Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Middle East, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Dahl, Erik J. Second Reader: Moran, Daniel J. "March 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 28, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Piracy, Maritime Security, Regional Security Cooperation, Cooperative Security, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Gulf of Aden, Straits of Malacca, Maritime Capacity. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-116). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Letitia Lawson, Jessica Piombo. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-56). Also available online.

Globally, approximately 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water sources and nearly half of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where only 68% of the population has access to improved drinking water sources. Globally, it is estimated that 79% of the people using unimproved sources and 93% of people using surface water live in rural areas. In terms of water for agriculture, most of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on rain-fed agriculture, which is threatened by the effects of climate change thereby worsening food insecurity. Adequate provision of drinking and irrigation water is believed to enhance development in areas such as health, education, food security and women empowerment. This interdisciplinary study used a mixed methods approach to develop a financing and decision support model for planning and analysing of sustainable rural water provision using solar photovoltaics (PV) in SSA, with Malawi as a case study country. The research methods included household surveys, stakeholder interviews, field visits and techno-economic analysis. Findings from the household surveys show that the current water sources are inadequate; the majority of the households used boreholes as their main source of water and they faced challenges, which included queuing, low yield, non-functionality, disparity in number of water points, theft and vandalism. For irrigation, households still rely on traditional methods of irrigation namely; watering cans with very few having treadle pumps, which are all labour intensive. From the stakeholders point of view, challenges included lack of finances, failure of current community management system, lack of coordination and lack of enabling policies. In the techno-economic analysis, a solar PV system was designed to supply approximately 200 households with drinking water. The design cost was calculated to be US$18,600 and the levelized cost of water was US$0.34/m3. The levelized cost was found to be almost six times what the households are currently paying and three times what they are willing to pay. To address this issue, the study developed a cross-subsidy model for the cost of water with that of basic energy services, particularly rechargeable lantern lighting and mobile phone charging. Using this model, the levelized cost of water was reduced by over half but is still two and a half times what they are currently paying for water. Further innovations were found to reduce the breakeven cost to only US$0.06 more of what they are currently paying. The novelty of the research is that no work in SSA, particularly in Malawi has developed such an all-inclusive integrated needs-driven approach that helps identify solar PV powered water provision solutions. These results provide baseline data for researchers, policymakers, planners, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders with interest in providing water and energy to the rural areas. This thesis recommends that with proper finance and management policies, enforcement of product and installation standards and training of households, solar PV can be used to improve access for drinking and irrigation water and at the same time provide basic energy services to the people living in the rural areas of SSA.

“What shows itself is a proposed world, a world I may inhabit, and wherein I can project my ownmost possibilities” (Paul Ricoeur). This research investigates devised biblical drama as an alternative hermeneutic for orally focused churches, whose practical problems in engaging with Scripture leave them at the unintended margins of the global churches’ world of assumed literacy. The work builds on a Ricoeurian perception of Scripture as a dynamic of time, telling and tradition that offers a drawing invitation to Christians to enter and inhabit its proposed worlds of anticipative and participative remembering, beckoning towards life in the now-and-not-yet of the kingdom of God. A telling case is offered by the orally focused Anglican Churches in Gambella (Ethiopia), through the reflective voices of their church leaders, and through the illustration of their dramas: seen within the innovation of fresh interpretation, and also through the sedimentation of their tradition of drama. Firstly, the nature and interpretative process of devising biblical drama is investigated, demonstrating that this holistic, creative, and communal, contextualized approach to Scripture entwines aspects of criticality and orality through its conversational questioning and imagining of Scripture that is enhanced through practical embodiment. The research proposes that the embodied, enacted, mimetic form of drama offers a liminality that enables participative inhabitation of the proposed worlds of Scripture. Secondly, the developing tradition of Anglican biblical dramas in Gambella is investigated. These dramas inherit, form, participate in, and hand on the tradition of Christian cultural memory on which these churches are founded, through a proclamation of Scripture that is made manifest within present event. This research argues that both forms of drama offer participative possibilities for faithful and formative, hopeful inhabitation of the proposed worlds of Scripture, and so could offer potential gifts to the wider church.

