In 2012, Tanzania, the prevalence of HIV infection among Tanzanian women was 6.3%; that same year, 18% of Tanzanian children were born already infected with HIV. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of prenatal care attendance on comprehensive knowledge of HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), and HIV testing and counseling, as well as awareness of HIV testing coverage services, in Tanzania. The study population was Tanzanian women of childbearing, aged 15 to 49 years old. Guided by the health belief model, this cross-sectional survey design used secondary data from the 2011-2012 Tanzania Demographic Health Survey. Independent variables were comprehensive knowledge of HIV MTCT, HIV testing and counseling, and awareness of HIV testing coverage services; the dependent variable was prenatal care visit (PNCV) attendance. Findings showed that 69% of women had their first PNCV in the second trimester, meaning that they attended less than 4 visits. Multinomial logistic regression modeling assessed the association between independent variables and PNCV attendance after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Findings denoted that comprehensive knowledge of HIV MTCT after controlling for married vs. never married, maternal age, and wealth was associated with PNVC. HIV testing and post counseling, and awareness of HIV testing coverage services were also significant for women who attended their first prenatal visit in the 2nd trimester. These findings have positive social change implications by informing efforts to identify at-risk pregnant women through systematic HIV testing and counseling for early medical intervention; such efforts may reduce MTCT and encourage them to start their PNCV in the first trimester.

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<p> Deforestation in the Congo Basin is altering the natural functioning and services of the ecosystem and adversely impacting highly vulnerable human populations who rely on their proper functioning. There is currently no framework that comprehensively addresses the historical and cultural complexities that are persistent in Central African societies and that also include, from a micro scale, the detailed voices of local communities. Without such a holistic framework, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness or harmfulness associated with current management strategies in responding to deforestation at the various levels. This transdisciplinary mixed method study determined the most salient indirect and direct causes of forest loss, the impacts resulting from an altered state, and the effectiveness of current management responses by assessing changes in forest cover, forest provisions, and trends in forest management. Because forests are common goods, the elasticity of forests are dependent on a multitude of human activities and attitudes. Therefore, data collected via survey tools were used to evaluate the role of multiple stakeholders in the state of the Congo Forest using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact- Response (DPSIR) framework, a structured analytical tool created by the European Environmental Agency for better understanding of Integrated Environmental Assessments. To best explore local to international perspectives on the effectiveness of current strategies in sustaining forests for livelihoods and ecosystem services, research methods included conducting remote sensing analysis of Landsat satellite images, interviewing over 325 individuals living in 25 communities in the Lake T&eacute;l&eacute;-Lake Tumba Landscape of northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo and 20 individuals working on forest management, conservation, and funding, and a climate analysis using 40 years of weather data collected from a scientific reserve located within the landscape. Results highlight that local populations are highly environmentally literate and their knowledge is a useful tool for qualifying environmental changes, such as reduced lake health, animal health, and plant health. Remote sensing results show the forest is in a state of decline and climate findings confirm the ecological health of the landscape has been reduced demonstrated by major shifts in the traditional agricultural calendars and the effects are having adverse public health impacts on local communities. The process of this research itself interfaces science and policy and thus recommendations focus on how to make effective payments to communities for supporting alternative livelihoods in order to prevent deforestation while next steps should focus on the implications of forest loss and the promotion of a One Health approach at the landscape level.</p>

