Background Of Poverty Research Articles

Living with systemic lupus erythematosus in South Africa: a bitter pill to swallow

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often has a profound negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In the absence of any qualitative studies in sub-Saharan Africa, we undertook a study to explore living experiences, perceptions and unmet needs of South African patients with SLE.MethodsTwenty-five women with SLE consented to participate in the study. They underwent individual in-depth interviews exploring their physical concerns, emotional health, sexual well-being and fertility. NVivo software was used for analysis.ResultsParticipants were either of black ancestry or mixed racial ancestry, mainly indigent with only a quarter gainfully employed. Living with pain was the most common complaint, negatively impacting on activities of daily living (ADL), family expectations, social life, sleep and intimacy. Most participants expressed challenges of living with fatigue, and many felt their fatigue was misconstrued as being ‘simply lazy’. This pernicious fatigue had negative consequences on many facets of ADL, including caring for dependants, job sustainability and sexual well-being. All participants experienced low emotional states, often associated with suicidal ideations. Many experienced difficulties with fertility and childbearing and these were exacerbated in many instances by the pessimism of health care providers, resulting in confusion and depression. Physical disfigurements resulting from lupus-associated alopecia and rashes and corticosteroid-induced weight fluctuations were a major concern. These changes often affected self-image and libido, leading to strained personal relationships. Coping mechanisms that participants adopted included intense spiritual beliefs, ‘pushing through the difficult times’ and use of alternative therapies to relief symptoms was common. A poor understanding of SLE on the part of participant’s family and the community, coupled with the unpredictable course of the disease, exacerbated frustration and social exclusion. For most, limited income, lack of basic services, family dependencies, and comorbid diseases, such as human immune deficiency virus (HIV), exacerbated the daily negative SLE experiences.ConclusionIn this study of mainly indigent South African women, SLE is associated with complex, chronic and challenging life experiences. The chronic relapsing and unpredictable nature of the disease, poor understanding and acceptance of SLE, compounded by a background of poverty, inadequate social support structures, negatively impact on a range of personal, social and vocational daily life experiences. Improved access to psychosocial services and SLE education might result in better outcomes.Trial registration(Ethics Project identification code: 275/2016 and M160633 registered 10 & 29 August 2016).

Increasing deictic gesture use to support the language development of toddlers from high poverty backgrounds

This study uses a single-case, multiple probe design to investigate the effects of a naturalistic intervention on deictic gesture use in toddlers who are from low-SES backgrounds. The month-long study included strategies drawn from the literature on early communication interventions to increase the rate of child gesture use in toddlers at-risk for later delays. These strategies include frequent modeling of deictic gestures (points, shows, reaches, and gives), creating opportunities for the child to gesture by using environmental arrangements, choices, and wait time, and by responding and expanding each gesture. All three child participants made gains in their rates of deictic gestures after the onset of intervention with no overlap between the intervention and baseline conditions. Children also made gains to gesture + vocalization combinations and gesture + word combinations in this short-term intervention. This study offers preliminary evidence that prelinguistic interventions for children at-risk can be used to increase rates of communication in toddlers in poverty.

Diakonia TrinitatisDei as/and Transformational Development

AbstractThe paper acknowledges that different agencies acting against poverty and participating in poverty alleviation use different languages, for example, diakonia versus development and transformational development, while dealing with the same issues. Against the background of poverty in South Africa as well as development policies from South Africa, this paper discusses the importance of diakonia as founded in the trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Spirit. Using a missional paradigm, the paper discusses the missio Dei as it unites with the covenant, forgiveness, empowerment, and to make God known. The paper concludes that although diakonia has a more holistic and comprehensive approach, it is important to use language which is generally understood and accepted. It therefore suggests using the term “transformational development” to educate society about the concept of diakonia.

Health Workers' and Villagers' Perceptions of Young Child Health, Growth Monitoring, and the Role of the Health System in Remote Thailand.

