Survival is bound to conditions of safety (now) and preservation (future). The places that marginal people inhabit are either permanent familiar places, or temporary unfamiliar places. These places however are also bound to time. When circumstances are unpredictable survival instincts are heightened, and when circumstances are predictable survival instincts are at a neutral level (or in in a state of homeostasis). If a place is undergoing change such as societal and political change, the change in mental state of a person occurs as this affects the survival of that person. The dissertation explores ideas of identity (valued, strong, useful), perception (how other people see the marginal) and marginalisation of specific groups of people. This will be investigated in terms of the preservation of the marginalised people through programmatic devices and activities (what can the marginal offer). The proposed programme (and supporting programmes) allow for the development of marginalised people in a hostile society in which survival and refuge are the first instincts. The intent of the architecture seeks to explore the relationship between a marginal person and place on a conceptual and physical level. Moreover the architecture seeks to negotiate the margins that society has placed between those who are approved within society (the norm) and those who are different than the norm. A consciousness of this difference or 'margin area' exists throughout the investigation which allows for an alternative approach to create thought-provoking architecture rather than an aesthetically pleasing architecture. It is the belief of the author that even though something might be 'broken', it remains more useful and is more valuable than something that was perfect in the first place. The project moves beyond monotony and strives for unity in difference (the marginal unite). Difference as a strength creates an opportunity to emphasise those who are different and finds a way to strengthen the alternative identities in a future spatial condition. The proposed programme facilitates the development of these identities to become stronger in time in order to withstand struggle and unpredictability. / Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Digital inclusion, through the development of appropriate e-skills, is widely recognised as an essential means of capitalising on the opportunities presented by the information age for social and economic advancement. However, South Africa has not yet clarified its policy of digital inclusion. It has only just begun to tackle the challenge of developing an e-skilled society. As yet there is not an enabling e-skills framework and national implementation strategies are still at an early stage. The conceptual framework for the delivery of e-skills for digital inclusion specifically in the Western Cape of South Africa, which was developed as part of this study, could therefore make a substantial contribution to local research. Certain areas surveyed in this study have been overlooked, underestimated or have yet to be explored by local researchers, while existing research on related areas is generally fragmented and studied in isolation, despite the high interrelationship between the various areas. The conceptual framework that has been compiled offers a coherent holistic perspective, and depicts the logical flow from digital exclusion to inclusion in the Western Cape context. It identifies: (i) the groups most in need of focused inclusion efforts; (ii) significant barriers to inclusion; (iii) specific e-skill clusters for digital inclusion; (iv) guidelines for delivering these e-skills; and (v) the objectives of digital inclusion that the Western Cape should strive to attain. Each of these research areas has been investigated in the context of an on-going provincial e-skills for digital inclusion initiative, focused on training (largely marginalised) community e-centre employees. The qualitative research used semi-structured interviews with ten recently trained individuals, as well as three programme facilitators. Overall, digital inclusion in the Western Cape is conceived as a gradual process, initially concerned with achieving relatively basic objectives such as enabling citizens to access information and increasing the use of ICT in the province. It is envisioned that these short-term outcomes will eventually translate into longer-term advantages for individuals as well as the larger society. Having the appropriate knowledge and attitudes is as important for digital inclusion as having skills. Therefore the term ‘digital competence’ is preferable to ‘e-skills’. The competence areas include combinations of technical and cognitive abilities, the latter being more relevant to the broader inclusion impacts, yet more challenging to instil. These findings, which have been combined with strongly learner-centred guidelines, are presented in the conceptual ‘Digital Competence for Digital Inclusion’ framework. It is hoped that curriculum developers will give serious consideration to this framework and the recommendations contained in this study. It could form a useful basis for the development of digital inclusion throughout the country and e-skills related academic research.

No abstract available. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

No description available.

