of Microcredit on Women’s Empowerment in Some Selected Villages in Bangladesh: Exploration of Change in Women’s Status and ‘Peace in the Family’

2021 ◽  
pp. 29-64
Author(s):  
Sultan Salah Uddin ◽  
Alison Dundon ◽  
Most Aeysha Sultana

The empowerment of women has been a primary goal of microcredit programs in Bangladesh: but what empowerment is, or „should be‟, is contested terrain, as are causal relationships drawn between the implementation of microfinance and the empowerment of women. This paper explores the connection between microcredit and empowerment through analyzing data of a qualitative study. In this study data were collected from 98 adults (male=30; female=68) with age ranged from 18 to 56 years, through individual interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation for six months period of field work in three villages in Bogura, Bangladesh. The study elicited understandings of empowerment from women engaged in microcredit programs, as well as other members of their households. In the paper, we argue that exploring local contexts for, and meanings of, empowerment is crucial for assessing the criteria on which the success (or failure) of microcredit or empowerment is determined. We suggest that more sustained engagement with the local-level experience of empowerment may challenge assumptions about aims and objectives of empowering processes in development, and stand as a corrective to models of the empowered woman that may not acknowledge the extent to which empowerment is framed in, and by, social and relational dynamics and goals. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#63-64-; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2018 P 29-64

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (55) ◽  
pp. 253-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Manuel Quintana ◽  
Shana Hastenpflug Wottrich ◽  
Valeri Pereira Camargo ◽  
Evandro de Quadros Cherer

This study aimed to comprehend the meanings that parents/caregivers of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer attribute to their child’s disease. It is a qualitative, exploratory/descriptive study. Data were collected through group discussions and individual interviews with the parents/caregivers of children/adolescents and categorized using content analysis. The impressions of the researchers were recorded in a field diary, contributing to the data analysis. The results indicate that the disease and treatment involve periods of psychological suffering that affect the family structure. Cancer was reported as a real enemy to be fought through coping or avoidance, which generates expectations about the future and causes feelings of fear, as well as hope. It was concluded that the childhood cancer causes repercussions in the family relationships, the recognition of which can contribute to both the preparation of professional teams who work with this population, as well as the public health policies developed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-368
Author(s):  
Nadaraj Govender ◽  
Godfrey Mutendera

Indigenous Knowledge is largely neglected in the primary school curriculum, yet it espouses the history, art, nature, and traditions of the community from which students come. This study explores the views of six custodians and six teachers on the integration of Indigenous Knowledge in the primary school curriculum in Zimbabwe. Indigenous standpoint theory and participatory research methodology framed the study. Data were generated through focus group discussions with Indigenous Knowledge custodians through individual interviews with teachers. The custodians’ views confirmed that Indigenous Knowledge was significant to their identities, but they were concerned with the loss of their culture due to modernization. Most teachers acknowledged the wisdom of Indigenous Knowledge custodians, welcomed their contributions, but some teachers were sceptical about custodians teaching formally in the classrooms. Several dilemmas arose from the views of participants, which have implication for the integration of Indigenous Knowledge in primary schools.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097152152110305
Author(s):  
Saroj Rani

This study explores the experiences of women as voters and political representatives at the local level. It includes women’s stories which capture the challenges they faced, their resistance and aspiration for change. The study also looks at men’s perception of women’s political participation. The study uses a feminist perspective with qualitative methods. Tools such as in-depth interview, focus group discussions and observations were used to gather data and information.


Author(s):  
Srividhya Samakya V. ◽  
T. Subramanyam Naidu

This article aims to understand the perception of Parengi Porja’s ways of illness treatments and health management. The Parengi Porja is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Population (PVTG), inhabiting the hilly regions of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. They strongly believe in supernatural agents as being the cause of illness. For this study, the Parengi Porja tribal mothers were purposively selected from five villages situated in the study district. We used participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, case studies, and semistructured interview schedules. We conducted five focus group discussions (FGDs) to understand the reasons for illness, and its diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Data types include demographic variables, incidences of illnesses, and their management. The study shows that this tribal population has its own understanding about the illness etiology and management strategy to regain healthy life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina I. Tobias ◽  
Sourav Mukhopadhyay

This article explores the experiences of social exclusion of individuals with visual impairment (IWVI) as they negotiate their daily lives in their homes and societal settings in the Oshana and Oshikoto regions of Namibia. Employing qualitative research approach, this research tried to better understand the lived experiences of IWVI. Nine IWVI with ages ranging from 30 to 90 years were initially engaged in focus group discussions, followed by semi-structured in-depth individual interviews. The findings of this research indicated that IWVI experience exclusion from education, employment and social and community participation as well as relationships. Based on these findings, we suggest more inclusive policies to address social exclusion of IWVI. At the same time, this group of individuals should be empowered to participate in community activities to promote interaction with people without visual impairments.