In Thailand, despite widespread improvements in child nutrition, stunting is still highly prevalent among northern hill tribe children. To understand how villagers and health workers (volunteers and officials) gauge health of children younger than 5 years, whether growth monitoring is salient, and the relationships of villagers with the health system in this remote location. Qualitative research was undertaken with 8 hill tribe villages. A workshop on infant and young child health and nutrition was held with 8 village health volunteers, 2 per village, selected by a public health officer. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 villagers and 2 volunteers who had children 0 to 5 years. Eight other health workers were also interviewed. All dialogue was conducted in Thai through bilingual facilitators and recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically within and across participant groups. Overall, villagers considered strength and independence of children to be hallmarks of health; the size of children featured rarely. Volunteers did not perceive local benefits of growth monitoring, and the extent of child malnutrition was unclear to them. Nutrition counseling was seldom mentioned by villagers or health workers. Across all accounts, and considering silences, relationships of villagers with the health system seemed fragile. Villagers understand child health in terms of functional abilities rather than size. Volunteer health workers in this remote location have limited resources and support. Together this helps explain why, against a background of poverty and food insecurity, growth monitoring does not translate to improvements in child nutrition.

Navigating Academia in the ‘Welfare-class’

The growing field of working-class studies provides a valuable narrative of the experiences of working-class academics, illustrates commonalities among such experiences and provides a space for dismantling the structural class-based disenfranchisement which proves detrimental to working-class scholars’ careers. Recent articles in The Journal of Working-class Studies have identified and named the specific experiences of alienation faced by working-class scholars, which include issues of financial disenfranchisement, issues of taste, accent, and ‘respectability’ (Attfield 2016), issues of ‘passing’, the imposter syndrome, and feelings of class betrayal (Warnock 2016). However, as Nicola Wilson (2016) and others have noted, ‘working-class is a fluid category and grouping’. For many scholars living in or emerging from a background of poverty, the term ‘working-class’ is limited. The term ‘welfare-class’ more appropriately describes the experience of some poor and welfare-reliant scholars. Considering the welfareclass as a distinct category within the working or poor classes, this article documents some of the specific experiences of alienation which pertain to being welfare-class in academia by focusing on the lived experiences of the authors, two academics at postgraduate and postdoctoral level. The article aims to contribute to the representation of poor and welfare-class academics among the growing body of autobiographical and autoethnographic knowledge (Warnock 2016) in working-class studies.

Poverty and educational achievement in the US: A less-biased estimate using PISA 2012 data

ABSTRACTIn the current paper, we employ the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data to calculate a less-biased estimate of poverty on US achievement. The PISA was specifically chosen as it is an assessment removed from a specific curriculum and instead focuses on concepts that students should know in order to participate in a global economy. Using a propensity score matching approach, our findings suggest that US students in poverty have notable educational attainment deficiencies compared to a matched group of students who are not in poverty. In other words, when we select two students who have a great deal in common but for the fact that one comes from a poverty background, the student in poverty is expected to perform nearly 28 points, or about a quarter of a standard deviation lower, on the PISA assessment. In real terms, this puts math achievement for children not in poverty on-par with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, while chi...

The Courts’ Consensus: Money Does Matter for Educational Opportunity

Over the half century since the Coleman Report was issued, there has been an extensive debate among scholars, policy-makers, and the courts about the extent to which “money matters” in education. This article briefly reviews the relevant academic literature and then analyzes the forty state court education funding litigations that have considered whether there is a correlation between educational expenditures and improved student outcomes. I find that that there is now an overwhelming consensus that, of course, money matters—when it is used well. This result indicates that policy-makers and judges should shift from continuing a fruitless abstract discussion of whether money matters and concentrate instead on the significant accountability questions of what resources are needed to provide all students a meaningful educational opportunity and how these resources can best be used to maximize student success, especially for students from poverty backgrounds and students of color.

