Magister Artium - MA / This study questions why domestic work that is generally considered a feminine job is yet a field dominated by men in the city of Nampula, Mozambique. In the attempt to explain this phenomenon, the research explores economic, social and cultural aspects. Due to the fact that Nampula is a province with a strong Islamic presence and the majority of the population identify themselves as belonging to the Makhuwa ethnic group—which is traditionally defined by a matrilinear kinship system—I argue that the domestic sector remaines masculinised because of the influence of the matrilinear values and gendered practices. I also argue that the Islamic patriarchal values play a decisive role as men see themselves as the exclusive family providers and for that reason forbid their wives to develop and to get engaged in economic activities outside the household. This study also explores notions of masculinity in connection with domestic work and examines how male domestic workers, coming from rural areas and employed in the city, perceive and perform their masculine identities. How does the job of the domestic worker shape particular understandings of masculinity? Given the fact that many domestic workers in Nampula are immigrant people from the rural areas of the Zambézia province, I argue that migrating and working in the city is considered as a way to achieve a manhood as immigrants have access to goods that can only be purchased in urban contexts and are scarce in the villages. The access to all these “modern” commodities and the experience of the city make the immigrant young boys to gain respect in their original communities.

The charcoal market in Africa is an informal economy. This enables millions of people to earn a living producing, selling and trading charcoal, due to low barriers to market entry. However, research and policy on charcoal has long focused on the downsides of informality. Informal charcoal production is commonly linked to criminality, an undermining of social cohesion, poor working conditions and most of all, forest loss. These negative perspectives continue to shape our approaches to charcoal markets, despite a recent reframing of charcoal as a potential sustainable development opportunity. This thesis aims to provide an alternative perspective. I argue that by focusing on the negative aspects of charcoal production, in particular forest loss, we end up misdiagnosing the problems and excluding stakeholders. The focus on forest loss has obscured research on the role of charcoal in rural livelihoods and has led to research that is primarily interested in large-scale production providing charcoal to major urban areas. This means small-scale charcoal production has been comparatively neglected in academic research, despite its importance for rural livelihoods and overall charcoal supply. Through three empirical chapters, I provide perspectives on small-scale charcoal production, its role in rural livelihoods and some of the factors that shape this role. I strive to provide novel analytical insights by moving away from questions of charcoal’s environmental impact and towards an approach that situates charcoal within the politics of rural livelihoods. I explore these ideas using case studies from Mozambique and a mixed methods approach. The results show small-scale charcoal production is a flexible form of income, primarily used as a livelihood diversification strategy. Furthermore, charcoal production is closely linked to the agricultural practices of producers. This means that conventional theoretical approaches to forest loss that treat charcoal production as distinct from agricultural practice may misinterpret the role of charcoal production in deforestation and forest degradation. I then move on to look at approaches to charcoal market formalisation in Mozambique. The results show that the regulations, whilst shaped by a variety of processes, concentrate on governing charcoal as an environmental problem. Changes to forest management requirements within the regulations have done little to improve sustainability as they are incapable of reaching out to small producers, in part due to inherent barriers within the formalisation process - stringent forest management plans and a conceptualisation of charcoal as a full-time, professional livelihood. The picture of charcoal production that emerges from the thesis is one of a flexible cash-income generating strategy, complicated by the politics of forest loss and livelihoods at local and national levels. The results show that charcoal plays a vital role in rural economies, not only in spite of its informality, but because of it. I argue throughout the thesis that small-scale charcoal production should be seen as a livelihood strategy to be nurtured rather than neglected and marginalised. The research questions whether the formalisation and modernisation of charcoal markets can engage small producers and concludes that in order to allow charcoal livelihoods to flourish and to improve sustainability, interventions need to work with, and for, charcoal as an informal economy.

