scholarly journals Behaviors and Trends toward Routine Maintenance and Major Repairs of Afridev Handpumps in Rural Malawi

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1666
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Truslove ◽  
Andrea B. Coulson ◽  
Emma Mbalame ◽  
Robert M. Kalin
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
External Support ◽  
Community Management ◽  
Capital Maintenance ◽  
Preventative Maintenance ◽  
Major Repair ◽  
Repair Costs ◽  
External Stakeholders

Service provision for Afridev handpumps through community management in Malawi is a notable challenge. Essential preventative maintenance is often neglected, and repairs are undertaken on a reactive basis. The costs of major repairs are not recognized at community level and are typically neglected across the lifecycle of infrastructure or left to external stakeholders. The aim of this study was to investigate preventative maintenance and capital maintenance expenditure over the 15-year design lifecycle of 21,997 Afridev handpumps in Malawi, and how costs change based on different local tariff collection scenarios. A total of four tariff collection scenarios were investigated, for assets both subject and not subject to rehabilitation. The findings highlight poor initial capacity building into appropriate cost recovery and maintenance approaches. Major repair costs increase over the pump lifecycle when service consists of the replacement of low-cost, fast-wearing parts. Rehabilitation/major repair costs increase as a result but tend to be focused on simple longer-life components, such as pump rods. In both cases, a reliance on external support was highlighted, as larger costs are primarily covered by donors and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Proactive tariff scenarios may provide a greater capability of replacement throughout the lifecycle of major items when compared to reactive tariff scenarios. It is recommended that policy and practitioners should focus on capacity building of sustainable maintenance models that consider the full lifecycle costs of assets.

scholarly journals Positioning for success: building capacity in academic competencies for early-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Merritt ◽  
H. Jack ◽  
W. Mangezi ◽  
D. Chibanda ◽  
M. Abas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Academic Competencies ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background. Capacity building is essential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to address the gap in skills to conduct and implement research. Capacity building must not only include scientific and technical knowledge, but also broader competencies, such as writing, disseminating research and achieving work–life balance. These skills are thought to promote long-term career success for researchers in high-income countries (HICs) but the availability of such training is limited in LMICs. Methods. This paper presents the contextualisation and implementation of the Academic Competencies Series (ACES). ACES is an early-career researcher development programme adapted from a UK university. Through consultation between HIC and LMIC partners, an innovative series of 10 workshops was designed covering themes of self-development, engagement and writing skills. ACES formed part of the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI), a multi-national LMIC-led consortium to recruit, train, support and network early-career mental health researchers from four sub-Saharan African countries. Results. Of the 10 ACES modules, three were HIC-LMIC co-led, four led by HIC facilitators with LMIC training experience and three led by external consultants from HICs. Six workshops were delivered face to face and four by webinar. Course attendance was over 90% and the delivery cost was approximately US$4500 per researcher trained. Challenges of adaptation, attendance and technical issues are described for the first round of workshops. Conclusions. This paper indicates that a skills development series for early-career researchers can be contextualised and implemented in LMIC settings, and is feasible for co-delivery with local partners at relatively low cost.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SPACE TECHNOLOGY CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVE AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE, NIGERIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Folasade Dahunsi ◽  
Oluwasina Aderinwale ◽  
Abayomi Adesida ◽  
Abiola Alayande ◽  
J. Ojo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Satellite Communication ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Data Communication ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Space Technology ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Ground Station ◽  
Means Of Transmission