“Gaining Power through Education”: Experiences of Honduran Students from High Poverty Backgrounds

This is a study of students from high-poverty backgrounds attending universities in Honduras. Based on a series of individual and focus group interviews, the researchers found students from high-poverty backgrounds face numerous practical challenges in persisting in higher education. Despite these challenges, participants succeeded due to a variety of motivating factors, including commitments to family, community, and country. Participants demonstrated the importance of both strong personal agency and community support in their success.

Socio-economic and health status of women involved in coir retting in Rathgama Division, Galle District

Coir retting yards are concentrated along the southern coastal line and specially women folk, find this work as the source of their principle income for the fisher's family in off season of fishing. However, traditional conventional method of retting has adverse impacts on the ecosystem and human beings. The study was conducted to determine the impact of coir retting on the Socio- Economic Status (SES) and health status of women involved in coir retting in Rathgama are of Galle district. A total of 35 coir retting families were randomly selected and interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data obtained was statistically analyzed by using SPSS Soft-ware. Water quality parameters, such as pH, Temperature, BOD, COD, NO3-N and conductivity were analyzed in coir retting yards. All the water quality parameters were not in permissible ranges. Literacy level in the study population was relatively low; 77 % showed primary education; < 18% and 5 % showed secondary and tertiary education respectively. The average household size and daily net income of the coir retting family involved in the industry were 4.8 and Rs. 275.00 respectively. They earn low income due to lack of proper marketing facilities. Field survey results indicated that 90 % suffer from job oriented diseases like skin disease, blindness, headache, backbone pains and respiratory disease. Retted husk release more organic pollutants and they highly affect the water quality parameters. Therefore, it is a difficult task to protect these women from these occupational hazards. Finally the majority of the families fall within the low SES with deepening poverty background depicted by low educational achievement and occupational status. The results of this study will help to design new techniques as well as providing a good market for these products to improve the income level of the target group.

Battered Baby: A Case Report

Introduction: We report on a three-year-old child, a case of battered baby syndrome. Case Presentation: A three-year-old female child was brought with multiple bruises, fracture of left femur and features of raised intracranial tension. The etiology was unclear at presentation. Inconsistencies in history given by the mother, a background of poverty and single parenthood, presence of multiple bruises over the body, multiple infarcts in Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, absence of external calvarial injuries and finally subdural hematoma in the autopsy report led to the diagnosis of child abuse. Conclusions: Every clinician must be alert to the possibility of battered baby in a child with multiple injuries.

독일 빈곤의 현황과 배경

독일 빈곤의 현황과 배경

A Ação Brasil Carinhoso como estratégia de expansão da oferta e redução da desigualdade educacional na creche

A desigualdade educacional também se revela no Brasil nos baixos índices de acesso à escolarização desde a educação infantil, sobretudo, em contextos de pobreza, no qual as crianças pequenas são os sujeitos a quem, historicamente, têm sido negado o direito à educação. O presente artigo tem por objetivo traçar uma análise inicial sobre alguns efeitos que uma política pública intersetorial tem produzido na expansão da oferta de matrículas em creches, especificamente em relação à garantia do direito ao acesso à educação infantil de crianças em situação de pobreza oriundas de famílias beneficiárias do Programa Bolsa Família, mediante transferência de recursos suplementares aos municípios. Tal análise utilizou dados do Censo Escolar, do Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação (FNDE) e do Ministério de Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome (MDS) para identificação de informações que se referem aos repasses realizados aos municípios e Distrito Federal no ano de 2014, buscando analisar a representação desse recurso na ampliação da oferta das vagas na creche e na efetivação do direito à educação infantil dessa população. Na análise dos dados foi possível constatar que o repasse de recursos representou expansão da oferta de vagas na creche, o que se reflete nas matrículas no período posterior à adesão dos municípios a essa política. Contudo, tal movimento não pode ser considerado como suficiente no sentido de promover a redução da desigualdade da oferta na educação infantil, pois, conforme evidenciado nos dados, a população mais vulnerabilizada ainda não tem esse direito garantido plenamente. Palavras-chave: Direito à educação. Educação infantil. Pobreza.