Submitted by Daniele Santos (danielesantos.htl@gmail.com) on 2017-06-06T18:37:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maters Thesis V3 Louis.pdf: 2979249 bytes, checksum: 4c0d335d9495ce5c9e68a50d36bd6bdc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2017-06-06T20:08:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Maters Thesis V3 Louis.pdf: 2979249 bytes, checksum: 4c0d335d9495ce5c9e68a50d36bd6bdc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-21T18:09:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maters Thesis V3 Louis.pdf: 2979249 bytes, checksum: 4c0d335d9495ce5c9e68a50d36bd6bdc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-02 / The culture of cocoa is one the main drivers of Cameroonian economy, bringing many promises in term of employment and revenues. The business organization around cocoa is developing, taking into consideration, the strategy of economic development deployed by the country, its image as the fifth producer of the world and the opportunity for Cameroon to answer the market increasing demand. We have developed in this paper the business organization around cocoa in Cameroon, the implication for people and administration, its potentialities in term of development and the rules to know when entering cocoa business in Cameroon. When we undertook to work on this topic for the master thesis, it was to connect both 'our project of developing cocoa business in Cameroon' and 'the analysis of local cocoa market and its connections to the international market'. Many sources of data have been analyzed including the information collected through the Internet, the Ministry of Agriculture in Cameroon, the Ministry of Trade, the provincial delegation of agriculture of Centre, cocoa buyers’ information such as Telcar, Sic-Cacao and the Cocoa Development Corporation with is the State corporate, developing cocoa seeds and training farmers. After reviewed the literature and meeting with people, we undertook the analysis of cocoa business organization. Interestingly, the results revealed the implication of local government and the effort they are putting together to reach their objective of positioning Cameroon by 2022 as the second producer of cocoa beans with more than 600.000 tons a year. Reaching such objective means develop business opportunities in term of production, increase export capacity to capture more value and develop local pre-transforming units.

AN ABSRACT OF THE THESIS OF Greg Steinsdoerfer, for the Master of Arts degree in psychology, presented on October 25th, 2011, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: QUALITY OF NATURAL MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN A RURAL AFRICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SAMPLE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Kathie, Chwalisz, Ph.D. In response to the general call of the American Psychological Association (APA) for more multicultural and multinational research (APA, 2002), this study is an examination of natural mentor relationships in a rural sub-Saharan African high school student sample. A total of 200 rural Zambian high school students completed a set of self-report questionnaires to test three hypotheses. First, those with a natural mentor were hypothesized to have significantly better psychological health outcomes than those without a natural mentor, as measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE), the General Health Questionnaire - 12 (GHQ-12), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Second, it was hypothesized that high school students with a natural mentor would report better health risk choices as measured by alcohol, smoking, drug, sexual activity, and bullying behavior. Finally, quality of the natural mentoring relationship (i.e., frequency of contact, emotional closeness, and longevity of the relationship) was hypothesized to be related to better psychological health outcomes. As hypothesized, sub-Saharan African high school students with a natural mentor reported significantly better psychological health outcomes on all measures than those who did not have a natural mentor. High school students with a natural mentor did not have significant differences in health choice behaviors, and the quality of the natural mentor relationship was not a significant predictor for psychological health. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention programs in rural community settings in Zambia. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

