The focus of this work is an exploration of issues related to poor access and retention of girls across the Nine Year Basic Education (9YBE) level in Rwanda. This was accomplished through analysis of stakeholders' views and perspectives, informed by a constructivist ontological perspective and interpretative methodological stance. Specifically, through interviews and conversations, the research, sought to explore different experiences, ideas, attitudes and views held by stakeholders in the educational up-take by girls. These stakeholders groups included the educationist group (Headteachers, Teachers, and Education Officers), NGO group (FAWE and Community Women Organizations - CWO), Parent group (Parents in general and Parents on schools' PTAs), Learner group (pupils in school) and Girl dropout group (girls who had dropped out of school). This study sought to explore the stakeholders' perspectives on the main barriers to girls' access and retention across the 9YBE, where accountability lay for keeping girls in school, and proposed strategies for ensuring gender equity in education. The thesis is introduced from a geographical and an historical perspective as the context of the education provision in Rwanda. A literature review considers the challenges and solutions to girls' education provision and through this a conceptual framework is developed around equity and equality issues from which the research questions are formulated with respect to Rwanda. Following this the research design, methodology, data collection techniques and analysis are discussed. My constructivist methodology and interpretive-epistemological stance highlights the use of qualitative data mainly based on interviews. In findings I show that issues regarding poor access and retention of girls in school revolve around economic challenges and associated household poverty, school based challenges, traditional and cultural gendered beliefs and the positioning of girls in the Rwandan society and argue that these challenges have been accentuated by effects of the 1994 genocide that are still manifest today. I also argue that there is a serious lack of accountability for keeping girls in school, and that the decentralised education provision has sustained gender discrimination which is heightened among the poor. This signals the emergence of a class divide between those who are lucky enough to go to school, study and complete and those who do not. My analysis also indicates that issues of girls' poor access and retention in education revolve also around the lasting effects of war and genocide that Rwanda experienced 18 years ago. This has been accentuated by deep rooted family poverty that informs gendered choices on who goes to school under difficult circumstances. I show the implications of the conflict for current educational up-take and argue that in the Rwandan context there is a need for more informed and innovative work to solve the problems in addition to solutions suggested by interviewees that are mainly centred on the urgent need for government to eradicate poverty seen as a major setback to girls' education uptake. This study contributes to the contemporary debates in Rwanda, about whether or not the government is doing enough to ensure girls' access and full participation in 9YBE. It also illuminates stakeholder perspectives on this contested debate on how best girls' education may be provided to solve the current low uptake and the ways forward. As this research was conducted in Rwanda, a post-conflict country, it also contributes to an understanding of issues that face girls' schooling in post genocide conditions. Further, this study makes an addition to the limited stock of educational research in Sub-Saharan African nations.