Involuntary First Admissions to a Tertiary Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town: A Five Year Review of Family Referrals to Psychology

Background: Valkenberg Hospital is one of three tertiary psychiatric hospitals in Cape Town – and has a catchment area population of over one million. It is an acute admissions hospital for adults (18-59 years). Objectives: This article aimed to determine the psychosocial history of male patients involuntarily admitted to a high care psychiatric unit for the first time, and the needs and concerns of their families, to allow for the development of more appropriate services. Method: The psychology family clerking interviews (June 2007 – June 2012) of the Male High Care Unit (MHCU) of Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital’s first admission families (FAF) were reviewed. All of the patients in the chart review were severely psychotic and had not been able to be managed at a secondary hospital level, which had necessitated their referral to Valkenberg. Each clerking interview with the family lasted 1.5 to 2 hours, and was conducted by the Intern Clinical Psychologist placed at Male Admissions. All 225 available folders were reviewed and coded. Results: The majority of the patients were young (mode = 21), still living at home (80%), single (90%) and unemployed (65%).More than 80% of the men were given a working diagnosis of either Substance Induced Psychotic Disorder (SIPD: 46%), Schizophrenia (27%) or Bipolar (11%). There was a strong family history of severe mental illness (SMI: 49 %), psychiatric admissions (30%), depression (26%), suicide (18%), substance use (SUD in parent/s: 45%, siblings: 36%) and domestic violence (30%). Most families suspected that the patient had used drugs and police had had to be involved in at least 40% of the admissions. Despite nearly half of the patients expressing regret at their substance use, more than half the families reported that the patient had become aggressive and that at some stage they had feared them. The families most identified the patients’ admission as their greatest stressor. The second most identified greatest stressor was finances, with 40% of the families being in debt and more than a third of the families being either unable to or financially struggling to visit the patient while he was admitted. Conclusion: For many patients and their families, the times before and during the admission had been long and traumatic. Family intervention was necessary to provide more effective help-seeking methods, and to provide services that simultaneously looked at co-morbid substance use, depression and anxiety, suicidal thinking, social isolation and domestic violence, often in the background of poverty. It was highly recommended that the development of services aimed at treating dual diagnosis (severe mental illness or the risk thereof, and substance use disorder) be developed and prioritised.

Involuntary First Admissions to a Tertiary Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town: A Five Year Review of Family Referrals to Psychology

Background: Valkenberg Hospital is one of three tertiary psychiatric hospitals in Cape Town – and has a catchment area population of over one million. It is an acute admissions hospital for adults (18-59 years). Objectives: This article aimed to determine the psychosocial history of male patients involuntarily admitted to a high care psychiatric unit for the first time, and the needs and concerns of their families, to allow for the development of more appropriate services. Method: The psychology family clerking interviews (June 2007 – June 2012) of the Male High Care Unit (MHCU) of Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital’s first admission families (FAF) were reviewed. All of the patients in the chart review were severely psychotic and had not been able to be managed at a secondary hospital level, which had necessitated their referral to Valkenberg. Each clerking interview with the family lasted 1.5 to 2 hours, and was conducted by the Intern Clinical Psychologist placed at Male Admissions. All 225 available folders were reviewed and coded. Results: The majority of the patients were young (mode = 21), still living at home (80%), single (90%) and unemployed (65%).More than 80% of the men were given a working diagnosis of either Substance Induced Psychotic Disorder (SIPD: 46%), Schizophrenia (27%) or Bipolar (11%). There was a strong family history of severe mental illness (SMI: 49 %), psychiatric admissions (30%), depression (26%), suicide (18%), substance use (SUD in parent/s: 45%, siblings: 36%) and domestic violence (30%). Most families suspected that the patient had used drugs and police had had to be involved in at least 40% of the admissions. Despite nearly half of the patients expressing regret at their substance use, more than half the families reported that the patient had become aggressive and that at some stage they had feared them. The families most identified the patients’ admission as their greatest stressor. The second most identified greatest stressor was finances, with 40% of the families being in debt and more than a third of the families being either unable to or financially struggling to visit the patient while he was admitted. Conclusion: For many patients and their families, the times before and during the admission had been long and traumatic. Family intervention was necessary to provide more effective help-seeking methods, and to provide services that simultaneously looked at co-morbid substance use, depression and anxiety, suicidal thinking, social isolation and domestic violence, often in the background of poverty. It was highly recommended that the development of services aimed at treating dual diagnosis (severe mental illness or the risk thereof, and substance use disorder) be developed and prioritised.