INTRODUÇÃO: As prevalências de desnutrição infantil ainda são altas nos países da África Subsaariana; porém, há indícios de que a obesidade em adultos esteja aumentando. Neste cenário, se, por um lado, é importante combater a desnutrição, por outro, é fundamental identificar as tendências do excesso de peso ao longo do tempo, a fim de prevenir grandes elevações de obesidade e doenças crônicas. Com isso, os objetivos desta pesquisa foram: descrever as tendências de obesidade ao longo das últimas décadas em mulheres em idade fértil e em crianças menores de 5 anos, paralelamente àquelas de desnutrição nesse mesmo grupo de crianças em países da África Subsaariana; e identificar os fatores associados à desnutrição em crianças menores de 2 anos em um município de Luanda, Angola. MÉTODOS: Para descrever as tendências da situação nutricional, foram utilizados dados de inquéritos nacionais (Demographic and Health Surveys e Multiple Indicator Cluster Samples) de 13 países do continente africano, que tinham pelo menos quatro inquéritos disponíveis. Foram traçadas tendências para os desfechos: obesidade em mulheres com idade entre 15 e 49 anos, e sobrepeso, baixa estatura (stunting), baixo peso para altura (wasting), baixo peso para idade (underweight) e baixo peso ao nascer em crianças com menos de 5 anos. Para as tendências individuais de cada país, foi realizada regressão linear, enquanto para as tendências considerando o conjunto dos 13 países, empregou-se modelo de regressão multinível. Quanto à identificação dos fatores associados com a desnutrição, foram utilizados dados de um estudo transversal de base populacional realizado em Cacuaco, município da província de Luanda, em 2010. Os desfechos estudados foram baixa estatura (stunting) e baixo peso para idade (underweight). Foram estimadas razões de prevalência (RP) por regressão de Poisson com variância robusta utilizando modelo hierarquizado. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de obesidade cresceu entre mulheres em idade fértil na maior parte dos países estudados, em média 2,8 pontos percentuais por década (P<0,001), acompanhada por importante diminuição de stunting, em média de 5,6 pontos percentuais por década (P<0,001) e diminuição bem menor de wasting, em média de 1,1 ponto percentual por década (P=0,09), sem evidência, até o momento, de aumento de sobrepeso em crianças abaixo de 5 anos (aumento de 1,0 ponto percentual por década, P=0,14). Em Angola, das 749 crianças incluídas no estudo, 232 [32,0% (IC 95%: 28,7-35,5%)] tinham baixa estatura e 109 [15,1% (IC 95%: 12,6-17,9%)] estavam com peso baixo para idade. Na análise multivariável final, foram identificados os seguintes fatores associados com os desfechos pesquisados: ocorrência de diarreia nos últimos 15 dias (RP 1,39 [IC95% 1,06-1,84]) para baixa estatura; e presença de óbito de outros filhos (RP 1,52 [IC95% 1,01-2,28]) para baixo peso para idade. Em modelo composto apenas de fatores distais e intermediários, a presença de cuidador principal (outro que não a mãe) aumentou a prevalência de baixa estatura em 42% (RP 1,42; IC95% 1,10-1,84) e para cada mês mais tarde que a mãe o iniciou pré-natal, a prevalência de baixo peso para idade aumentou em 20% (RP 1,20; IC95% 1,03-1,40). CONCLUSÃO: Foi possível descrever a tendência preocupante de aumento de obesidade em mulheres em idade fértil nos países estudados. Em Angola, poucos fatores individuais foram descritos, sugerindo que a influência de fatores coletivos é importante. Esses dados devem ser úteis para o planejamento de ações visando, por um lado, à prevenção de uma epidemia de obesidade em crianças na África Subsaariana e, por outro, ao enfrentamento atual das altas taxas de desnutrição em crianças em Angola e outros países. / INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of child malnutrition is still high in sub-Saharan Africa; however, there is evidence that obesity in adults is increasing. In this scenario, on the one hand, it is important to tackle malnutrition, while on the other, it is essential to identify trends in excess weight over time, so as to focus attention on the prevention of large increases in obesity and the chronic diseases it causes. Thus, the objectives of this study were to describe trends in sub-Saharan Africa in obesity over the past decades in women of childbearing age and in children under 5 years of age, in parallel with those of malnutrition in the same group of children; as well as to identify factors associated with malnutrition in children under 2 years living in the suburban area of Luanda, Angola. METHODS: To describe the trends in nutritional status, secondary data from national surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Samples) of 13 African countries having at least four available surveys, were used. Trends were described for the outcomes obesity in women aged 15 to 49, and overweight, stunting, wasting, underweight and low birthweight in children under 5 years. For individual trends in each country, linear regression was performed. For trends considering the group of 13 countries, we used a multilevel regression model. To identify the factors associated with malnutrition, data from a cross-sectional population-based study held in Cacuaco, a municipality of Luanda, in 2010 were used. The outcomes studied were stunting and underweight. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated by Poisson regression with robust variance using a hierarchical model. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity increased among women of reproductive age in most of the countries studied, on average 2.8 percentage points per decade (P<0.001), accompanied by significant reduction of stunting, on average 5.6 percentage points per decade (P<0.001) and a decrease, though much smaller, of wasting, on average 1.1 percentage points per decade (P=0.09), with no evidence, to date, of an increase in overweight in children under 5 years (increase of 1.0 percentage points per decade, P = 0.14).In Angola, among the 749 children included in the study, 232 [32.0% (95% CI: 28.7 to 35.5%)] were stunted and 109 [15.1% (95% CI: 12.6- 17.9)] were underweight. In the final multivariate analysis model, the following factors have been identified as associated with the studied outcomes: occurrence of diarrhea in the last 15 days (PR 1.39 [95% CI 1.06 to 1.84]) for stunting; and death of other children from the same mother (PR 1.52 [95% CI 1.01-2.28]) for underweight. In a model composed only of distal and intermediate factors, the primary caregiver not being the mother increased the prevalence of stunting by 42% (PR 1.42, 95%CI 1.10- 1.84) and each month that prenatal care was delayed increased the prevalence of underweight by 20% (PR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.40). CONCLUSION: These results enabled the identification of a worrying increasing trend of obesity in women of childbearing age in the studied countries, in a context in which child malnutrition still prevails, especially stunting. In Angola, although it was possible to identify factors associated with malnutrition never before studied in Luanda, few individual factors were identified that increased the prevalence of malnutrition, suggesting that the problem results primarily from factors affecting society as a whole. These data should be useful for planning aimed, on the one hand, to prevent an epidemic of obesity in children in sub-Saharan Africa, and on the other, meeting the challenge of current widespread childhood malnutrition in Angola and other countries.

abstract: This study investigated work-family conflict and related phenomena reported by female teachers in primary and secondary schools in Kenya. Specifically, it sought to first identify general work and family stressors and profession specific stressors, and how these stressors influenced teachers’ work-family conflict (WFC) and burnout. Second, it investigated whether support from home and work reduced these teachers’ perceived work-family conflict and burnout. Third, it investigated the impact of marital status, number and ages of children, length of teaching experience, and school location (city vs town) on perceived work-family conflict (WFC). In this study, 375 female teachers from Nairobi and three towns completed a survey questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended questions. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive and inferential statistics, and content analyses of qualitative data. There were five primary findings. (1) Teachers clearly identified and described stressors that led to work-family conflict: inability to get reliable support from domestic workers, a sick child, high expectations of a wife at home, high workloads at school and home, low schedule flexibility, and number of days teachers spend at school beyond normal working hours, etc. (2) Work-family conflict experienced was cyclical in nature. Stressors influenced WFC, which led to adverse outcomes. These outcomes later acted as secondary stressors. (3) The culture of the school and school’s resources influenced the level of support that teachers received. The level of WFC support that teachers received depended on the goodwill of supervisors and colleagues. (4) Work-family conflict contributed to emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. Time and emotional investment in students’ parents was related to emotional exhaustion; time and emotional investment in students’ behavior, the number of years teaching experience, and number of children were related to professional efficacy. Support from teachers’ spouses enabled teachers to cope with cynicism. (5) While marital status did not influence WFC, school location did; teachers in Nairobi experienced more WFC than those in small towns. The study highlighted the importance of culture in studies of work-family conflict, as some of the stressors and WFC experiences identified seemed unique to the Kenyan context. Finally, theoretical implications, policy recommendations, and further research directions are presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2015

Sub-Saharan Africa is the provider of many critical natural resources. With such resources, one would expect these countries to have thriving economies. Why is the opposite case true? To answer such a question, this paper examines a few critical causes that may justify the current economic situation these African countries are experiencing. Specifically, the paper observes the economic impact of civil war and terrorist conflict in sub-Saharan Africa from 1971 to 2016. To explore the changes in GDP per capita for all these years, this thesis sheds light on three independent variables: year of conflict, education level, and foreign direct investment for many of the 47 sub-Saharan African countries. Replicating Paul Collier’s Bottom Billion, this thesis will delve into more recent trends of the past two decades, and why the lack of economic advancement is pertinent to these countries. With the results obtained, this thesis proposes solutions to lowering the impact of civil conflict, and steadily advancing the economies across the African continent.