<p> This document examines the musical performance practices of the Igbo Jews of Abjua, Nigeria. Amongst the 50 million Igbo, an estimated 5,000 are currently practicing Judaism. Despite prior research conducted by Daniel Lis (2015), William Miles (2013), Shai Afsai (2013), Edith Bruder (2012), and Tudor Parfitt (2013), there is little to no discussion of the role of music in this community. This study of the musical practices of the Igbo Jews of Nigeria reveals that the Igbo combine traditional Nigerian practice with modern Jewish and Christian elements. This combination of practices has led to the development of new traditions in an effort to maintain a shared sense of individualized Jewish identity and unity in a time of persecution and violence towards the Igbo from terrorist organizations. This study demonstrates that the Igbo Jews view the creation of this new music as serving to rejuvenate their Jewish identity while preserving Igbo traditions. The analysis draws upon theories of Eric Hobsbawm, Philip Bohlman and Alejandro Madrid to explain Igbo practice. Data includes material gathered from fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2014 in Abuja and in the cities of Kubwa and Jikwoyi. My observations focused on the musical properties of the Shabbat prayers and <i>zmirot </i> (para-liturgical table songs). While the Igbo are often considered one of &ldquo;the lost tribes of Israel,&rdquo; my research indicates that &ldquo;lost&rdquo; is not so &ldquo;lost&rdquo; as previously believed.</p>

<p> This research project will examine the facets of call and which facets are apparent as a struggle for women of the African Diaspora in discerning their call and how spiritual formation and direction influence the health and wellness of these women as they journey through their call. Respondents will consist of women of the African Diaspora enrolled in seminaries in New York City and the northeastern part of the United States. </p><p> An objective is to record the narratives of the respondents as present and future leaders and to describe and analyze the content and structure of the narratives. The central theme of this study is call from a womanist perspective and the influence of spiritual formation on call. To address this issue an interdisciplinary approach is utilized to recognize the study's respondents as a distinct group within twenty-first century ministry confines. </p>

<p> Research has identified a problem of executive authorities in Africa that operate largely free of accountability and/or balance of power, often resulting in oppression, tyranny, or other abuses of power. In response to calls for greater understanding of indigenous African leadership (Littrell, 2011), this dissertation used problem-focused ethnographic methods to investigate characteristics of Gisu/Masaaba clan elder leadership in East Africa, specifically as elders interact with executive authority. Elders are a tribal form of leadership wherein leaders are embedded in the community but lack political power. The research question asked: What are the modalities indigenous to Gisu culture, specifically from elder councils, that facilitate accountability and balance of power in African governance, and how could biblical descriptions of elders be useful in the Gisu's self-perception and construction of elder-based leadership? The study (<i>N</i> = 49) employed participant observation as well as directed observation and interview-based participant listening with elders, youth, and government leaders to produce rich qualitative data. After coding emergent themes and categories, thick descriptions of Gisu clan elder leadership formed a foundation for analysis. Emergent themes were first analyzed using indigenous typologies and then using analyst-constructed typologies before being interpreted to present an indigenous portrayal of traditional Gisu elders' characteristics, concerns, actions, and modalities. Research data provided support for elders' facilitating accountability through speaking directly to the leader, escalating complaints to higher authorities, and taking the case to the public; the data also offered support, to a lesser degree, for elders facilitating balance of power related to executive authority through formation of supraclan bodies such as the <i>Inzu ya Masaaba</i> and Elders Forum as well as through persistently utilizing the modality of elders' voice to call for reform. Drawing from the research data, the author offered suggestions for how biblical descriptions of elders could be useful in the Gisu's self-perception and construction of elder-based leadership, specifically addressing two threats to elder self-perception and construction of elder-based leadership by way of reclaiming important traditional aspects of eldership.</p>

<p> For decades the occurrences of genocide, war, and conflict have been documented and data have been collected on the numbers of those displaced and/or lost their life. Historically, however, there has been a dearth of research pertaining to the psychological response of those who have survived exposure to these events. Emerging studies are investigating the symptomology and manifestations of the trauma induced by exposure to genocide, war, and conflict events. Nonetheless, there continues to be a lack of research regarding treatment. The present qualitative study, which utilized semistructured interviews as data collection methods, investigated the culturally based manifestations of PTSD and treatment modalities specific to survivors of genocide, war, and conflict currently residing in South Africa. Study participants included a variety of health care workers. Several exposure-specific and culturally relative themes emerged related to the trauma resulting from these events, such as survivors losing their sense of self-identity, having a distrust of others, and feeling as though there is a lack of justice in the world. These themes, along with other interventions and modalities of treatment for PTSD, were employed to create broad clinical recommendations for treatment. The recommendations centered on the health care worker having both a cultural and systemic understanding of clients and their presenting concerns. The results of this study provide valuable information regarding how individuals experience, perceive, and cope with trauma that can be applicable to a broad range of health care personnel. Additionally, these are data that can impact the design of future treatment modalities for PTSD.</p>