Satellite communication is a wireless means of transmission of intelligible signals/information. When properly utilized it will bring about a great and positive development on the economic growth of any nation. The Federal Government of Nigeria made a giant step in the communication sector by launching five satellites into space: NigeriaSat-1, NigComSat- 1, NigeriaSat-2r, NigeriaSat-X and NigComSat-1R. With adequate spatial information, informed decisions can be made by stakeholders and adequate steps taken to ensure the growth of the nation. Demand for training capacity building in space technology is increasing. Unfortunately, space technology is a relatively expensive field with ongoing research for affordable training approaches. This paper presents methods of building capacity by developing Demo Satellites that receive telemetry data with radiofrequency and internet of things communication protocol. Web Dashboard was developed for remote monitoring of ground station and for exploring mobility in data communication, Localization was achieved to also track the Demo Satellites and the ground station in real-time. It is shown that the implementation of a low-cost capacity building programme is not only possible but a goal that should be aimed at. Multiple segments in the design of the schematics produced can be reused. It presents a pioneer satellite constellation prototype that displays the capabilities of a satellite in solving some of the country’s challenges and creating awareness on space research and its trends.

scholarly journals Empowerment and Tech Adoption: Introducing the Treadle Pump Triggers Farmers’ Innovation in Eastern Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimelis Beyene ◽  
Teshome Regassa ◽  
Belaineh Legesse ◽  
Martha Mamo ◽  
Tsegaye Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Labor Demand ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
External Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Well Drilling ◽  
Community Ownership ◽  
Technology Introduction

In 2013, thirty-eight treadle pumps (TPs) were installed as low-cost technology introduction for small-scale irrigation in eastern Ethiopia. The pilot project also included training of selected farmers on well excavation, installation and maintenance of pumps. In June 2015, researchers visited nine of the 38 TP sites, and found only two functional TPs. The rest were replaced with a new technology. Farmers who adopted the new technology stated that the limited water output and high labor demand of the conventional TP did not optimally fulfil their irrigation water requirements. The new hybrid technologies have spread quickly to more than one hundred households due to three key factors. First, farmers’ innovative modifications of the initial excavation technique addressed the discharge limitations of the conventional TP by excavating boreholes with wider diameter. Second, community ownership of the new technology, including local skills used in well drilling and fabricating excavation implement, made the new irrigation technology affordable and accessible to a higher number of households, leading to faster diffusion of the technology. Third, this innovation has spread organically without any external support. Adoption of the new technology enabled some farmers to accumulate enough resources to diversify their livelihoods into non-farm activities.

Mobile apps for health professionals experiencing stress and burnout: scoping review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehona Zamani ◽  
Abi Sriharan ◽  
Amar Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Stress Relief ◽  
External Support ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Mental Wellness

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis within the health workforce. There is evidence that mobile apps that promote psychosocial wellness may be an effective, low-cost, and widely accessible tool to reduce stress and burnout among HCPs. OBJECTIVE The objective of this scoping review is to explore whether there are mobile-based apps tailored to HCPs for stress and burnout relief during a crisis time and explore their characteristics and key features. METHODS The Google Play and Apple app stores were searched for wellness apps using the key words “relaxation” and “mental wellness”. The first 100 search results were assessed for eligibility. This was supplemented by an online search for burnout and stress relief apps for physicians and/or nurses. The apps were included if they focused on burnout and/or stress relief and demonstrated relevance to HCPs. More specifically, the app must be marketed to HCPs, recommended by health professional organizations, or was studied for efficacy among HCPs. The details of included apps were extracted on Microsoft Excel. RESULTS Most burnout and/or stress relief apps are targeted to the general population. Few apps (n=8) were specifically built for HCPs, but the pandemic crisis has encouraged existing apps to create specific content for this group (n=7). The features within apps relevant to HCPs were largely mindfulness/meditation (n=19) and wellness education (n=12), whereas community support (n=9) and access to psychological services (n=4) were less common. CONCLUSIONS Stress and burnout are widespread and severe among HCPs during the COVID-19 crisis. Mobile apps may be a feasible tool to offer wellness interventions, but most existing apps do not provide targeted content for HCPs. For those that do, they largely focus on individual-based activities, rather than external support.

