Water supply services in urban and rural areas of Tanzania were reviewed and specific studies were carried out on water supply and on purification of turbid water sources using locally available plant materials in rural villages of Singida Rural District. The review showed that large proportions of urban and rural populations in Tanzania face acute water supply problems mainly due to poor planning, implementation and management of water supply projects, including an inability to address social, technical, operation and maintenance and financial issues. Laboratory-scale experiments studied the effectiveness of crude seed extracts (CSEs) and purified proteins of Vigna unguiculata (VUP), Parkinsonia aculeata (PAP) and Voandzeia subterranea (VS) seeds, which are used traditionally for clarification of turbid water. The VUP and PAP were purified from CSEs using simple and straightforward two-step ion exchange chromatography. The coagulant proteins are thermoresistant and have a wide pH range for coagulation activity. Coagulation of turbid waters with CSEs, VUP and PAP produced low sludge volumes and removed turbidity along with other inorganic contaminants in line with Tanzania drinking water quality standards. The PAP also showed antimicrobial effect against river water bacteria. Citrus fruit juice (CF) enhanced the coagulation of turbid water by CSEs and inhibited bacterial growth, rendering it useful for disinfection of water prior to drinking in rural areas. It was concluded that natural coagulants should not be regarded as a panacea for rural water supply problems, but rather a tool in the development of sustainable water supply services in Tanzania. / QC 20100825

This thesis presents palaeoenvironmental data from equatorial Africa covering two important time intervals; i) the warming period forming the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and ii) the last millennium. The Empakaai Crater, in northern Tanzania contains a lake from where sediment cores, spanning two time-slices 14.8-9.3 ka and 800-2000 AD, have been studied. Palaeoecological and palaeohydrological reconstruction is based on a multitude of proxies from the sediments, representing both catchment environment and the lakes aquatic ecosystem response. Between 14.8 and 10 ka the catchment vegetation and lake hydrology responded to both regional climate changes and local environment, but with different amplitude and frequency, reflecting temporal and spatial lags between the two systems. However, at c 10 ka both lake conditions and catchment vegetation showed drastic changes towards drier conditions. The record covering the last millennium reveals environmental changes related to climate and human activities. The catchment’s vegetation was affected by frequent fires, most probably human induced, while near shore vegetation responded to lake level fluctuation associated with rainfall variability. About 15 km from Empakaai Crater is an extensive abandoned irrigation system, the Engaruka complex, which was in active use between c 1400 AD and 1840 AD. By comparing a number of social and environmental factors potentially influencing the societal development at Engaruka it is shown that wet climate conditions have had positive effects on the societal development but also that dry climate conditions were not always disastrous to the society. The resemblance of the pollen taxa present is strong between the two time slices and pollen representing catchment conditions respond in similar manner in both records. The lake conditions are however very different between the two periods Thus the lake responds to both long and short term changes of variable amplitude, while the catchment vegetation seems to responds to high amplitude, low frequency changes.

Botanical pesticides are agricultural pest management agents which are based on plant extracts. In modern times these have been used as alternatives to synthetic chemicals in organic pest management. The practice of using plant materials against field and storage pests however has a long history in many indigenous and traditional farming communities across the world. During February and March 2009 a field study was conducted in Babati district in Manyara region, Tanzania to investigate the local use of botanical pesticides. The results from the field study were subsequently analyzed and contextualized in Nicanor Perlas model The Seven Dimensions of Sustainable Agriculture which was used as a framework theory. The analysis indicates that there are a variety of thresholds for the use of botanical pesticides in sustainable agriculture in Babati district besides the more obvious practical aspects. The latter parts of the paper discuss the differences between reductionist and holistic, indigenous and scientific ways of achieving knowledge with regard to plant based pesticides. The study concludes that ecological pest management is a holistic method based on the synergy of a variety of farming practices. Indigenous knowledge which is holistic, site-specific and experience based has therefore much to offer modern endeavours to practice a more sustainable agriculture and pest management strategies which consider the welfare of both humanity and the environment.