There is a paucity of scientific evidence into the lived experience of people who have a history of injecting drug use and are living with leg ulceration. Portraying the true voice of injecting drug users (IDUs) through narrative means is a novelty in contemporary literature. The representation of the life and the person behind the leg ulcer, having experienced addiction, is original from a purist narrative perspective. This study, led from the perspective of a nurse-researcher leading in the field of wound management, offers a unique opportunity to gain a rare glimpse into the daily life of IDUs, as reported in their own words. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of injecting drug users living with leg ulceration using qualitative methodology. A naturalistic paradigm framed the design by allowing participants to control the data in an unrestricted an open manner without direct intrusion form the researcher. Qualitative methodology was central to collecting data on life experience and feelings. The ethics process detailed a rigorous application to explore the professional, ethical virtues from the perspective of an insider-outsider working with sensitive data in a marginalised population. Diaries were kept and recorded by participants over four weeks in their routine daily life; this was followed by semi-structured interviews. The diaries allowed a unique insight into the past, present and future of IDUs and how their ulcer affected their lives. The diaries also facilitated a means of reflection on themselves and their wounded body. The interviews offered an opportunity to explore in detail the diary entries and other stories participants wished to share. The study recruited twelve participants from leg ulcer clinics set in London; three women and nine men older than 18 years of age (median age of 52 years; range 35 - 62 years). Ten completed the data collection process; two of the participants, aged 61 and 62 years, were married. Gatekeepers working with IDUs with leg ulceration were central to the process of engagement and recruitment. Participants welcomed the design as an opportunity to voice and share their journey of living with an open wound. The findings revealed the detailed suffering participants endured living with their ulcer: pain, shame and stigma were clearly voiced in their narratives. The majority of participants had experienced some form of stigma during their life and this was exacerbated as they were drug users. The self-blame and punishment triggered by this felt stigma was a detriment to the health of participants. Those in contact with specialist wound care services saw a significant improvement in wound healing and this had a positive impact on their wellbeing and their overall outlook on life. Participants also voiced enacted-stigma experienced from encounters in health practice. These negative experiences exacerbated the self-stigma. Findings also portrayed the multiple characteristics and talents of participants including humour, art and resilience. This research contributes to science and practice by understanding the lives of IDUs living with leg ulceration. It provides a platform from which to engage both generalists and specialists who care for these patients and has the potential to influence medical and social policy-making and clinical practice in this field. By means of narrative inquiry, this study may challenge the conventional social stereotypes, the taboos and the stigma still experienced by this patient group in health care.

This thesis explores the importance of caravan parks as a provider of long term housing in rural areas. Previous research on caravan parks in the Australian housing system focused on the metropolitan and coastal regions, with little analysis given over to parks in rural areas. There is a similar dearth of research on rural housing in Australia. In previous housing studies rural housing has been discussed as a residual of that in the capital cities. In many instances, rural areas are absorbed into broader metropolitan/non-metropolitan constructs. This is despite the complexity and range of housing issues in rural places. This research has brought these two fields together, particularly to determine whether the problems in the rural housing market are a factor for people living in caravan parks. Previous studies on caravan parks have demonstrated that caravan park residents have socio-economic characteristics that would make it difficult for them to access housing. They have low incomes, a reliance on government benefits and higher mobility rates compared to the general population. Caravan park residents have a greater propensity to poverty. Thus for these residents, caravan parks offer housing that is affordable and accessible. In many instances it is housing of last resort, or housing used in times of crisis. Previous research into rural housing has found that rural areas have greater incidences of after housing poverty as a result of lower incomes. There are also problems of housing accessibility, particularly for specific groups, such as the aged, youth, and the disabled. Rural areas also are encountering the migration of 'urban refugees'. This group has high levels of need which creates a further strain on a market. The Shires of Chinchilla and Murilla in Queensland were selected as case studies because they they have a stable caravan park industry and they are rural without being remote. Interviews were undertaken with a variety of individuals representing a range of organisations. This included a large sample of long-term caravan park residents. The residents who participated in the research were, similarly to the general profile of park residents, disadvantaged. They also had low incomes with a reliance on government benefits. The majority of the residents had located to the case study region from the South-East of the State. It was also found that the majority of residents migrated to the area and immediately moved into a caravan park. Interestingly, there were no family households in the park, and very few young people. Also, caravan parks were not utilised as crisis accommodation. This is attributed to the discriminatory practices of the park operators as a form of 'risk management'. This research found that caravan parks play an important role in the housing system of rural areas. Specifically, they are not a residual form of the dominant tenures, but are a separate component of the housing market. Many residents did not consider the broader housing market, and immediately moved into the park. Residents did not explicitly consider their housing choice within the context of the broader market. While housing related issues did arise, the majority of residents individualised their experiences; that is, their housing experience is related to their own individual situation and not because of any problems in the market.

