Anthropological research on the sociocultural outcomes from applications of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) for infertility, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is greatly lacking and much needed. Narratives from individuals, couples, families, community leaders and members are particularly germane to medical anthropological studies on the intersection of science and technology in the new millennium. With ART applications still in their infancy in sub-Saharan Africa, research of this nature may be of benefit in determining how best to apply ARTs within important cultural frameworks and allow infertile couples and other recipients the opportunity to minimize adverse results. This paper draws upon theoretical perspectives from anthropology, science and technology studies, ethnographic data from my field study in Uganda, and reviews of literature, to construct theories about how for the Baganda, the proliferation of ARTs could potentially change or disrupt cultural notions of power and identity and unseat core notions of kinship.

<p> The Khoisan are the most genetically ancient people on Earth, with a population once numbering 300,000. The Bushmen of Southern Africa are quickly losing their 40,000 years of indigenous knowledge due to colonialism, globalization, modernization, assimilation, land loss, and marginalization. There are now large gaps in generational knowledge, especially as people move into settlements and leave their traditional homelands. The restoration of indigenous knowledge requires the paths of intergenerational cultural transmission to be reestablished (Florey, 2009). This dissertation examines whether indigenous knowledge can be perpetuated intergenerationally with the aid of indigenous-based restorative ecotourism. Indigenous-based <i>restorative</i> ecotourism promotes empowerment and local engagement, is responsive to local value systems, and aims to halt marginalization in communities. Using exploratory research within a qualitative paradigm and ethnographic narrative inquiry and semi-structured interviews, I examine the effect of ecotourism on two communities of Nharo and Ju/'hoansi Bushmen through two questions: 1) How has ecotourism changed these two communities and 2) Can restorative ecotourism support intergenerational knowledge retention? The data show that these Nharo and Ju/'hoansi Bushmen want to keep their culture, that they see value in the intergenerational transmission of indigenous knowledge, and that this is happening in both communities involved in ecotourism ventures. I conclude that this system of ecotourism is culturally restorative, and leads to increased indigenous knowledge retention in these communities without further exploitation.</p><p> <i>Keywords</i> &ndash; San Bushmen, Nharo, Botswana, indigenous knowledge, intergenerational knowledge, restorative ecotourism, cultural tourism </p>

Intrastate conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa are a development tragedy and a security dilemma that requires more prevention and better intervention from the international community. Such engagement necessitates a robust early warning system, which can determine, with a sufficient degree of accuracy, the countries most at risk of experiencing intrastate conflict. This research summarizes and critiques current efforts to conceptualize intrastate conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa and determine what factors best explain the likelihood of intrastate conflict onset. The research examines the challenges of empirically modelling the human behaviour that underlies intrastate conflict, as well as some promising avenues for overcoming challenges posed by data issues and existing methodological shortcomings. The research concludes that with improved data and research design, and more attention being paid to how statistical significance reflects pathway(s) to violence, the development of an intrastate conflict early warning system is possible.

Malaria is a daunting epidemic killing millions of people annually and no region is harder hit than Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Each year there are more than 247 million malaria cases in SSA, resulting in more than 600,000 deaths. Despite a comprehensive understanding of the parasite and its transmission, worldwide eradication campaigns have failed to adequately control or eliminate the disease. This paper provides a meta-analysis of historical and current approaches to malaria eradication throughout SSA, highlighting past success and perceived failure to avoid repetitive progression down a path of narrowly focused eradication efforts. Through consideration of the economic costs associated with malaria, as well as a critique of current international elimination strategies, this analysis suggests sizeable and widespread returns to pursuing eradication measures. However, this paper finds that current methods are not sufficient to eradicate the malaria burden and multi-dimensional and all-encompassing approaches are essential to making malaria history.

Background: Tobacco use is one of the most ubiquitous causes of death and disability worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, despite the rising trend the use of tobacco in generally low among adults - less than 10% in men and around 2% in women. As a result the region is viewed as being in the early stages of the four stage tobacco epidemic model. Projections suggest that the tobacco epidemic, if unchecked, can peak in Sub-Saharan Africa in the middle of this century. This offers the public health community an extraordinary opportunity – not only is the epidemic predicted so far in the future, there is knowledge on how to prevent it. The purpose of this study is to (a) research and assess case studies and theoretical frameworks used to guide global collaborative efforts in public health and development; (b) develop, administer, and summarize feedback collected from key stakeholders representing organizations critical in SSA tobacco control efforts; (c) analyze findings and identify gaps in the collective action; recommend opportunities to improve the systematic operations/capacity of all collaborating partners within SSA so that progress and collective impacts are maximized in the future. Methods: Secondary data was first sorted using a comparative, thematic approach to detect themes related to M&E practices at individual (organizational) level and at the group (collective) level. The sorted data was then analyzed using hypothesized content analysis for alignment of individual and group perceptions across the five components necessary for a collaborative effort to achieve a collective impact - shared agenda, shared measurements, mutually reinforcing activities, on-going communications, and support organization. Results: Current practices of M&E are perceived as sub-optimal both at individual and group levels. Even though the secondary data was focused primarily on shared measurements, the mapping of individual and group level perceptions against the five components of collective impact indicates that attributes of the other four components were organically included in the discussion in varied depths. Analysis of perception indicates general willingness to adopt a common monitoring and evaluation framework. Conclusions: A common M&E framework remains a missing component of the collaborative effort striving to prevent the tobacco epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It is needed to learn from past successes and challenges and to inform strategy of current and future initiatives so that collaborating organizations are better able seize the unprecedented opportunity of preventing death and suffering from tobacco related illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa. It is important that such an M&E framework be thoughtfully conceptualized within the context of a common agenda, and supported by processes that facilitate mutually reinforcing activities and continuous communication among collaborators.

