Impacts of Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed Community Outreach Project Intervention on Students’ Oral Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, and Academic Achievements

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed Community Outreach (READ CO) project intervention on students’ oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, academic achievements, and listening comprehension. It also aimed at identifying the students and teachers’ awareness and practices about the READ CO project interventions. Experimental research—Posttest-only control group—design was employed for the study, which is mainly quantitative, but also uses qualitative techniques (latent content analysis). The results were analyzed using t tests and econometrics analysis mainly. Questionnaires and observations were also developed and employed as other tools among the experimental group principals and language teachers in the school to investigate the overall practice. The results from quantitative data analysis indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the posttest performance of the study group and the control group for reading comprehension, academic achievements, and listening comprehension, yet oral reading fluency is significant. The result from questionnaire and observation also showed that the project has not been found to have a positive impact on students reading performance or improvement. Finally, it was mainly recommended that practical training and real service should be given for the targeted schools on how to improve and implement reading practices via the project.

Relationship Building as a Strategy for Managing Referring Clinicians

The strength of a radiology practice depends on the strong relationships radiologists develop with referring clinicians. Solid relationships with referring clinicians can contribute to a satisfying work environment, and ultimately excellent patient care. There are several different ways that a radiologist can help improve relationships with clinicians. As a start, this includes a radiologist strengthening one’s emotional intelligence. Also, identifying the personality traits of others is key to successful interactions. Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable, and effective negotiation is helpful in building relationships with clinicians. Interacting with the referring clinicians is also key to a successful relationship. This includes all in-person communication, participating in tumor boards, community outreach events, and social functions outside of work. This article presents several tips to improve and manage relationships with referring clinicians.

The cost of community outreach HIV interventions: a case study in Thailand

Background There was an estimated 440,000 people living with HIV in Thailand in 2018. New cases are declining rapidly thanks to successful prevention programs and scaling up of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Thailand aims to achieve its commitment to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 and implemented a cascade of HIV interventions through the Reach-Recruit-Test-Treat-Retain (RRTTR) program. Methods This study focused on community outreach HIV interventions implemented by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) under the RRTTR program in 27 provinces. We calculated unit cost per person reached for HIV interventions targeted at key-affected populations (KAPs) including men who have sex with men/ transgender (MSM/TG), male sex workers (MSW), female sex workers (FSW), people who inject drugs (PWID) and migrants (MW). We studied program key outputs, costs, and unit costs in variations across different HIV interventions and geographic locations in Thailand. We used these estimates to determine costs of HIV interventions and evaluate economies of scale. Results The interventions for migrants in Samut Sakhon was the least costly with a unit cost of 21.6 USD per person to receive services, followed by interventions for migrants in Samut Prakan 23.2 USD per person reached, MSM/TG in Pratum Thani 26.5USD per person reached, MSM/TG in Nonthaburi 26.6 USD per person reached and, MSM/TG in Chon Buri with 26.7 USD per person. The interventions yielded higher efficiency in large metropolitan and surrounding provinces. Harm reduction programs were the costliest compare with other interventions. There was association between unit cost and scale of among interventions indicating the presence of economies scale. Implementing HIV and TB interventions jointly increased efficiency for both cases. Conclusion This study suggested that unit cost of community outreach HIV and TB interventions led by CSOs will decrease as they are scaled up. Further studies are suggested to follow up with these ongoing interventions for identifying potential contextual factors to improve efficiency of HIV prevention services in Thailand.

Fear vs. Threat, School Shootings and Violence

The first recorded school shooting took place in Charlottesville, Virginia on November 12, 1840. The most recent school shooting took place on July 11, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. Over 500 school shootings have taken place since the Charlottesville incident. Sadly, school shootings are not an anomaly to many communities in America. Administrators, and particularly principals, are faced with significant challenges in creating an environment that is conducive to the development of a productive and safe school culture. The content of this manuscript will explore the existing administrative roles and responsibilities with respect to school safety and the implementation and supervision of those procedures. Also discussed in the manuscript will be the role that fear plays in the decision making process and how some decisions may be misplaced and could be redirected toward more favorable areas of emphasis (i.e., counseling, active supervision, alternative academic options, community outreach, and inclusive student opportunities).

Pemberdayaan Petani Padi di Desa Mas, Ubud, Bali Melalui Pelatihan Pembuatan Lulur Tradisional Berbahan Dasar Beras

Rice farmers roles are very significant in establishing national food security. However, due to weather that is often uncontrolled, affecting the quantity and quality of the harvest, the welfare of rice farmers is still difficult to improve. As an effort to improve the welfare of rice farmers, this community outreach activity seeks to assist farmers, especially in Mas Village - Ubud, increase the added value of their harvests by providing training on making beauty scrubs made from rice and turmeric. The training covers not only the production process, but also packaging and labeling methods. Exploration of potentials and problems was done through the process of observation and interviews. Then the planning process of training activities, training implementation, and evaluation process was carried out, to achieve the goals of community outreach activities. This community outreach activity provides new knowledge and skills for rice farmers and their families in processing rice into traditional scrubs. These new skills are expected to be able to help improve the welfare of rice farmers in Mas Village, especially during this pandemic. This community outreach activity paper contributes to the literature, by offering insight into how the welfare of rice farmers could be improved by providing trainings to increase the added value of agricultural production. In addition, the findings of this community outreach activity can also be applied to different contexts, so that this paper also offers significant practical contribution.