Soil pollution is one of the problems that obstruct sustainable development in the affected regions, posing a threat to the local environment, ecosystems and human wellbeing. Phytoremediation is one of the techniques used to clean polluted soils. It relies on the ability of some plants to absorb or stabilize certain substances from soil, including organic and inorganic pollutants. Amaranth was chosen as a potential candidate for the proposed phytoremediation project in Chinandega region, Nicaragua, an area that was heavily used for cotton production in the last century, and is now characterised as having high levels of soil pollution, Cd being one of the most common one. The aspects such as opportunities and limitations for the designing of such a project, as well as its contribution to the sustainable development of the region were examined in this thesis. To further support the investigation, the laboratory experiment was performed to study the uptake rate of Cd by amaranth in a greenhouse conditions. The results of the study show that the main opportunities for the design of this project would be the possibility of combining the cleaning of soil with co-benefits such as producing food and energy, as well as additional removal of organic pollutants. The main limitations would be the lack of initial data about the pollution, and possible economic losses due to inability of using amaranth for food. The implementation of this project in real life would mean a support of sustainable development of the Chinandega region on many levels, including social, environmental and economic benefits. The results of the laboratory pot experiment are yet to be included in the study, as the experiment still continues. / <p>2017-10-30</p>

Soil pollution is one of the problems that obstruct sustainable development in the affected regions, posing a threat to the local environment, ecosystems and human wellbeing. Phytoremediation is one of the techniques used to clean polluted soils. It relies on the ability of some plants to absorb or stabilize certain substances from soil, including organic and inorganic pollutants. Amaranth was chosen as a potential candidate for the proposed phytoremediation project in Chinandega region, Nicaragua, an area that was heavily used for cotton production in the last century, and is now characterised as having high levels of soil pollution, Cd being one of the most common one. The aspects such as opportunities and limitations for the designing of such a project, as well as its contribution to the sustainable development of the region were examined in this thesis. To further support the investigation, the laboratory experiment was performed to study the uptake rate of Cd by amaranth in a greenhouse conditions. The results of the study show that the main opportunities for the design of this project would be the possibility of combining the cleaning of soil with co-benefits such as producing food and energy, as well as additional removal of organic pollutants. The main limitations would be the lack of initial data about the pollution, and possible economic losses due to inability of using amaranth for food. The implementation of this project in real life would mean a support of sustainable development of the Chinandega region on many levels, including social, environmental and economic benefits. The results of the laboratory pot experiment are yet to be included in the study, as the experiment still continues. / <p>20171030</p>

In the context of development in marginalised communities in South Africa (and other Third World countries), the thesis project suggests an interim phase of development – between the immediate needs of the marginalised community and the implementation of urban development frameworks. The interim phase has both spatial and temporal implications – it is development at a smaller scale (i.e. site specific) and due to its small scale and subsequent smaller impact on its surroundings, it can be implemented in a shorter period of time. The phase thus fills the spatial and temporal gap for development in Marabastad. The design is one such attempt at starting to fill the gap. It entails the design of a space that functions mainly as a market, which many commuters in Marabastad use as a thoroughfare and as a place to eat and rest. Basic market infrastructure is provided in the form of improved floor surfaces, trees, water and electricity, ablution facilities, storage, shelter and structure. Apart from serving the physical needs of the users of the site, the space should elicit a sense of ownership with its own implied advantages. The market and the accompanying facilities provided in the design are a direct response to the current activities and problems on the site. The implementation of similar projects across Marabastad, each addressing site specific issues, could ultimately lead to the whole of Marabastad being rejuvenated. / Dissertation (ML (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Architecture / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / E-government should be at the heart of service delivery in developing countries if the life of citizens, especially the socially and economically marginalised, is to be improved. Often in developing contexts, citizens have been treated as recipients of such interventions, in a top-down approach from central governments, resulting in the non-use of such interventions. A situation of non-use of e-services results in wastage of the public fiscus. The extant literature points to a number of underlying causes of the problem. One such problem is the “Design-Reality Gap."