Resource Acquisition from Set-Top-Boxes for Service Provision

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-34
Author(s):  
Joseph So Chi-ho ◽  
Po-choi Wong
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Load Distribution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Service Level Agreement ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Resource Acquisition ◽  
Rational Decision ◽  
Quality Requirement ◽  
Acquisition Scheme ◽  
End Node

Resource Acquisition service is a network-based service that acquires sufficient resources to satisfy the application requirement. Set-top-boxes (STB) are good sources of resource providers delivering this type of service collaboratively. Unfortunately, the accessibility of STBs is controlled by end-node users. It leads to uncertainty of the amount of resource available to the service operators. As an incentive, STB holders acting as resource provider can be remunerated for sharing the resources. Resource acquisition schemes can explore the available resources and provide the upper layer applications with sufficient resources to satisfy the requirements in service level agreement. A remuneration model is developed to reflect the rational decision of resource providers. The authors investigate the resource acquisition scheme under various load distribution and topologies of peer neighbourhood and find that cost-aware Requisition Algorithm can improve the service quality requirement fulfilment in a low cost.

Empowerment and Tech Adoption: Introducing the Treadle Pump Triggers Farmers’ Innovation in Eastern Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimelis Beyene ◽  
Teshome Regassa ◽  
Belaineh Legesse ◽  
Martha Mamo ◽  
Tsegaye Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Labor Demand ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
External Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Well Drilling ◽  
Irrigation Technology ◽  
Technology Introduction

In 2013, thirty-eight treadle pumps (TPs) were installed as low-cost technology introduction for small-scale irrigation in eastern Ethiopia. This pilot project also trained six farmers on tube well excavation, installation and maintenance of pumps. In June 2015, researchers visited nine of the 38 TP villages, and found only two functional TPs. The rest were replaced with a new technology developed by the trained farmers. Adopters of the new technology stated that the limited water output and high labor demand of the conventional TP did not optimally fulfil their irrigation water requirements. The new technology had spread quickly to more than one hundred households due to three key factors. First, farmers’ innovative modifications of the initial excavation technique addressed the discharge limitations of the conventional TP by excavating boreholes with wider diameter. Second, local ownership of the new technology, including skills used in well drilling and manufacturing excavation implement, made the new irrigation technology affordable and accessible to the majority of households. Third, this innovation spread organically without any external support, confirming its sustainability. Farmers, empowered by training, gained more control in developing technology options tailored to local needs and conditions of their communities.

scholarly journals Arms for education? External support and rebel social services

2020 ◽  
pp. 002234332094074
Author(s):  
Reyko Huang ◽  
Patricia L Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Third Party ◽  
External Support ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Rebel Governance ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
The Impact

How does foreign support for rebel groups affect rebel governance of civilians during armed conflict? Existing studies primarily examine the local and domestic politics of rebel rule, leaving the effects of foreign intervention on rebel governance underexplored. Focusing on rebel provision of social services, this study considers two competing arguments. The first suggests that foreign sponsorship reduces rebels’ need to rely on local civilians for resources and hence decreases rebels’ incentives to provide services. The second anticipates that by augmenting rebels’ resources and military capabilities, foreign support increases their capacity to provide welfare services. These competing logics suggest that different types of foreign support have divergent effects on rebel social service provision. The article tests this theory using cross-sectional time-series data on external support for rebel groups and rebel governance for the post-1945 period. It finds that rebel groups that receive external funding, weapons or training are significantly more likely to provide education and health services to civilians. In contrast, direct military intervention to assist insurgent forces has no effect on rebel service provision. This article is among the first to systematically study the impact of external support and third-party intervention on rebel social service provision during civil war and holds implications for civilian welfare in contested territories.

scholarly journals Empowerment and Tech Adoption: Introducing the Treadle Pump Triggers Farmers’ Innovation in Eastern Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3268
Author(s):  
Shimelis Beyene ◽  
Teshome Regassa ◽  
Belaineh Legesse ◽  
Martha Mamo ◽  
Tsegaye Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Labor Demand ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
External Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Well Drilling ◽  
Irrigation Technology ◽  
Technology Introduction