Exposure to traumatic events has deleterious effect resulting in considerable psychological (cognitive and affective/emotional), physical and social impairments. In contrast to natural disasters, victims of man-made disasters have been reported to be vulnerable to severe psychological and psychiatric disorders affecting a large number of abilities and lasting for many years. Among the most common psychiatric diagnosis associated with violence exposure is the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Like adults, children and adolescents are not exempt from this situation. In 1994, Rwanda experienced an unprecedented genocide in which about 800.000 Tutsi, for their majority, were atrociously murdered (UN). This genocide generated multiple and massive stressors that may lead to severe and long-lasting PTSD among its survivors, including children and adolescents. Report on traumas exposure and psychological reactions to genocide among young survivors in Rwanda (Dyregrov et al., 2000) unanimously indicate a precarious situation. At the social level, children and adolescents heading household (CHH) are presumably the most vulnerable given their social deprivation. Moreover, the increased number of significant losses (parents, siblings, relatives, family and community cohesion) and the traumatic nature of the death predict traumatic grief among the young orphans of the genocide in Rwanda. The embedment of traumas and bereavement in this population is postulated to increase the likelihood of severe and persistent posttraumatic distress. With regard to the genocide in Rwanda, especially the extent of its damages; it is hypothesized that psychological consequences from such disaster are crucial. Considering social categories of young survivors, CHH are hypothesized to be vulnerable to several psychological sequels given their social and economic living conditions. The trauma exposure history, traumatic bereavement of key caretakers and attachment figures (parents and other relatives), lack of adult guardianship, insecure family structures and precarious social support are risk factors predicting poor outcomes. About the structure, this thesis consists of seven chapters, the general introduction and conclusion excluded. The two first chapters are theoretical and overview the literature related to PTSD (Chapter 1) and the association of trauma and bereavement (Chapter 2) resulting in a conjunction of PTSD and grief. They clarify issues related to symptoms and semiotic concepts, diagnostic and assessment protocols, and demonstrate how PTSD and grief can be embedded on certain aspects but not on others. At the empirical level, findings from PTSD prevalence (chapter 3) and the association of PTSD and grief (chapter 4) among young people survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are presented. Furthermore, continuous exposure to post-genocide trauma reminders, deleterious socio-economic life conditions, coping strategies and PTSD comorbidity are presented as major risk factors to persistent and complex post-traumatic distress (Chapter 5). Finally, given our findings, a rumination focused cognitive and behavioural therapeutic (RFCBT) protocol is tested in a pilot sample (Chapters 6) and in a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) (chapter 7).

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">The present study aimed to examine the demographic, social and health-related factors that are associated with levels of physical activity participation among adults with diabetes mellitus in Kigali, Rwanda.</p> </font></p>

<p>The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship between low back pain and physical activity levels among nurses in Kanombe Military Hospital (KMH), as well as other confounding factors leading to low back pain. A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive design was used to conduct the study. The study population and sample included all clinical nurses in all the departments/wards at KMH (excluding three nurses doing administrative work only and the four who participated in the pilot study). A total of 133 nurses participated in the study and data was collected using three self administered questionnaires. The first one requested socio-demographic data, followed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) which examined the physical activity levels of nurses, and lastly the Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire which examined low back pain prevalence. A response rate of 122 (92%) was obtained.</p>

La thèse « Motivations d’engagement politique des femmes parlementaires rwandaises » a pour objectif principal d’apporter un éclairage sur le parcours politique des femmes parlementaires au Rwanda, notamment en identifiant leurs motivations à la base de leur engagement. Pour y parvenir, des entrevues de type semi-directif ont été effectuées entre octobre et novembre 2011 auprès de 11 députées et sénatrices. Les résultats de recherche démontrent que les femmes s’engagent en politique selon les trois principes de justice de Nancy Fraser: la reconnaissance, la redistribution et la représentation. Deux autres motivations se rajoutent, soit les mesures institutionnelles et la reconstruction du pays. Plus précisément, les parlementaires désirent pallier les injustices sociales, économiques et politiques liées au genre et à l’ethnie. Cette thèse est une contribution à la capacité de la science politique d’analyser les rôles des femmes au sein des parlements des pays non occidentaux et autoritaires.