The Role of Diversity in Commercializing Basic Science

I have spent my career as a university-based researcher. It is a privilege to be at a university because we get to choose what we want to work on. Obviously, we have to pitch our projects to generate resources, but we get a chance to work on some of the biggest problems society is faced with, including energy, food, and national security, and some of the biggest opportunities, such as electronics and 3D printing. We're focused on trying to improve the human condition, and we can take the long view. really a privilege to have that opportunity. Nothing captures the real value of that opportunity more for me and my students than the words of Henry Rosovsky, former dean of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University: Research is an expression of faith in the possibility of progress. The drive that leads scholars to study a topic has to include the belief that new things can be discovered, that newer can be better, and that greater depth of understanding is achievable. Research, especially academic research, is a form of optimism about the human condition. The challenge, and the opportunity, today is convergence, which I define as the fusion of life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. challenging to pursue convergence in the university setting because we're typically trying to do 21st-century science in an 18th-century organizational structure. ironic that the only place entropy does not seem to be in force is at universities: there's very little mixing between departments and there are a lot of silos. We end up working very hard to break down those silos and to facilitate internal connectivity. I would argue that today scientists need to think even beyond the sciences and engineering--convergence extends to the social sciences, the humanities, and even the performing arts. Nobody got this better than Steve Jobs: It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough; it's technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities that yields a result that makes our heart sing. that sort of convergence that I think is driving a lot of industry today. One of the questions I ask myself now is, can any executive leadership team today be successful without a designer on the executive team? And yet few companies have made that commitment. Along these lines, it's interesting to look at who Apple is hiring. Fortune Magazine made a list that provides some insight into where Apple is going as a company. Recent hires include the former CTO of Adobe, the Former CEOs of Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry, medical device scientists, and people thinking about non-pharmaceutical methods for controlling sleep. important to note that this convergence is not just about crossing disciplinary boundaries. also about developing cross-cultural understanding. I recently published an op-ed in Science Translational Medicine about this. (1) Those with different cultural backgrounds approach problems differently, and these different approaches must be respected. A student that has come from a background of poverty will think differently about solving problems than somebody who's grown up with a lot of money, for example. Both of those perspectives are really important to have around the table. Diversity is a fundamental tenet of innovation. We learn the most from those with whom we have the least in common. To maximize learning or to catalyze innovation, we need to create the necessary chemical potential, if you will. The greater that potential--the greater the diversity around the table, and hence the potential for fruitful reactions and interactions--the more opportunity there is, for learning and for invention. I think of this a lot when we are establishing design teams: it's not just disciplinary diversity but diversity in the broadest sense that provides the secret sauce for innovation. That's the context for the different work that has come through my group: our diversity, in disciplinary approaches and broader life backgrounds, enables convergence and drives invention and innovation. …

Supporting Capabilities: Using Psychosocial Concepts to Guide a Sennian Approach to Escaping Urban Poverty

