This research reports on two action research case studies of participatory materials development in two rural community contexts in Zambia, namely Chiawa and Nalusanga. It aims to explore and articulate the relationships between community-based environmental education and participatory materials development in the WWF Zambia Education Project context; clarify participatory materials development processes by identifying the roles of different ‘actors’ in these processes and identify and analyse the contextual and other factors that may influence development and use of environmental education materials in rural communities. These aims were explored by means of a number of action research cycles of inquiry in the two communities. The study also articulates the significance of considering ambivalent globalising influences such as international conferences, debates, overseas development aid, national policies and how these shape and influence materials development work in a local context. In order to gain more insight into the local contexts, I developed contextual profiles on the two communities. These capture the contextual factors that influenced the participatory materials development processes. They include issues such as language, ethnicity, literacy, power relations and the local social economy, amongst others. Although this study has been predominately guided by the socially critical orientation to research and education, I have drawn on aspects of other research orientations. I have also explored some of the emerging critiques of the socially critical orientation. The findings of this study reveal the different roles participants can play in participatory materials development; participatory materials development processes as a learning process; the dynamics of participation in an African context; the role of language and literacy in materials development; the need for open-ended process models of learning amongst adult learners and the importance of merging expert and local knowledge in participatory materials development. This study opens up possibilities for further exploration of participatory materials development processes within the WWF ZEP context and beyond.

The research explores and examines the relationship that exists between religion and health. Four church health related activities were examined as case studies to assert their direct and indirect contribution to health and well being of communities on the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The main thrust and perspective of the study is a theological position on the contribution of the Christian Church toward holistic health care and provision. The study is rooted in a large field of study called African Religiou s Health Assets Program [ARHAP] which has developed a theory to help establish the link that exist between religion and health in health care. The insights from the ARHAP theoretical framework are engaged in this study to identify the religious health assets known as tangible and intangible in each institution and how they contribute to health promotion and care . Key informants from each of the four religious health institutions were interviewed to establish and examine the kind of religious health assets they have and on how they affect and contribute to health outcomes. Through these case studies of four Christian religious health institutions, in Ndola and Masaiti districts, the thesis has shown that religious health institutions have diverse assets that enhance and contribute directly and indirectly to better health outcomes . These assets [referring to what is present in these institutions] are labeled as ‘religious health assets’ in this thesis . The findings of the thesis indicate that Christian religious health institutions have assets, which could be aligned and leveraged in public health policy for the well being of people and communities. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This dissertation seeks to address the issue of women, poverty and livelihoods in Ndola and how the Zambia Baptist Association, (the Z.B.A.) could implement development strategies in response to this problem. Through my field research, where I interviewed a number of poor women in Ndola, Church leaders at both local and national level within the Z.B.A, library research and internet search, I have come to realize that the problem of poverty among women needs addressing. I found out during my research that many poor women in Africa live in chronic poverty as a result of economic and social injustices they face in many societies. By virtue of their social status as females, many women are denied access to and control of assets that would enable them realize their development aspirations. I found out that many poor women in Ndola have come up with six key livelihood strategies for survival. These livelihood strategies being; selling food and groceries in shacks, subsistence farming, begging and sending children to beg, charcoal burning, formal employment and brewing illicit beer. Through this research, I was also made aware of the potential that the Z.B.A. has to help alleviate poverty among women in Ndola, despite some area of concern with regard to their patriarchal leadership structures at both local and national Church level and the patriarchal theology that restrict women's activities within the Church. This dissertation offers a number of development proposals based on the sustainable livelihoods framework which is a coherent and clear tool that is used to understand people's livelihoods. I propose in this dissertation that the Z.B.A. needs to respond to women's poverty in Ndola through three approaches, namely; transforming religion and culture, building poor women's asset portfolio and enhancing those strategies that could potentially become sustainable. When this is done, it would help to alleviate poverty among poor women in Ndola. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This study, which lies within the ARHAP ongoing research on the interface between religion and public health, examined the impact of Faith-Healing Pentecostal Churches on health and well-being among health-seekers in Ndola, Zambia. The study involved a self-administered questionnaire answered by 100 Faith-Healing Pentecostal Church worshippers in Ndola over a period of 4 weeks. Based on the data analysis and interpretation it was found that these churches have grown rapidly in Zambia and that many people are turning to them for their healing and well-being. There are several factors that are contributing to the rapid growth of Faith-Healing Pentecostal Churches and these range from socio-economic problems to the impact of diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis on households, due to the poor health provision in most government health centres in Ndola. The study notes that people attend Faith-Healing Pentecostal Churches because these churches provide a home for people in need of social networks which enable them to have a sense of identity, belonging and purpose amidst their day-to-day socio-economic challenges. It was therefore evident from the research that Faith-Healing Pentecostal Churches are addressing huge socio-economic needs in people's lives within a context of poverty, unemployment and the burden of sicknesses and diseases, and can rightly be understood as a Religious Health Asset. These findings also provide the context for four important insights into a contemporary and contextual theology of health and healing. Based on the findings of this study, this dissertation offers a number of challenges to public health policy makers and church leaders to take serious the interface between religion and public health, and to also take seriously the contribution that Faith-Healing Pentecostal Churches are making to health and well-being in Ndola, Zambia. When these two issues are taken seriously, it would help to address issues of health and well-being in communities, based on people's religious convictions and understanding of health, healing and well-being. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The environmental crisis and the poverty crisis, are among the major challenges the Church in Zambia is facing. In this work I argue that poverty and the ecological crises are interrelated. However, a major problem has been that many programmes carried on by the Churches or church-based organizations seem to focus on poverty alleviation not recognizing the linkage between poverty and the ecological crisis. For this reason, this study represents the situation of poverty in Zambia and indicates its links to the environmental crisis. The aim of this dissertation is to remind the Free Methodist Church in Zambia and the Church in Zambia in general, that as Christians we are mandated to respond to these social issues of poverty and ecological degradation. We have the theoretical and theological contributions necessary to address the above two challenges, if we are keen to transform and build up the community we are ministering to. What is needed is to put into practice our beliefs. I argue that unless adequate environmental awareness is carried out, and that Christians understand the relationship between poverty and the ecological crisis we will not manage to break the cycle of poverty in the community. The Church efforts to carry out environmental awareness based on biblical and theological foundation teachings are a unique contribution that Christians can offer to respond to the earth crisis as well as to contribute to poverty eradication. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