Africa’s carbon (C) cycle is one of the least well understood components of the global C cycle. Miombo woodlands are the most common woodland type in southern Africa, but despite their vast extent and importance in the biogeochemical cycles of Africa, their C dynamics are not well understood. This thesis addresses a set of science questions related to miombo woodland C dynamics that cover a range of scales, from the leaf to the landscape. The questions are related to seasonal controls on C uptake at the leaf level, to spatial distributions and scales of variation of C stocks in the landscape, and to the drivers and spatial patterns of deforestation and degradation at the regional scale. In miombo woodlands, the seasonality of productivity remains poorly understood, and it is unclear whether stomatal limitations or variations in leaf traits cause seasonal changes in productivity. I use data of leaf gas exchange and leaf traits collected in dry and wet seasons to assess the response of photosynthesis to seasonality. I found a large degree of inter-specific responses, where photosynthetic capacity was maintained between seasons in some tree species but not in others. This was linked to inter-specific stomatal regulation on leaf gas exchange, access to soil water and varied leaf traits, indicating differing timing of leaf development during the dry season. Differing timing of leaf flushing can create niche separation, facilitating the co-existence of miombo woodland tree species. I use data collected along a 5 km transect through miombo woodland to characterise the spatial distributions and scales of variation of C stocks in woody biomass and soils, and assess the links between them. I found that on the scale of a few meters, soil C stocks varied in relation to soil texture. At the kilometre scale, surface soil and woody C stocks were coupled, and varied in relation to topography. By understanding the scales of variation I was able to make recommendations for optimal sampling of C stocks in a miombo woodland landscape for improved C stock assessments. I developed and tested a simple spatial model of deforestation and degradation, using a rule-based approach, to produce risk maps of areas more likely to be affected by deforestation and degradation for a study site in central Mozambique. I found that my model was able to accurately predict the locality of high risk areas, and that roads were the major axis for forest biomass loss. Risk maps created from this method are useful for exploring the drivers of deforestation and degradation in a region dominated by miombo woodland, and for targeting policy and management efforts. Overall, this thesis has contributed significantly to our understanding of natural and human driven miombo woodland C dynamics over a range of scales, from the leaf to the landscape. In the final chapter, I discuss the implications of each chapter for our understanding of miombo woodland C dynamics, and suggest areas for further research.