It is important to investigate how HIV/AIDS  awareness affects adolescent sexual behavior and how the HIV/AIDS information from the schools and the ABC-program (abstinence, be faithful, condoms) affects the students HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual behavior. The methods used in this study consist of qualitative semi-structured interviews, a quantitative questionnaire and statistical analysis (mainly preformed in R). The purpose of this study is to analyze how sexual behavior can be affected by HIV/AIDS awareness. The results from the interviews and the questionnaire were very different. Especially when it comes to the (age of first intercourse), information from the interviews gave the impression of a younger age at first intercourse than the results from the questionnaire did. No evidence was found that adolescent sexual behavior is affected by HIV/AIDS awareness. In the context of the ABC-program, the students were not found to be abstinent; due to school regulations that consent to the expulsion of sexually active students it is even possible that the students stated a higher (age of first sexual intercourse) than what is really true. One of the informants stated that some students are as young as eight years of age when they have their first sexual experience (informant 7). The majority of the male students answered that the age of first intercourse is about 15 to 16 years of age and the majority of the female students stated 17-18 years of age or older (table 3, question 8). No evidence in this study supports the hypothesis that adolescent sexual behavior is affected by access to condoms. Condom access did not lead to an increase of the occurrence of sexual relationships nor did it seem to cause a lower age of first intercourse. This was the results that derived form four generalized models that were preformed in the statistics program R (table 4). There seemed to be a notion from some of the informants that the most adolescents are sexually active and the schools reluctance against promoting condoms may lead to the spread of STI’s amongst the students and to unwanted teenage pregnancies. Condoms should be provided for free to all students in secondary schools.

The aim of this essay was to investigate if different variables affected the distribution of fresh water pulmonate in Babati District, Tanzania. Can the absence of intermediate host be explained by basic vegetation evaluation, pH, conductivity and temperature? Or can it be explained by other factors as animals and vegetation in the surrounding? The study was carried out in Babati District, in Lake Babati, Kiongozi/Farahani River and the irrigation schemes in Matufa and Gichameda from the 23td of February until 7th of March, 2009. The species found during the survey were Biomphalaria, Bulinus, and Lymnea. Only Biomphalaria pfeifferi were present in the genus Biomphalaria. In Bulinus spp., B. globosus, B. forskalii, and B. africanus were present. Lymnea spp. was represented by L. natalensis. Statistical tests were carried out with logistic models. The results of the statistical analysis revealed different significant results for the different snail species present. L. natalensis showed a significantly positive effect of the water temperature and was distributed in water temperatures ranging from 20.9°C to 24.3°C, which is in the lower range in this study. Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Bulinus spp. were significantly affected to an increase in conductivity. L. natalensis did show a significant effect of the type of bottom in the water body, and found muddy bottoms more suitable. Animal activity (livestock) did show a significant effect on the distribution of L. natalensis which found habitats without animals more suitable. Both B. pfeifferi and L. natalensis were significantly affected by vegetation in the surrounding and found habitats with grass, shrubs and trees more favourable before cultivated areas and forests. The statistical analysis made on the data collected in Babati District showed that temperature, conductivity, bottom in water body and vegetation in the surrounding, in general, significantly affected the fresh water pulmonate. Several variables as pH, water flow, canopy cover, vegetation in the water, however, were not significantly affecting the distribution of the snails. Further investigations of interactive effects of variables, however, are necessary to prevent high infection rates of trematodes infecting the pulmonate present in Babati District, Tanzania.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of free education for all on the primary schools in Babati, Tanzania. The study is based on the fieldwork carried out in Babati district Tanzania, where information was gathered through qualitative methods. The empirical findings are analysed using a World Bank model of how educational inputs affects welfare outcomes. The study examines the millennium development goal with respect to giving every child an education. The study shows that a bigger impact can be seen in an increased enrolment in schools. That was the result of removing the primary school fees. This has resulted in overcrowding in the primary schools, lack of enough teachers, classrooms and learning material. However, over time the performances have improved. In the short term, the removal of school fees increased enrolment but resulted in poor quality of the education. In the long term, these problems are decreasing and the educational sector can now provide education to children that could not afford it before.