This dissertation explores the plight of vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe district of Zambia. It determines nature of their vulnerability and identifies commonly used coping strategies. It also identifies different types of livelihood strategies and assets available and accessed by vulnerable poor households to create sustainable livelihoods. Study design used qualitative and participatory paradigms, involving variety of data collection techniques and tools such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study identified several factors impacting on vulnerable poor households, their response strategies and perceived potential sustainable livelihoods. Drought and flash floods destroyed livelihoods of poor households from which they often failed to recover. Vulnerable poor households possessed fewer assets and less diversified sources of income and often lacked back up resources in times of hardship. Livestock rearing, fishing and irrigation-supported gardening were identified as possible sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe, to recover and become resilient. / Sociology / M.A. (Development Studies)

This dissertation explores the plight of vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe district of Zambia. It determines nature of their vulnerability and identifies commonly used coping strategies. It also identifies different types of livelihood strategies and assets available and accessed by vulnerable poor households to create sustainable livelihoods. Study design used qualitative and participatory paradigms, involving variety of data collection techniques and tools such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study identified several factors impacting on vulnerable poor households, their response strategies and perceived potential sustainable livelihoods. Drought and flash floods destroyed livelihoods of poor households from which they often failed to recover. Vulnerable poor households possessed fewer assets and less diversified sources of income and often lacked back up resources in times of hardship. Livestock rearing, fishing and irrigation-supported gardening were identified as possible sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe, to recover and become resilient. / Sociology / M.A. (Development Studies)