Currently, more than half of the human population resides in cities. Over onethird of these cities are located in the global south, where many of the world‟s slum and squatter settlements are located. The unique experience of the urban poor has helped initiate a reconfiguration of poverty definitions, led by Amartya Sen‟s capabilities approach. Countless poverty alleviation programs have since incorporated his ideals, but with limited success. This paper attempts to address these issues by examining the role of psychosocial phenomena such as identity, social representations and stigma in the escape from poverty. Through unpacking the interactions between these phenomena against the background of poverty within Brazilian favelas, the author attempts to help inform a more concrete framework for the application of Sennian approaches to poverty alleviation in urban centers. Author’s Note Rochelle Burgess is a graduate from the Health, Community and Development program at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE). At the time of this article’s writing, she was completing a research fellowship at the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Following the completion of her fellowship Rochelle will begin doctoral research on mental health and HIV/AIDS at the LSE.

Poverty alleviation and enhancing food security through promotion of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly urbanized, and with this accelerating process comes a host of socio-economic challenges. Rapid urbanization process has resulted in increase urban food insecurity and malnutrition, especially on the side of tandem increase in urban poverty. Urban poverty and food shortage are taking root in Zimbabwe, as a result increased food production and access becomes critical to achieving major nutritional improvement and addressing food insecurity. In the face of urban food shortages, the present paradigm of rural food production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. It is hardly surprising that increasing umbers of urbanites are looking to grow their own food, if only to supplement their family food needs. Food is one of the basic needs and urban agriculture, both legal and illegal, has grown as a consequence of the difficult economic climate. Many urban households lack adequate amounts of foods that are rich in the nutrients needed for health and a productive life. It is against this background of increasing urban poverty that this discussion puts forward some suggestions for promoting urban agriculture. Urban agriculture has diverse economic, social and ecological functions and can be valued as one of the agricultural sectors having enormous potential to contribute to food security in Zimbabwe. In this discussion the role of urban agriculture in improving nutrition and food security is highlighted. Urban areas are becoming more 'modern' in their patterns of consumption than in their patterns of production, and there is a danger that the urban poor will become more and more marginalized while, at the other extreme, a small increasingly wealthy elite develops. The demand for food due to increased urbanization is predicted to grow faster than production resulting in a growing food deficit and insecurity in urban areas. Strategies which foster gender equality in urban food production will impact positively on food production, which may translate into expanded food production base to meet the needs of the growing urban dwellers, who are failing to make ends meet. This means participation of women in urban agriculture on the understanding that they are custodians of food production in many urban communities is recommended. However, challenges associated with urban agriculture need to be addressed to avoid land degradation and pollution in urban areas. Therefore, urban agriculture should be considered as a normal component of agriculture system and urban development, which has the capacity to improve nutrition and food security, as it lends itself to the majority of the urban poor. Greater and more sustained food production from urban agriculture will increase the potential access of the urban household to an adequate diet. It is envisaged that urban agriculture will be the new approach to satisfying urban food demands, however best provided incentives to urban farmers are credited by formulating policy fair to urban food producers. In the face of this bleak situation, major efforts are required to promote urban agriculture in addressing the nutritional needs and the perpetual food insecurity challenges in urban areas of Zimbabwe. On the other hand, given the economic, social and ecological advantages of urban farming it is arguably deserves even greater attention than before.

Childhood depression: a systematic review

As an important public health issue, childhood depression deserves special attention, considering the serious and lasting consequences of the disease to child development. Taking this into consideration, the present study was based on the following question: what practical contributions to clinicians and researchers does the current literature on childhood depression have to offer? The objective of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of articles regarding childhood depression. To accomplish this purpose, a systematic review of articles on childhood depression, published from January 1, 2010 to November 24, 2012, on MEDLINE and SciELO databases was carried out. Search terms were “depression” (medical subject headings [MeSH]), “child” (MeSH), and “childhood depression” (keyword). Of the 180 retrieved studies, 25 met the eligibility criteria. Retrieved studies covered a wide range of aspects regarding childhood depression, such as diagnosis, treatment, prevention and prognosis. Recent scientific literature regarding childhood depression converge to, directly or indirectly, highlight the negative impacts of depressive disorders to the children’s quality of life. Unfortunately, the retrieved studies show that childhood depression commonly grows in a background of vulnerability and poverty, where individual and familiar needs concerning childhood depression are not always taken into consideration. In this context, this review demonstrated that childhood-onset depression commonly leads to other psychiatric disorders and co-morbidities. Many of the retrieved studies also confirmed the hypothesis that human resources (eg, health care team in general) are not yet adequately trained to address childhood depression. Thus, further research on the development of programs to prepare health care professionals to deal with childhood depression is needed, as well as complementary studies, with larger and more homogeneous samples, centered on prevention and treatment of childhood depression.