Los fármacos antimaláricos tienen capacidad ototóxica debido a las lesiones que pueden producir en la cóclea y/o en el vestíbulo. La lesión coclear se manifiesta frecuentemente por un cuadro de hipoacusia neurosensorial, que afecta inicialmente a las frecuencias altas; otros síntomas que aparecen con menor frecuencia son los zumbidos. La hipoacusia neurosensorial puede ser reversible o irreversible y se clasifica en diferentes grados: ligera, moderada, severa y profunda.La utilización en Mozambique de fármacos antimalaricos es obligatoria ya que es un país de malaria endémica. La incidencia de malaria es elevada, representando el 48% de todas las consultas externas de los servicios sanitarios del país, y afectando al 90,3% de la población que habita las zonas periféricas de la ciudad de Maputo.Los tratamientos antimaláricos utilizados en Mozambique se adaptan al Protocolo de Lucha Contra la Malaria establecido por el Ministerio de Salud en el año 2002 y a las indicaciones de la OMS. Sin embargo, sólo los pacientes que acuden a los centros sanitarios del país tienen control del tratamiento, mientras que otros pacientes pueden adquirir y automedicarse con fármacos que están disponibles en centros no sanitarios. En estos casos, no existe confirmación de laboratorio de la enfermedad ni control de las dosis, de la duración ni de posibles factores de riesgo de ototoxicidad (insuficiencia renal, insuficiencia hepática, infecciones crónicas, predisposición familiar y genética, tratamiento previo o simultáneo con otras drogas ototóxicas, patología coclear previa etc.). El estudio se realizó en 725 pacientes ingresados en el Hospital Central de Maputo (Mozambique) con un episodio de malaria severa, que fueron tratados con los fármacos antimaláricos establecidos en el Protocolo Nacional de Lucha contra la Malaria. 12 de estos pacientes fueron niños cuyas madres habían sido tratadas con fármacos antimaláricos durante el embarazo. Aunque a todos los pacientes se les programó una visita de control, sólo 96 de ellos acudieron a la misma. El análisis estadístico de los datos se realizó mediante el programa SPSS (versión 11.5).De los resultados obtenidos destacamos que el 78% de los pacientes presentaron una hipoacusia neurosensorial, siendo irreversible en el 7,6%. El grado de hipoacusia fue ligero en 47,9%, moderado en 33,8%, severo en 14,4% y profundo en 3,9%. La incidencia de hipoacusia y el grado de la misma fue mayor en los pacientes de sexo femenino y en los grupos de mayor edad. Los fármacos antimaláricos utilizados por los pacientes fueron la Quinina asociada a Fansidar® (37,7%), la Quinina (33,8%), la Artemisina asociada a Fansidar® (7,9 %), la Quinina asociada a Artemisina (6,6%), la Artemisina asociada a Fansidar® y a Quinina (5,4%), la Artemisina (2,6%), el Fansidar® (2,1%) y la Cloroquina sola o asociada a otros fármacos antimalaricos (4%).La mayor incidencia de hipoacusias la determinaron los tratamientos que incluían la Quinina mientras que los mayores grados, y las hipoacusias irreversibles, se relacionaron con el tratamiento con Cloroquina.En 251 pacientes (34,6%) se manifestaron además otros síntomas de ototoxicidad, como zumbidos, vértigos, nauseas y vómitos. Los síntomas asociados aparecieron más frecuentemente en los pacientes de los grupos de mayor edad.En 324 de los pacientes estudiados (44,7%) se observaron una serie de enfermedades asociadas, siendo la más frecuentes la anemia (20,7%), la trombocitopenia (17,7%) y las alteraciones del comportamiento (4,4%). Estas enfermedades asociadas fueron más frecuentes en los grupos de menor edad. Destacamos la relación positiva encontrada entre estas enfermedades y la presencia de hipoacusia, así cómo un menor grado de hipoacusia en los pacientes que manifestaron un cuadro de anemia.El estudio concluye que los fármacos antimaláricos utilizados actualmente en Mozambique tienen una alta incidencia de ototoxicidad, siendo necesaria su revisión. / Antimalarials may cause ototoxicity due to the injuries that they may inflict upon the cochlea and/or the vestibule. Cochlear injuries frequently reveal sensoryneural hearing-loss, which initially takes place in the higher frequencies; feeling of fullness, roaring or ringing in the ears are less frequent symptoms that may also occur. Sensoryneural hearing-loss can be reversible or irreversible, and it presents a gradation at different levels: low, moderate, severe and profound.The use of antimalarial drugs in Mozambique is compulsory, since the incidence of endemic malaria is very high; it represents 48% of the total external consultations in the health services of the country, and affects 90.3% of the population living in the peripheral area of Maputo.The antimalarial treatment used in Mozambique adapts to the National Protocol of Prevention and Treatment of Malaria, as established by the Department of Health and the WHO in 2002. However, only those patients attending the health unities of the country stay in control to receive the appropriate treatment, while other patients may obtain antimalarials for self-treatment since there is medication available at those unities. In this case, no control is being exerted by the laboratories: no control of the dosage taken, nor of the duration or even of the possible ototoxic risks derived from it (namely, renal and hepatic insufficiency, chronic infections, genetic predisposition, previous or simultaneous treatment with other ototoxical drugs, previous cochlear pathology, etc.).This study was performed on 725 patients diagnosed with severe malaria and who had been taken into the Central Hospital of Maputo and treated with the antimalarials determined by the Protocol of Prevention and Treatment of Malaria. Twelve of these patients were children whose mothers had been medicated during pregnancy. A second control was programmed for all the patients, yet only 96 of them attended the meeting. The statistical analysis of the data was carried out with the SPSS program (version 11.5).The results showed that 78% of the patients were diagnosed with sensoryneural hearing-loss, which turned out to be irreversible in 7.6% of them. The level of hearing-loss was low in 47.9% of the cases, moderated in 33.8%, severe in 14.4% and profound in 3.9% of the cases. The incidence and level of hearing-loss was higher in female and elderly patients. The antimalarial drugs used for the treatment of these patients were as follows: Quinine associated with Fansidar® (37.7%), Quinine (33.8%), Artemisine associated with Fansidar® (7.9%), Quinine associated with Artemisine (6.6%), Artemisine associated with Quinine and Fansidar® (5.4%), Artemisine (2.6%), Fansidar® (2.1%) and Chloroquine (either associated with other antimalarials or not, 4%). The highest incidence of hearing-loss was caused by the treatment which included Quinine, while treatment with Chloroquine was associated to the most severe cases as well as the irreversible ones.In 251 patients (34.6%), other ototoxic symptoms were detected, such as the feeling of 'fullness' and ringing in the ear, vertigo, nausea and vomiting. The associated symptoms were more frequently in older patients.In 324 patients (44.7%,) a series of associated illnesses were observed, the most frequent being anaemia (20.7%), thrombocytopenia (17.7%) and major behaviour alterations (4.4%). These illnesses were also mostly frequent in the eldest patients. A positive connection between these illnesses and the presence of hearing-loss should be highlighted, as well as the lower level of hearing-loss in patients diagnosed with anaemia.The study concludes that the antimalarial drugs utilised nowadays in Mozambique are responsible of a high occurrence of ototoxicity, and that a close revision of their use is consequently necessary.

