This thesis investigates the sector wide approach (SWAp) partnership in the education sector in Malawi. In my study, I utilized interviews with key actors and a questionnaire for selected development partners (DPs), government officials and members of civil society. In so doing, my aim was to gain an insight into the origins of the SWAp as a critical partnership strategy for funding sectors in developing countries based on the conceptual understanding that it would prove to be a more effective aid modality than the project approach. Being a typical basis for partnership collaboration in the wake of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Malawian education SWAp, which was initiated as a response to the demands of changes in international aid during the 1990s, provided the focus of the study. The findings of the study show evidence of how partnership interactions affected the SWAp process. This thesis demonstrates that the SWAp process has experienced challenges around power relations, as DPs seem to be either unwilling or unable to comply with the principles and partnership model prescribed in the Paris Declaration. Funding constituted the main source of power relations in this SWAp process. DPs that donated more money to the government created an imbalance of power and influenced the interactions of other actors, which adversely influenced the decision-making process, including policy design and implementation. This in turn affected the participation of government officials, civil society and those DPs that donated less money. The thesis argues that as long as those who loan or donate the most fail to use their influence positively and facilitate adherence to the principles of the Paris Declaration, the SWAp process is bound to continue to be adversely affected. It also shows that although the SWAp differs fundamentally and conceptually from the project approach, in reality, nothing much has changed. The thesis further argues that the initial assertion that a SWAp is a more effective aid modality than the project approach is optimistic, and is made without due consideration for the practice on the ground. In addition, the thesis demonstrates that the role of civil society as a watchdog in this SWAp was constrained and, although expected to constitute one of the main actors in the process, it was rarely viewed as part of the main partnership. It also found that even though DPs seemed to embrace the innovations that a SWAp necessitated, their internal systems were too slow to change and adapt to the requirements of the modality. It argues that, moreover, DPs‟ own government mandates and internal systems restricted their operations in the SWAp process; which, in a sense, created conflict not only with their role as DPs, but also around the setting of national priorities. Finally, a key finding of the study is that minimum capacity – a “capacity base” – is required if the government is to engage meaningfully in a SWAp, even though such a modality intrinsically includes state capacity building. Indeed, capacity was an area of great concern, particularly in terms of the ability of government officials to engage in the SWAp process according to the principles of ownership and leadership – as a certain amount of capacity is required to lead the SWAp process by bringing together DPs and civil society, and clearly advancing government priorities.

Malawi is one of the least-developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with high rates of food insecurity, stunting, and micronutrient malnutrition. Zinc deficiency is associated with a number of health problems in Malawi, including diarrhea, pneumonia, stunting, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Maize is the staple of the national diet, yet the zinc nutrition of maize-based diets is compromised by the presence of phytate, a potent inhibitor of zinc absorption. Phytate levels can be reduced by basic household processing methods such as soaking, germinating, and fermenting, thus increasing the rate of zinc absorption. Novel research on sustainable approaches to addressing malnutrition using these kinds of food-based methods is urgently needed. Using food consumption data from the Malawi Third Integrated Household Survey and the latest models to predict zinc absorption, this study estimates the proportion of the population at risk of zinc deficiency, with a focus on vulnerable sub-groups including women and children. Next, it uses a simulation model to estimate the effects of reducing dietary phytate through processing and compares those results to an alternative simulation based on biofortification. Finally, this study examines the practical considerations necessary to promote improved maize processing using a behavior change communication approach and estimates the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to alternatives. The study"'s findings indicate that the initially high proportion of people at risk of zinc deficiency in Malawi can be substantially reduced by processing maize to reduce phytate. Compared to biofortification, the impact of processing was greater for all regions and sub-groups, and the advantage of processing was more pronounced in the South and in rural areas. An intervention to promote these improved methods using behavior change communication and nutrition education compares favorably against alternatives on a cost-effectiveness basis. A thorough analysis of culture and gender norms, the decision-making context, and the drivers of food choice in Malawi suggest that an intervention to promote household-level maize processing can be culturally appropriate and scalable if the context is properly considered. Given these findings, food-based approaches such as household level food processing should be given greater attention in policy and practice to sustainably improve food security and health outcomes. / 1 / Gregory Sclama

No description available.

D.Tech. Organisational Leadership. Business School.