Who Teaches Us Most About Financial Programing in Africa?

words, softly spoken by an 18-year-old Zimbabwean woman, describe the absence of money in her life, aside from its role in creating conflict and anxiety at home. She spoke at a Camfed workshop held for young rural women who had just graduated from secondary school to help them seek solutions to the lack of productive livelihoods open to them in their rural area. Her words were her starting point, and they needed to be ours. Camfed is an organization founded in 1993 and dedicated to the advancement of rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa by investing chiefly in the education of girls and the strategies that grow their leadership and status. Young educated women living in poor communities are Camfed’s teachers. They are members of a vast group whose potential to transform their own lives— and those of their families, communities, and nations—is limitless. Programs that are built on listening to and learning from such women have the best chance of achieving progress. This paper describes Camfed’s journey of investment in designing, implementing, and measuring programs to achieve the financial inclusion, with all its attendant benefits, of young rural women in five countries of subSaharan Africa. In 1999, Lucy Lake and I, along with the first four hundred secondary school graduates of Camfed’s program in Zimbabwe, launched Cama (the Camfed Association). It was designed as a rural membership organization and support network to extend into young adulthood the friendships these women had made during their secondary school education. At the program launch in Harare, young women graduates from all participating districts came together and recognized, for the first time, that they were a national presence. Over three days, the members designed their organizational structure, including the process for selecting officers. They elected the first Cama chairperson, Angeline Murimirwa, who is now executive director of Camfed Zimbabwe and Camfed Malawi. The members decided that Cama would be an organization of young women united by a background of rural poverty and a commitment to improving lives in their communities. Today,

Assessment of Socio-economic and Health Status of Fisherwomen Involved in Coir Retting in Dickwella Secretariat Division, Matara District

Coir retting yards are concentrated along the southern coastal line and specially women folk, find this work as the source of their principal income for the family in off seasons of fishing. The study was conducted in the Dickwella secretariat division to study the impact of coir retting on the socio-economic and health status of fisher women involved in coir retting. Random sample of 35 coir retting women involved in coir retting was selected. The necessary data of the location and families were collected by using questionnaires, interviews and discussions. Data obtained were statistically analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Water quality parameters, such as pH, temperature, BOD, COD, NO 3 - -N and conductivity were analyzed. All the water quality parameters were not in permissible ranges. The average household size and daily net income of the coir retting families involved were 4.5 and Rs. 612.50, respectively. Eighty nine percent has obtained primary education while 9 % and 2 % have gained secondary and tertiary education respectively. It is obvious that these people do not have any access to other employment opportunities except coir retting due to lack of education. The results revealed that the coir retting industry of this area is an activity that is intricately interwoven with the social and economic structure. Field survey results indicated that 57 % of the sample suffered from job-oriented disease like skin disease, blindness, headache, back bone pains and respiratory disease. Rotted husk release more organic pollutants and they highly affect the water quality parameters. Therefore, it is a difficult task to save these women from these occupational hazards unless some new affordable technique is introduced. Majority of the households (70 %) fall within a low socio-economic status with a deepening poverty background depicted by low educational achievement and occupational status. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 23 (1): 84-90 (2011) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tar.v23i1.4635