No description available.

When people give to a good cause they usually give and forget about it, however that is not always the case. For one family from Texas giving was much more. They chose to sacrifice all that they knew to help those in need. They left behind all they knew and moved to Xai-Xai Mozambique Africa. In one short year they have set up a church, two care points that feed over 500 kids each day, a community center and a pre-school. Teaching the people of Xai-Xai to be resourceful, help each other, and helping them rebuild after years of civil war and a flood that nearly wiped out the entire city. Becoming a part of community and sharing the love of God with those who may have never even heard the name of Jesus. Putting into practice, exactly what is says in the Bible, to be the hands and feet of Jesus and not just setting up camp within the church building. This is a story of the Stauber family. / text

Within the academic discussion, water is argued to be a ‘multifaceted resource’, yet, the social and cultural dimensions of water have received little attention. Furthermore, authors have highlighted a need to explore the phenomenon from both, the macro and micro level, however, debates regarding water tend to revolve around the former. Following the need for a more local perspective, this study looks into water practices of a household, like using a watering can to irrigate crops or purifying water for consumption, as well as the environment in which these occur. Recognising that change is essential for development, it also explores if improvement of these practices is needed, and how development of these, if so, may be encouraged. One perspective fostering such an understanding is Symbolic Interactionism, focusing on individuals and their behaviour and how this is influenced by their perceived reality and the interaction with oneself and others. This perspective is utilised as the analytical framework in order to explore people’s lives and their experiences. The research was carried out as a field work during April and May, 2013, in Ribáuè, Mozambique. This study concludes that there is a recognised need to develop water practices in order to support and create favourable outcomes for households. One of the factors that this study highlights as important is to acknowledge individuals’ cognitive process in relation to the visible actions performed, emphasising the significance of taking both processes into account when attempting to encourage the development of water practices. For instance, it is advisable to provide not only theoretical instructions, but also to demonstrate and let the individuals carry out new practices. By taking such factors into account, this may strengthen the efforts to encourage a household to develop its water practices. This study also proposes potential perspectives for future research.

This thesis investigates smallholder agricultural development in the district of Ribáuè, Mozambique. The thesis is guided by an analytical framework based on Friedmann’s concepts of territory and function. From this, one can tell that most development initiatives have followed functional principles which often fail to address rural development. The objective was, as such, to try to see how smallholders are affected by territorial and functional development principles and how meeting points between the two concepts could be established to promote empowering of agricultural smallholders. A field study was conducted in order to collect data through a multitude of semi-structured interviews, participation and observational studies. Most time was spent in the district of Ribáuè but visits were paid to the city of Nampula and Maputo. The result shows that there is a considerable degree of relativity concerning development initiatives aimed at rural areas. A particular initiative may, from the central level, be perceived as decentralizing and supporting of the rural community. But many initiatives end up concentrated around urban or semi-urban centers of the province or district. Thus, many remote areas are still excluded. Yet, there are ways to strengthen and empower local communities from a more bottom-up approach. Farmer associations, for instance, have the potential of empowering farmers in many ways beyond the financial aspect. The results also highlight the difficulties of prioritizing initiatives when on a strained budget in a society where most areas are in need of support.