The phrase a 'culture of silence' is attributed to Jerry Rawlings in the late 1980s, at a time when he was military head of state in Ghana. The irony is that he appeared to be complaining about the 'culture of silence' created by his own military regime. In a 'culture of silence' the masses are mute, that is, they are prohibited from taking part in the transformation of their society. In a neo-colonial state, a 'culture of silence' is imposed on the masses and peace and order are guaranteed by ferocious repression. The basic premise that motivates this research is that the neo-colonial state, a byproduct of the colonial state was influential in imposing the 'culture of silence' and fear in the lives of ordinary people. As such, a defining feature of the neo-colonial state, it is argued, is a 'culture of silence'. Definitions and analysis of the neocolonial state follow lines of arguments put forward by African writers such as Claude Ake, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Mahmood Mamdani. Within this broad paradigm of neo-colonialism, and analysis of Banda's Malawi is developed which pays particular attention to a 'culture of silence'. This in turn leads to an examination of the effect of liberalization on political and civic space in Malawi. The dissertation then, examines civil society activities, during the period of transition of the Malawian state from de jure one-party to de jure multiparty. Here the key research question are: to what extent has an expansion of political space been accompanied by an expansion of civic space, and how, if at all, do civil society organizations ensure that government pays attention to the diversity of voices of the Malawian people? Are traditionally marginalized voices now heard? The objective is to examine to what extent the 'culture of silence' has been dismantled in terms of the opening up of political and civic space in order to enable a 'clamour of voices' to be heard. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

From reflexive, theoretical, historical and fieldwork perspectives, this multidisciplinary work (using triangulated methodological approaches) challenges and interrogates current viewpoints on health promotion, in the context of HIV/AIDS, in Malawi. The thesis is presented in a number of steps, culminating in the explication of the dynamics of cultural socialisation among primary, secondary and tertiary school students, relevant to HIV/AIDS. First, a culturally based pre-colonial traditional framework of health promotion, medical service delivery and order maintenance is ‘reconstructed‘, using a number of markers, which are later used to show the colonial and postcolonial persistence and continuity of this framework. Second, it is argued that this culturally based medical framework survived and minimised conflict (and epistemological and pragmatic dialogue) with colonial power and medicine by largely retreating into localities. This created localised indigenous communal medicocultural and welfare traditions, which continued to offer services to most Ahcans. Third, it is suggested that the framework’ s postcolonial persistence reflects the limited colonial and postcolonial socio-economic change in Malawi, with elites now, as whites then, controlling limited western medical resources at the expense of the anthu wamba (peasantry). Fourth, a critical history of HIV/AIDS in Malawi shows how, having entered Malawi in this context, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was bound to be viewed through these vibrant localised traditional frameworks of beliefs. The localised beliefs affected the perceptions and responses to, as well as the extent of, the epidemic; some Malawians saw HIV/AIDS as mdulo or kanyela (wasting diseases caused by transgressing sexual taboos). Fifth, political, religious and economic factors also affected the explanations and interpretations of and strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS, contributing to a donor-dependent National Aids Strategic Framework (2000 - 2004) predicated on assumptions of socio-economic, educational and developmental progress. Six, the fieldwork confirmed the vibrancy of and influential dynamic of indigenous culture towards health beliefs and practices among the general public, and school students in particular, despite a high level of awareness among school students (and the public) about the scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS. Seven, these high awareness levels, even in school contexts coexist with discourses, such as ufiti (witchcraft), which are influenced by localised cultural traditions. Eight, it is argued that, given the socio-economic constraints, these discourses may influence or dilute western HIV/AIDS awareness messages and influence the actual socialisation and social and sexual behaviour of students.

The effect of management practices used by smallholder farmers to improve soil quality and increase maize yield was examined in an 80 ha. micro-watershed of central Malawi. Because of the complexity inherent in smallholder farming systems, this research proposed the combination of participatory methods with analytical techniques developed in field ecology, such as multivariate and spatial analysis. During a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), farmers identified factors potentially influencing soil quality and maize yield. One hundred and seventy-six (176) plots were located in twenty-nine (29) fields and characterized for management practices and biophysical characteristics. Soil samples were collected at each plot and analysed for a suite of properties. The maize yield was measured for both 1996--97 and 1997--98 seasons. A formal survey was used to gather information on household characteristics. Results showed that management practices that were promoted by a previous extension project, such as alley cropping and the planting of grass on contour ridges, were strongly correlated and found mainly in fields located closer to house compounds. Farmers with a higher proportion of their land under wetland gardens tended to use less agroforestry. Food security was associated with households that were able to purchase inorganic fertilizers, had larger landholding size, and owned livestock and woodlots. The effect of management practices on maize yield and soil quality was partially confounded with characteristics of the plot, such as slope, degradation level, number of years under cultivation or pest damage. Higher maize yield was observed in plots that were better managed, as expressed by the combination of different management practices, lower pest incidence, fewer erosion signs and higher soil fertility. Some positive effects of alley cropping on soil quality were observed in plots that were cultivated for a longer period and located on flatter land. This study demo

Zugl.: Hohenheim, Univ., Diss., 2006

Proefschrift Universiteit van Amsterdam. / Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

Texte remanié de: Thesis--Philosophy--London, 1974. / Bibliogr. p. 161-170. Index.