INTRODUÇÃO: As prevalências de desnutrição infantil ainda são altas nos países da África Subsaariana; porém, há indícios de que a obesidade em adultos esteja aumentando. Neste cenário, se, por um lado, é importante combater a desnutrição, por outro, é fundamental identificar as tendências do excesso de peso ao longo do tempo, a fim de prevenir grandes elevações de obesidade e doenças crônicas. Com isso, os objetivos desta pesquisa foram: descrever as tendências de obesidade ao longo das últimas décadas em mulheres em idade fértil e em crianças menores de 5 anos, paralelamente àquelas de desnutrição nesse mesmo grupo de crianças em países da África Subsaariana; e identificar os fatores associados à desnutrição em crianças menores de 2 anos em um município de Luanda, Angola. MÉTODOS: Para descrever as tendências da situação nutricional, foram utilizados dados de inquéritos nacionais (Demographic and Health Surveys e Multiple Indicator Cluster Samples) de 13 países do continente africano, que tinham pelo menos quatro inquéritos disponíveis. Foram traçadas tendências para os desfechos: obesidade em mulheres com idade entre 15 e 49 anos, e sobrepeso, baixa estatura (stunting), baixo peso para altura (wasting), baixo peso para idade (underweight) e baixo peso ao nascer em crianças com menos de 5 anos. Para as tendências individuais de cada país, foi realizada regressão linear, enquanto para as tendências considerando o conjunto dos 13 países, empregou-se modelo de regressão multinível. Quanto à identificação dos fatores associados com a desnutrição, foram utilizados dados de um estudo transversal de base populacional realizado em Cacuaco, município da província de Luanda, em 2010. Os desfechos estudados foram baixa estatura (stunting) e baixo peso para idade (underweight). Foram estimadas razões de prevalência (RP) por regressão de Poisson com variância robusta utilizando modelo hierarquizado. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de obesidade cresceu entre mulheres em idade fértil na maior parte dos países estudados, em média 2,8 pontos percentuais por década (P<0,001), acompanhada por importante diminuição de stunting, em média de 5,6 pontos percentuais por década (P<0,001) e diminuição bem menor de wasting, em média de 1,1 ponto percentual por década (P=0,09), sem evidência, até o momento, de aumento de sobrepeso em crianças abaixo de 5 anos (aumento de 1,0 ponto percentual por década, P=0,14). Em Angola, das 749 crianças incluídas no estudo, 232 [32,0% (IC 95%: 28,7-35,5%)] tinham baixa estatura e 109 [15,1% (IC 95%: 12,6-17,9%)] estavam com peso baixo para idade. Na análise multivariável final, foram identificados os seguintes fatores associados com os desfechos pesquisados: ocorrência de diarreia nos últimos 15 dias (RP 1,39 [IC95% 1,06-1,84]) para baixa estatura; e presença de óbito de outros filhos (RP 1,52 [IC95% 1,01-2,28]) para baixo peso para idade. Em modelo composto apenas de fatores distais e intermediários, a presença de cuidador principal (outro que não a mãe) aumentou a prevalência de baixa estatura em 42% (RP 1,42; IC95% 1,10-1,84) e para cada mês mais tarde que a mãe o iniciou pré-natal, a prevalência de baixo peso para idade aumentou em 20% (RP 1,20; IC95% 1,03-1,40). CONCLUSÃO: Foi possível descrever a tendência preocupante de aumento de obesidade em mulheres em idade fértil nos países estudados. Em Angola, poucos fatores individuais foram descritos, sugerindo que a influência de fatores coletivos é importante. Esses dados devem ser úteis para o planejamento de ações visando, por um lado, à prevenção de uma epidemia de obesidade em crianças na África Subsaariana e, por outro, ao enfrentamento atual das altas taxas de desnutrição em crianças em Angola e outros países. / INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of