Prevalence of Dental Caries, its Associated Risk Factors and Treatment Needs among School Aged Children at Kimironko II Primary School, Kigali, Rwanda

BackgroundDental caries is still a health problem worldwide, its prevalence and incidence are associated with various factors like age, sex, social status, dietary patterns and oral hygiene habits.MethodologyA Secondary data collected from outreaches done by UR CMHS, School of Dentistry at Kimironko II Primary School was analyzed. This secondary data had been obtained using structured questionnaires with close ended questions. Clinical examination had also been done to gather information. SPSS statistical software package version 22 was used to analyse data from Community outreach done at Kimironko Primary School in August 2019.ResultsThe prevalence of dental caries of 42.4% was found among children aged 6-12 years old of Kimironko II Primary School. The researchers found the following to be statistically significantly associated with prevalence of dental caries: gender (p=0.042), dental visits (p=0.001), and use of chew sticks or miswaks (p=0.041). Females were 1.4 times more likely to develop dental caries (OR: 1.462; 95% CI: 1.16-2.017; p=0.021) and children who did not use toothpick were 2 times more likely to develop dental caries (OR: 2.149; 95%CI: 1.251-4.395; p=0.036), whereas visiting a dental practitioner was protective against dental caries (OR: 0.362, 95% CI: 0.251-0.516; p=0.001).ConclusionDental caries is prevalent among children of Kimironko II Primary School. Appropriate preventive measures should be taken to protect those found to be exposed.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(3):341-346

Implementation of the Policy of Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Program in Bokat District, Buol Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation of the poverty alleviation acceleration program policy through the regional government's leading programs, especially maize commodity, in Bokat District, Buol Regency. It relied on a qualitative descriptive approach by revealing the phenomenon encountered by the farmers who received assistance in several villages, Bokat District. Data collection techniques involved interviews with several informants, continuous observations, and documents related to the poverty alleviation policy in Buol Regency. Further, data analysis was performed by data reduction and presentation, along with conclusion drawing. The results show that the policy has been implemented according to the predetermined stages through Regional Regulation Number 7 of 2015, including community outreach, business capital strengthening, empowerment, monitoring, and evaluation. However, it is found out that the policy is yet to be optimal. The community outreach conducted by the government has not been effective since only a few people took part. This stage also provides business capital strengthening by giving them processing fees, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Still, both stages are only carried out in the first year at each location where the poverty alleviation acceleration program is promoted. In addition, an empowerment program that can support the development of maize commodity as the regional government's leading program has not been executed. Monitoring and evaluation of such a policy have not been entirely performed, impacting different levels of success each village reaches. On this ground, the poverty alleviation acceleration program policy needs to be re-evaluated to also detect any problems in the area, increase people's income, and bring success to the policy implementation.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE TIME OF COVID 19: EFFORTS & APPROACHES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Objective. This paper aims to investigate the types and scope of community engagement and outreach activities of academic libraries while the physical library spaces remain closed or operating on a limited capacity. It also looks at the tools and methods employed to implement such activities. The paper also attempts to uncover patterns or emerging themes as libraries explore innovative ideas and take new initiatives for the betterment of the community they serve. Methods. The study employs a website and Facebook page survey of AUN (ASEAN University Network) Inter-Library Online (AUNILO) member-libraries. The following six outreach categories will be utilized: (1) Collection-Based Outreach; (2) Instruction & Services-Based Outreach; (3) “Whole Person” Outreach; (4) Just for Fun Outreach; (5) Partnerships and Community-Focused Outreach; and (6) Multi-Pronged Themed Events and Programming. Said categories were derived from Farrell and Mastel (2016) paper entitled “Considering Outreach Assessment: Strategies, Sample Scenarios, And A Call to Action.” Results. Findings of the study will offer some insights on how libraries strengthen their roles in transforming societies as they provide opportunities to bring about positive change in their communities. Moreover, this paper will also challenge libraries to take a closer look at their own activities and consider how they can design creative and inspiring ways to connect with their communities. Conclusions. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, libraries are proactively pivoting their community engagement and outreach efforts online and are finding new ways to serve faculty, students, and partners. Libraries are committed to strengthening the resilience and recovery of the community through working collaboratively with its members and building partnerships with relevant organizations.

Environmental Health Information Partnership (EnHIP): Strengthening the capacity of minority serving institutions

The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Environmental Health Information Partnership (EnHIP) collaborates with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving academic institutions to enhance their capacity to reduce health disparities through the access, use, and delivery of environmental health information on their campuses and in their communities. The partnership began in 1991 as the Toxicology Information Outreach Panel (TIOP) pilot project, and through successive iterations it is NLM’s longest running outreach activity. EnHIP’s continued relevance today as an information outreach and training program testifies to the prescience of NLM director, Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D’s initial support for the program. Dr. Lindberg’s seeing to its continued success to benefit participating institutions and help achieve the societal goals of environmental justice serve as well to benefit NLM by increasing its visibility, and use of its resources in the classroom, for research, and in community outreach. NLM envisions an expanding role for EnHIP in advancing health equity as the impact of environmental exposure, climate change, and increasing zoonotic diseases disproportionately impact their communities.