Dans les années 2000, pour assurer son développement, le Rwanda revoit sa stratégie agricole en prenant un virage coopératif majeur. Parallèlement, les critiques internationales des pratiques « néocoloniales » de développement rural provoquent un changement vers des approches plus participatives. Ces deux bouleversements entraînent des changements considérables dans les communautés rurales rwandaises, où naissaient des centaines de coopératives agricoles. Le mouvement grassroots (développement par le bas) et la méthode ÉRP (évaluation rurale participative) favorisent le renforcement des capacités de la société civile et sa participation aux projets, comme l’ont voulu les organisations partenaires au projet Développement agricole coopératif au Rwanda. La littérature et l’expérience coopérative sur le terrain nous enseignent comment s’articule la participation locale, du point de vue des partenaires CCA (Association des coopératives du Canada) et UGAMA-CSC (Centre de service aux coopératives du Rwanda). Mais, qu’en est-il du point de vue de la population bénéficiaire? C’est en menant 27 entrevues semi-dirigées, individuelles et anonymes, auprès de membres réguliers ainsi que les chefs de zone et les professionnels impliqués dans les coopératives, que l’étudiante-chercheure a voulu répondre à la question de recherche suivante : dans le Rwanda agricole, où œuvrent différents acteurs de développement sur un même projet, comment s’articule le processus de participation locale aux yeux de la population bénéficiaire ? La recherche offre un regard rétrospectif sur la participation de la population ciblée par le projet, ainsi que le pouvoir qu’elle a exercé à travers les différentes étapes du dit projet. Son objectif secondaire est d’améliorer ce processus pour des projets futurs en tirant des apprentissages. La participation qui est présentée dans la théorie n’est pas toujours calquée intégralement dans la pratique et les processus de prises de décisions ne revêtent pas toujours le caractère démocratique prétendu. Dans un contexte culturel unique, la signification de la participation peut être interprétée de façon bien différente, dépendamment de la position que l’on occupe dans la hiérarchie locale. L’analyse des réponses permet de dégager des recommandations issues de ces acteurs qui sont souvent cloîtrés dans le bas de l’échelle, où la prise de parole n’est pas la plus facile d’accès.

<p>Sport participation can play a vital role in enhancing life of youth with physical disabilities. This is because of the rehabilitative influence sport can have not only on the physical body but also on rehabilitating people with disability into society. A successful sport programme in which the youth with disabilities are involved should possibly respect youth‟s wishes regarding the preference of the sport. The Review of the literature revealed that little has been documented about the status of disability sport in developing countries. Given the psychosocial and physiological benefits of sport in everyone‟s life, including those with physical disabilities, there is a need for a study to document the status of sport of this sub-population in Rwanda. This study, therefore, aimed to identify the factors associated with sport preferences among youth with physical disabilities in Rwanda. A sequential mixed model design was used to collect data, specifically the sequential explanatory strategy. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire and a total number of 204 participants voluntarily answered the questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among four (4) NPC staff to collect data regarding the challenges experienced by youth with physical disabilities with regard to sport preferences. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 was used for data capturing and data analysis. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize demographic information as means, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics (chi-square and independent samples t-tests) were used to test the associations between different categorical variables (p&lt / 0.05). For the qualitative data, audiotaped interviews were transcribed and translated from Kinyarwanda into English, and the expressed ideas were coded and reduced into subthemes and categories. Thematic analysis was then done under the generated sub-themes. Permission to conduct this study was obtained from the concerned authorities. Ethical issues pertaining to informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality and the right to withdraw from the study were respected in this current study. The results of the current study revealed that the top five sports played by youth with physical disabilities were sit ball, sitting volleyball, volleyball, table tennis and wheelchair basketball. It also showed that youth with physical disabilities were committed to and enjoyed their sport experience. Additionally, they have had strong feelings about their physical abilities. Discouragingly, the results indicated that the youth with physical disabilities have had low perception that their parents were supportive of their participation in sport. The findings further showed that age, gender, use or non-use of mobility aids, and type of impairment influenced the choice of sport. However, there was no statistically significant association between demographic characteristics and some sports codes played in Rwanda. During the semi-structured interviews, the participants reported the challenges experienced by youth with physical disabilities with regard to sport preferences including physical factors (lack of accessible facilities, uneven playgrounds, transport to and from sport fields, resources and limited sporting codes available), social factors (lack of parental support and models) and financial factors (inhibit the implementation of many sport codes, high cost of adaptive equipment) which influence the youth with physical disabilities to choose a sport with sufficient facilities even if they do not like it. Factors that emerged as facilitators for sport preferences include: sport availability, perceived ability to handle a sport, friendship, facilities, improved individual competences, independence in mobility gained, and to take part in international tournaments. Based on the results of this study, and the role of sport in preventing many chronic diseases, it is apparent that there is a need to widen the spectrum of sport opportunities and to create awareness among youth with physical disabilities. Furthermore, there is a need to provide social and a local barrier-free inclusion of various stakeholders in recommending and designing sport programmes for the youth with disabilities.</p>