The geological formations of Maputo City, which are mainly unconsolidated materials with soil like properties, are described in terms of their engineering geological and geotechnical characteristics with relevance to their distribution patterns and spatial trends. Problematic conditions such as collapse potential characteristics, loose aeolian sand dune deposits and loose sand plains characterize many of the materials. The geological characteristics combined with anthropogenic interference such as intensive urbanization with inappropriate land use, construction in sensitive areas like steep sandy slopes has led to many problems including slope stability. Foundation problems with building settlement and gully erosion also occur. The aim of this research was to study the engineering geological characteristics and the geotechnical properties of the geological formations of Maputo City and various related problems. Special relevance has been given to the understanding of three specific problems: building damage, gully erosion and slope instability. The geological formations are predominantly sandy (coarse to very fine sand) with very low clay content, are non-plastic and are classified as from the group SP-SM which are poorlygraded sand with silt. The majority of the materials are loose and normally consolidated with a high level of residual strength. Assessment of collapse settlement through double consolidation technique indicated soil compressibility and significant sensibility to collapse upon wetting. Truly collapsible soils that show full collapse of the soil structure were identified in 33% of the tested materials where the highest collapse behaviour reached values above 5%, predicted to cause moderate trouble in foundation design. Some of the bonded materials are bonded (evident in 67% of samples tested). Bonding was confirmed by comparing the compressibility of the undisturbed and remoulded samples. The remoulded samples showed a significantly higher compression than that of the bonded materials as part of the stress applied is carried by the bonds themselves, as the bonded material is stiffer than the same without bonds. The curves of the remoulded samples were used to establish the limit between the stable and meta-stable states of the material. A qualitative evaluation of the erosion susceptibility was investigated by physical tests such as the crumb test, shear strength and chemical indicators while a quantitative evaluation of the erodibility characteristics was obtained using a flume test. Some correlations were found between the results of various methods. Almost all samples that were found to be dispersive with ESP were also dispersive with TDS vs. %Na and SAR. Results of the flume erodibility test have very little correlation with the chemical properties related to dispersion revealing that the erosion susceptibility and gullying in Maputo City have more relation to the physical processes than to the dispersion related chemical properties of the soils. The positive identification of dispersive and erodible soils can only be carried out using a combination of various techniques. Therefore, a new rating system for erosion susceptibility of sandy soils combining the physical and chemical factors of dispersion is proposed including the flume test, crumb test, TDS/%Na, SAR and ESP. The proposed rating system was applied to the tested soils of Maputo City. Fifteen samples (83% of the rated samples) were classified with intermediate susceptibility to erosion while 3 samples (17%) were classified as having a low susceptibility to erosion. The highest rating scores were obtained by the same samples that showed dispersive behaviour with SAR, ESP and TDS/%Na. This group of samples was of intermediate erodibility in the flume test. The slope instability mechanisms observed in Maputo City are predominantly rotational failures with a mass of soil sliding along a curved surface of rupture followed by sand flow at the toe as failure occurs in the presence of excess water. Four groups of factors account for the slope instability problems in Maputo City: geomorphological causes, physical and meteorological causes, geological and geotechnical properties of soils, and anthropogenic causes. The mechanism of failure is mostly due to the loss of matric suction of soils in the presence of rainwater and possibly from destruction of bonding agents. Factors of safety values indicate that the slopes are generally unstable with the control being the slope angle. The slopes in the Polana-Caniço and Ferroviário Quarters show high factor of safety values but is the area most affected by slope instability. Slope failure in these areas is intrinsically caused by anthropogenic factors related to inappropriate land use planning. The gully sidewalls are unstable as the slope created is very steep. The slope at Friedrich Engels Avenue causes most concern due not only to the slope height and angle but also to the size and number of buildings constructed at the crest, mainly high rise buildings along the Julius Nyerere Avenue, the integrity of which could be threatened by a landslide event (this slope has recently been affected by active landslides). / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

This thesis concerns the relationship between poverty and the environment in Mozambique, and the response that is required from the Church. It is a way to describe and analyse the situation, and also to provide possible strategies for the Church. The thesis begins by providing a general overview of the environmental crisis in Africa at present. Then, drawing on field-work in the Matutuine District of Mozambique, and making considerable use of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, it provides an indepth description and analysis of people's livelihood strategies, noting the strong link between poverty and the environment, and how there is a cause and effect relationship between them. In order for the Church to respond in an adequate fashion, the thesis provides theological resources for caring for the environment, and then ends with a range of strategies which the Church can be engaged in. The key findings of the thesis are that, given the immense vulnerability of the poor in Mozambique, households have very little access to human, social, financial and physical capital, and so are forced to rely upon the existing natural capital for survival. Livelihood strategies involve subsistence farming, charcoal production and hunting, all of which deplete the natural resource base, and yet there is no commitment to restore the base which provides these things. Thus these strategies are unsustainable and require a response from the church. The thesis concludes with a range of practical strategies for the Church including awakening people to their obligations as creatures on earth, being involved in holistic mission, responding to pollution, deforestation and land degradation, contributing to and enhancing existing livelihood strategies, contributing to food security, and supporting people in small scale farming practices. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.