<p> The objective of this work is to present the identities of two traditional African societies: Agni and Bakongo. It is imperative to note that the initiation allegory and the initiation ritual practiced in traditional African society are the two methods of initiation used to analyze the respective identities of two characters: Prince M&eacute;l&eacute;douman in Jean-Marie Adiaffi's <i> La Carte d'identit&eacute;</i> and King Mani Kongo in Mweze Ngangura's <i> Pi&egrave;ces d'identit&eacute;s</i>. Not only does this approach establish a study of these heroes, but also of their people. </p><p> Thus, the ancestral practices, and the cultural and religious values that M&eacute;l&eacute;douman discovers in his quest, are those that express his identity and that of his community. Additionally, the symbols that Mani Kongo wears bestow on him his identity and present his DNA. That is, it signals his belonging to his ethnic group. Moreover, the lived experiences of Prince M&eacute;l&eacute;douman and King Mani Kongo, in the course of their prospective initiation voyages, can be defined as an initiation allegory whereby the neophyte, M&eacute;l&eacute;douman, on one hand, goes to be reestablished in his rights and Mani Kongo, on the other hand, becomes convinced of the limits of his traditions. Likewise, the practice of the <i>Comian</i> illustrates a type of initiation ritual, which expresses a unique identifying value among the Agni people in the Ivory Coast. </p><p> This study aims to reconstruct and to revalorize the identity of two peoples. It is evident that the cultural symbols, values, and other ancestral practices are in the process of disappearing due, certainly, to the domination of Western values of which francophone African peoples are the victims. Finally, this particular identity, constructed through history, myths, practices, and belief, translates, as well as defines, the worldview of these two traditional francophone African societies.</p>

<p> South Africa has a ruling dominant party, the African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since apartheid ended in 1994. In national elections, the ANC has consistently received an overwhelming majority of the vote, even though the majority of South Africa's citizens have benefitted little from the ANC's policies. This dissertation investigates why so many South African voters continue to vote for the ANC despite little, if any, measurable improvement in their quality of life since the ANC came to power. In so doing, it examines the literature on dominant parties, voter behavior and what motivates it, the incentives created by various electoral systems, and ethnic patronage politics. It also draws on empirical research into these phenomena in both South Africa and an illustrative comparative case study, Malaysia. Ultimately, I argue that both the theoretical framework and the empirical evidence point toward ethnic patronage as the driving explanation of electoral outcomes in South Africa; they also suggest there is little prospect for significant change in the foreseeable future.</p>

<p> Throughout the world, children engage in labour that denies them of their childhood. Child labour is a growing global concern, as an estimated 218 million children are engaged in the practice. Though child labour reduced in some parts of the world, it is still one of the major developmental challenges facing many African countries such as Ghana. This thesis advocates for a group of young girls in southern Ghana who engage in child labour through the child-kayayei business. Kayayei is a term describing people who transport goods on their heads for a small fee. Despite Ghana&rsquo;s regulations against child exploitation and head porterage, child-kayayei usage is widely accepted. The thesis first introduces the topic through a case study based on a personal interview and a brief overview of the child-kayayei crisis in Ghana. Thereafter, the thesis addresses (1) how the child-kayayei business violates the Constitution of Ghana and Ghanaian laws; (2) how the child-kayayei business violates international law; and (3) how Ghana should be held accountable to the international community, under the jurisdiction of the African Court for Human and Peoples&rsquo; Rights, for its non-compliance to child labour regulations. The thesis concludes with plausible legal solutions to Ghana&rsquo;s on-going child-kayayei crisis. </p>