Author(s):  
Edina Krompák ◽  

The city of Basel is situated in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, in the geographic triangle of three countries: France, Germany and Switzerland. Everyday urban life is characterised by the presence of Standard German and Swiss German as well as diverse migrant languages. Swiss German is ‘an umbrella term for several Alemannic dialects’ (Stepkowska 2012, 202) which differ from Standard German in terms of phonetics, semantics, lexis, and grammar and has no standard written form. Swiss German is predominantly used in oral forms, and Standard German in written communication. Furthermore, an amalgamation of bilingualism and diglossia (Stepkowska 2012, 208) distinguishes the specific linguistic situation, which indicates amongst other things the high prestige of Swiss German in everyday life. To explore the visibility and vitality of Swiss German in the public display of written language, we examined the linguistic landscape of a superdiverse neighbourhood of Basel, and investigated language power and the story beyond the sign – ‘stories about the cultural, historical, political and social backgrounds of a certain space’ (Blommaert 2013, 41). Our exploration was guided by the question: How do linguistic artefacts – such as official, commercial, and private signs – represent the diglossic situation and the relation between language and identity in Kleinbasel? Based on a longitudinal ethnographic study, a corpus was compiled comprising 300 digital images of written artefacts in Kleinbasel. Participant observation and focus group discussions about particular images were conducted and analysed using grounded theory (Charmaz 2006) and visual ethnography (Pink 2006). In our paper, we focus on signs in Swiss German and focus group discussions on these images. Initial analyses have produced two surprising findings; firstly, the visibility and the perception of Swiss German as a marker of local identity; secondly, the specific context of their display.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Oumou Diallo ◽  
Guang Xin Wang ◽  
Hamadoun H. Toure

<p>This study is based on the livelihood used by street children for survival in Bamako, Mali. Two bus stations were selected for this study: Sogoniko bus station and Medina bus station. Most buses leave from these stations to the vicinity of the country. Data was collected through individual interviews (one by one), focus group discussions and interviews. A sample of one hundred and twenty street children aged between 8 and 17 years were selected for this study. Thirty people were also selected to give their opinions on street children. The results indicate that most of street children survive by selling small objects and through begging, 32.5% and 22.50% respectively. Our survey indicates that there are different factors pushing them to the streets, and as a way of survival on the streets, there is need to be organized, hence, they are organize themselves into groups for protection against violence and aggressions.</p>


Author(s):  
Irene Korkoi Aboh ◽  
Busisiwe P. Ncama

Introduction: There is evidence of the inability of older people in Nigeria, Ghana and other developing countries to sustain themselves through savings, assets or pensions. This situation highlights the minimal benefit of pensions, savings or assets as income sources for older people; old age very often brings poverty and disability. Methodology: A qualitative interpretive design informed the study. The study area was categorized into three distinct ecological areas namely urban, periurban and rural areas. Twenty interviews and three focus group discussions with 68 elderly persons were conducted in ten sub-districts in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The forty-eight elderly individuals were put into groups of 8, 20 and 20 for the focus group discussions. Data was thematically analysed.Results: Four major themes and subthemes were identified to reflect the pertinent issue of exploring and defining the preparedness of people for their retirement and ageing. There was evidence that preparing for old age is not an active precedent for the people of Cape Coast and they still believe in the traditional system of caring where it is the sole responsibility of the family to care for its own aged members.Conclusion: It is evident that formal care is not practiced in Ghana and that the aged therefore find the idea bewildering. They want to experience this care, but existing norms expect the family members to single-handedly provide care for their aged.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Conceição ◽  
◽  
Mónica Baptista ◽  
, João Pedro da Ponte ◽  
◽  
...  

This research aimed to understand what physics and chemistry pre-service teachers learn within pedagogical content knowledge in a lesson study with the topic speed of sound, 8th grade. Participants were three pre-service teachers. This was a qualitative and interpretative study. Data were collected from participant observation, individual interviews and individual written reflections. Results showed that the participants developed their pedagogical content knowledge, when they identified the students’ prior knowledge and when they discussed strategies to help students overcome their difficulties. Keywords: initial teacher education, lesson study, pre-service teachers, professional development, science education.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 675-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramod R. Regmi ◽  
Edwin R. van Teijlingen ◽  
Padam Simkhada ◽  
Dev R. Acharya

Social and cultural changes in Nepal, including better communication facilities and transport, more urbanization and a rising age at which people marry, have created more opportunities for young people for “dating.” Our qualitative study explores whether the existence of dating cultures influences young people’s sexual behavior in Nepal. Focus group discussions with a total of 75 participants and 31 in-depth individual interviews were conducted among young people in Nepal. Most urban and rural young people liked the dating culture. Although it is a new kind of culture in Nepalese society, it is gaining popularity. The mass media were regarded as encouraging and creating an environment for dating. Most participants believed that dating culture encourages premarital and extramarital sexual behavior. The authors underpin their findings by linking it to the “emerging adulthood” framework. In terms of public health, they recommend that dating practice should be discussed in formal and informal education to promote safer sex.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document