child malnutrition is still high in sub-Saharan Africa; however, there is evidence that obesity in adults is increasing. In this scenario, on the one hand, it is important to tackle malnutrition, while on the other, it is essential to identify trends in excess weight over time, so as to focus attention on the prevention of large increases in obesity and the chronic diseases it causes. Thus, the objectives of this study were to describe trends in sub-Saharan Africa in obesity over the past decades in women of childbearing age and in children under 5 years of age, in parallel with those of malnutrition in the same group of children; as well as to identify factors associated with malnutrition in children under 2 years living in the suburban area of Luanda, Angola. METHODS: To describe the trends in nutritional status, secondary data from national surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Samples) of 13 African countries having at least four available surveys, were used. Trends were described for the outcomes obesity in women aged 15 to 49, and overweight, stunting, wasting, underweight and low birthweight in children under 5 years. For individual trends in each country, linear regression was performed. For trends considering the group of 13 countries, we used a multilevel regression model. To identify the factors associated with malnutrition, data from a cross-sectional population-based study held in Cacuaco, a municipality of Luanda, in 2010 were used. The outcomes studied were stunting and underweight. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated by Poisson regression with robust variance using a hierarchical model. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity increased among women of reproductive age in most of the countries studied, on average 2.8 percentage points per decade (P<0.001), accompanied by significant reduction of stunting, on average 5.6 percentage points per decade (P<0.001) and a decrease, though much smaller, of wasting, on average 1.1 percentage points per decade (P=0.09), with no evidence, to date, of an increase in overweight in children under 5 years (increase of 1.0 percentage points per decade, P = 0.14).In Angola, among the 749 children included in the study, 232 [32.0% (95% CI: 28.7 to 35.5%)] were stunted and 109 [15.1% (95% CI: 12.6- 17.9)] were underweight. In the final multivariate analysis model, the following factors have been identified as associated with the studied outcomes: occurrence of diarrhea in the last 15 days (PR 1.39 [95% CI 1.06 to 1.84]) for stunting; and death of other children from the same mother (PR 1.52 [95% CI 1.01-2.28]) for underweight. In a model composed only of distal and intermediate factors, the primary caregiver not being the mother increased the prevalence of stunting by 42% (PR 1.42, 95%CI 1.10- 1.84) and each month that prenatal care was delayed increased the prevalence of underweight by 20% (PR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.40). CONCLUSION: These results enabled the identification of a worrying increasing trend of obesity in women of childbearing age in the studied countries, in a context in which child malnutrition still prevails, especially stunting. In Angola, although it was possible to identify factors associated with malnutrition never before studied in Luanda, few individual factors were identified that increased the prevalence of malnutrition, suggesting that the problem results primarily from factors affecting society as a whole. These data should be useful for planning aimed, on the one hand, to prevent an epidemic of obesity in children in sub-Saharan Africa, and on the other, meeting the challenge of current widespread childhood malnutrition in Angola and other countries.