Exposure to environmental toxins is a major contributing factor to the expected increase in chronic disease within developing countries in the next 20 years. Due to its ubiquitous distribution and persistent nature, mercury (Hg) is an example of a toxic substance that has garnered global concern because of its known detrimental effects on human and ecosystem health. Although fish consumption is the predominant source of Hg exposure to humans in developed nations, studies in developing countries have shown that high Hg concentrations in humans cannot be explained by fish consumption alone. The estimated daily intake (EDI) and the relative contribution of various sources of Hg to humans differ significantly between individuals, ethnic groups, and across continents. Health Canada is currently attempting to regulate the anthropogenic release and exposure dose of Hg to its citizens based on known EDIs, however the greatest sources of Hg exposure across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are still unknown, thus impeding the regulatory process. This thesis focuses on four major sources of Hg exposure in SSA: skin-lightening cosmetics, soil geophagy, small-scale gold mining, and fish consumption. An exposure assessment model has been developed to identify the sources of greatest concern for various age groups in Ghana and Uganda and is presented using published and unpublished data, as well as experimental Hg bioaccessibility data. The results indicate that occupational exposure and lifestyle choices (mining and use of skin-lightening cosmetics) have the greatest contribution to overall increases in Hg toxicity in adults. The health of infants, however, is most likely to be compromised before birth and in the first few days of life due to maternal consumption of fish with elevated Hg concentrations and the use of Hg-containing cosmetics. It is imperative that further research of these sources be carried out to prevent the possible long-term negative social and economic consequences of chronic illness in SSA. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-25 20:05:32.606

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<p> There is an extraordinary group of people, motivated by their Christian faith, starting businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa because they believe that business plays a key role in alleviating poverty. These faith-based social business (FSB) leaders face situations similar to those faced by leaders in other academic and practitioner fields including business as mission, social entrepreneurship, international business, and international development, given their pursuit of multiple-bottom lines, cross-cultural engagement in undeveloped nations, and a focus on integration of faith. The complexities of their contexts create opportunities and challenges in which their strategies and operations require further investigation and analysis. </p><p> This case study of six FSBs explores what this author labels the "domains of influence" of business structure, outcomes, and partnership that shape the thoughts and actions of these business leaders. It found that in the domain of structure, FSBs only allow limited forms of subsidizations based on their desire to steer clear of unhealthy dependency and avoid harm to the local economy. Furthermore, there is an expressed need for creative funding during the pioneering/incubation periods to allow for the pursuit of traditional investment after proof of concept. In the domain of outcomes, FSBs identify various understandings of, and pursue multiple strategies toward, economic, spiritual and social goals. Findings suggest that the primary economic goal of FSBs is sustainability, defined in multiple ways. In the spiritual arena, given the predominantly Christian location in which these FSBs were operating in Sub-Saharan Africa, a contextual understanding of local views of spirituality promotes a reactive form of evangelism. Moreover, FSB leaders view spiritual and social outcomes as inseparable and strategically target not only the product itself towards social impact, but also use the power they have as a business to promote justice. This practice of "justice" is accompanied by a social practice of "tough love" in regards to the employees, since it is believed to be better developmentally in terms of building dignity and hope than nonprofit handout efforts. Finally, in the domain of partnership, the findings show that the FSBs tend to employ a short-term expatriate rotation if U.S. partner exit strategies are not viable, and pay special attention to addressing pre-existing racial hierarchical stereotypes within the partnership.</p>

<p> The current hermeneutic qualitative phenomenological study explored the impact of <i>Harambee</i> tradition of philanthropy on the philanthropic activities of Kenyan immigrants in the Twin Cities. The face to face interviews of 12 Kenyan immigrants yielded six themes which illustrated that <i>harambee;</i> skews towards social needs limited to Kenyans and other similar groups, conform to familiarity and comfort, espouse shared responsibility, enhance community participation and mobilization, maintain continuity of philanthropy and harmonizes altruistic behavior and satisfaction. Two subthemes that emerged indicate that <i>harambee</i> is for common good and is not easy to replicate in other settings. The findings of this study show that first-generation Kenyan immigrants continue to practice <i> harambee</i> years after migration. It is recommended that a Kenyan cultural community center be established in the Twin Cities to preserve the Kenyan history and culture as well as to provide avenues for research on Kenyan immigrant issues and other similar groups in the United States.</p>

Becoming an effective agent of development in the challenging and complex context of the development NGO in Sub-Saharan Africa necessitates prioritizing learning and adaptation. But NGOs are often not characterized by such a strong learning culture and commitment; and Christian NGOs are no exception. Reforming both the commitment to learning and the structures that support it is a pressing challenge facing Christian NGOs committed to being effective agents of development. Such reform requires careful analysis of the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, special consideration of the complex broader socio-political structure of the NGO world, and systematic research into understanding organizational dynamics that facilitate learning. Data from this research contributes to building an integrated learning model. Applying this model through a case study of specific Christian NGO—World Vision Burundi—leads to both identifying factors that undermine learning and proposing a set of recommendations that will help this NGO become a more effective learning organization.