L'étude présentée ici s'intéresse au traitement du génocide rwandais dans la presse canadienne. De avril à juillet 1994 le Rwanda a été le théâtre d'une tragédie qui a coûté la vie à plus d'un demi million de personnes, en grande majorité des tutsis. Les cerveaux de ces tueries sont les radicaux hutus. Une large partie de la population hutue participa aux massacres, dans ce qui constitue le troisième génocide du vingtième siècle. Depuis 1962, année de son indépendance, le Rwanda a souvent été victime de tensions ethniques. Le génocide de 1994 est le résultat de ces tensions, en plus des tensions politiques qui apparaissent au début des années 1990. Un génocide est une tragédie suffisamment rare pour que tous les médias du monde s'en emparent. Mais comment traiter un génocide dans un pays dont l'histoire est jalonnée par les tensions et massacres ethniques? Telle est une des nombreuses questions qui jalonnent notre étude. Elles s'inscrivent dans notre réflexion générale sur la façon dont la presse canadienne a rapporté le génocide rwandais à ses lecteurs. Cette réflexion est elle même motivée par une problématique qui intègre les relations entre le Canada et l'Afrique en général et le Rwanda en particulier. Notre analyse souligne que le Canada a beaucoup oeuvré pour les pays en voie de développement, notamment en Afrique. Les liens avec le continent africain sont anciens et profonds. Notre analyse du traitement du génocide rwandais dans la presse canadienne prend en compte un échantillon de six journaux. Un certain préjugé était présent avant le début de cette étude. À savoir que les médias occidentaux, y compris canadiens, ne se sont rendus compte qu'un génocide a eu lieu au Rwanda qu'après les faits. Mais force a été de constater que la presse canadienne a traité l'événement en profondeur et qu'elle a très rapidement fait part à ses lecteurs de ce qui se passait. L'analyse apporte également une distinction dans l'information livrée par les journaux étudiés. En effet, il apparaît clairement des différences notables dans la façon de traiter les évènements rwandais. Ces différences permettent de classer les journaux de notre échantillon en deux groupes distincts. Malgré ces différences constatées on peut parler d'une presse canadienne qui a su faire la différence entre un énième massacre ethnique et un génocide, d'une presse canadienne qui a su expliquer les subtilités d'un pays qui n'était pas sur le devant de la scène médiatique avant 1994. En somme l'information sur le génocide au Rwanda a été correctement traitée par la presse canadienne de avril à juillet 1994. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Génocide, Rwanda, Presse, Afrique, Canada.

The purpose of this study is to describe and examine the attitudes of coffee cooperative members towards the ownership of the SPREAD cooperatives in relation to cooperative sustainability. In addition this study identifies barriers faced by member farmers and subsequently provides recommendations on ways in which SPREAD can help its member farmers achieve a more sustainable livelihood. Previous analysis of the SPREAD project and its member cooperatives has suggested that coffee cooperative members do not feel ownership of the cooperative and have not benefited from the cooperatives, leaving the sustainability of the cooperatives to question. The research questions used for this study focused on issues of sustainability, ownership and organizational impact and barriers. All of the cooperatives studied over the course of this project receive funds from the USAID funded project SPREAD. The population of interest comprised members from three of the fourteen cooperatives receiving aid from the SPREAD project. A sample of 52 individuals participated in the study, with the data being collected from mid-July to mid-August, 2009. Quantitative data were collected using a close-ended category-scale questionnaire. The close-ended category-scale questionnaires were analyzed based on the frequency and percentage of responses. Major findings of this study included that coffee cooperative members felt that in the absence of SPREAD, the coffee cooperatives would be unable to function. In regards to ownership, members felt as if they owned the cooperatives. The disparity between these two constructs shows that once SPREAD no longer supports the cooperatives, then sustainability is to question and further they are more susceptible to collapse.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de doctorat--Berkeley--University of California, 2004. / Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 2004.