In 2013, thirty-eight treadle pumps (TPs) were installed as low-cost technology introduction for small-scale irrigation in eastern Ethiopia. This pilot project also trained six farmers on tube well excavation, as well as the installation and maintenance of pumps. In June 2015, researchers visited nine of the thirty-eight TP villages and found only two TPs functioning as originally installed. The rest were replaced with a new technology developed by the trained farmers. Farmers, empowered by training, gained more control in developing technology options tailored to local needs and conditions of their communities. Adopters of the new technology stated that the limited water output and high labor demand of the conventional TP did not optimally fulfil their irrigation water requirements. The new technology had spread quickly to more than one hundred households due to three key factors. First, farmers’ innovative modifications of the initial excavation technique addressed the discharge limitations of the conventional TP by excavating boreholes with wider diameter. Second, local ownership of the new technology, including skills used in well drilling and manufacturing excavation implements, made the modified irrigation technology affordable and accessible to the majority of households. Third, this innovation spread organically without any external support, confirming its sustainability.

scholarly journals Lessons From Early REDD+ Experiences in the Philippines

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodel D. Lasco ◽  
Neil Aldrin D. Mallari ◽  
Florencia B. Pulhin ◽  
Ailene M. Florece ◽  
Edmund Leo B. Rico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
External Support ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Local Participation ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Laws And Policies

There is growing interest globally in REDD+ initiatives to help mitigate climate change; the Philippines is no exception. In this paper, we review early REDD+ project experiences in the country. The guiding document for REDD+ in the Philippines is the National REDD+ Strategy (PNRPS) which was prepared by a multisectoral group of authors. There are five REDD+ projects that are underway. The critical factors emerging from these early REDD+ actions are the following: external support, local participation, free prior and informed consent, capacity building, sustainability, national laws and policies, biodiversity conservation, and use of safeguards. The pioneering projects reviewed here as well as the emerging lessons from them will hopefully provide a firmer basis for future REDD+ actions in the country.

scholarly journals Perspectives on External Support to Low Level Private Health Facilities in Management of Childhood Infections in Mbarara District, Uganda: A Qualitative Study With Health Workers and Policy Makers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Mwanga-Amumpaire ◽  
Joan Nakayaga Kalyango ◽  
Karin Källander ◽  
Radhika Sundararajan ◽  
Judith Owokuhaisa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
External Support ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Low Level

Abstract Background: With the under-five child mortality rate of 46.4 deaths per 1000 live births, Uganda needs to accelerate measures to reduce child deaths in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3. While 60-70 % of frontline health services are provided by the private sector, many low level private health facilities are unregistered, unregulated, and often miss out on innovative strategies rolled out by the Ministry of Health. Low level private health facilities need support in order to provide quality health care. We explored the perspectives of health workers and policy makers on external support given to low level private clinics providing health care for children. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted from May to December 2019 with 43 purposively selected key informants. They included 30 health care professionals treating children in low level private clinics and 13 policy makers from Mbarara district and the Uganda Ministry of Health directly involved with ensuring quality of child health. The issues discussed included their views on the quantity, quality, factors determining support received and preferred modalities of support to low level private health facilities. Using an inductive approach, interview transcripts were coded to identify categories and themes.Results: We identified three themes which emerged from the data 1) External support is needed to address socio-economic, regulatory and knowledge gap issues, 2) Current support is not optimal, and, 3) Ideal support underscores working together. While the Ministry of Health recognises its’ responsibility to provide support and guidance to public and private health facilities, it acknowledges lack of support for low level private health facilities currently. Health providers emphasised technical capacity building and more supportive supervisory visits but not simply policing and apportioning blame.Conclusion: The current support being given to low level private health facilities (LLPHF) is inadequate. The support needs to be tailored to the needs of the facility and health facilities have to proactively ask for support. Capacity building with emphasis on training and supportive supervision are key strategies for providing external support to LLPHF.

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