This thesis is an analysis of how international policies on HIV prevention can be understood through a postcolonial perspective and how these prevention strategies are reflected nationally and locally in Babati, Tanzania. To gain knowledge of these aims I have focused on UNAIDS and the US’ government policies to get an idea of where the international discourse about HIV prevention stands. My empirical data in Babati is collected by semi-structural interviews with people who work with HIV prevention. I have used Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s understanding of Third World women, together with Jenny Kitzinger theory about women in HIV discourses and Karen M Booth’s view of how international policies are trying to empower women to reduce their risk of HIV infection. To assist my analysis I have focused on three notions, which are recurring in the HIV prevention discourse, these are: empowerment of women, condom use and sexual behaviour. These notions help to establish the HIV discourse and later I have compared the results with my theoretical framework and empirical findings. My final conclusion is that international policies on HIV prevention can be seen as imperialistic as they are promoting a certain change in sexual behaviour, such as reduction of partners and abstinence until marriage.

The main objective of this study is to understand and asses flood risk perception among people living in Msimbazi Valley in Das es Salaam, Tanzania. Many of the people I have interviewed are experiencing flooding every year but it is rarely considered disastrous. Looked at individually they may not be disasters but cumulatively they may be. The rapid urbanisation, in this part of the world, forces people to live on hazardous but central land because of the livelihood opportunities available there. The government and the local communities are well aware of the risk of floods in the area and are considered as a serious threat to the families. People are still living in these areas because they find the benefits big enough to make up the risks.

Background: Tanzania is a country which faces several development challenges. The villages in this essay are located in a rural part of central Tanzania. The area experiences severe environmental conditions in addition to poverty and other related problems. Therefore, there are attempts to improve the situation by forming groups on local level. The two projects studied aim to improve the environment and the members’ economy by planting and selling trees. The participants are women only, except the supervisors who are men in both projects. Purpose and Question at Issue: The purpose is to examine if the project which the women participate in is affected by their sense of place. This is perceived through the examination of problems and possibilities faced by the women in their daily lives as well as in the project, and how these are managed and dealt with. The aim is to see if there is a correspondence between how different situations are dealt with by the individual and if this too can be related to the sense of place. Method: The majority of the material was gathered through field studies but additional information was achieved through literature studies, earlier research, observations in field and informal conversations. Interviews were carried out with participating women in the studied projects. The method followed the guidelines of grounded theory and the interviews were designed with Dolbeare’s and Schuman’s three-interview series in mind. A minor quantitative study was also carried out by handing out a questionnaire to the women in the projects. Theory: The theoretical framework builds on Tuan’s development of the meaning of sense of place, which is made up of people’s feelings, experiences and relations to a certain place. Closely related to sense of place is Bourdieu’s structural theory of habitus, why this is also considered a part of the theoretical framework. Analysis: The material gathered through the field studies is analyzed in relation to the purpose and question at issue. Sense of place is defined by using various categories of the concept, which aim to encompass several aspects and therefore give a more nuanced picture of the meaning of place for the individual. The women were found to relate the place first and foremost to their family, social bonds and daily chores and to a lesser extent with the environment.

Syftet med den här studien har varit att lära känna skolsystemet i utvecklingslandet Tanzania för att kunna ge en bild av vilka möjligheter lärare där har att stödja elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter. För att bättre förstå under vilka premisser lärare i Tanzania arbetar har vissa jämförelser gjorts med svenska förhållanden. Genom att studera Tanzanias policydokument har jag fått en bild av hur Tanzanias regering vill att den tanzaniska skolan ska se ut. Frågan är om den bilden stämmer överrens med den bild lärare i Tanzania ger. För att ta reda på det åkte jag till Tanzania där jag genomförde intervjuer i grundskolor och på ett universitet där man utbildar specialpedagoger/speciallärare. Som kom-plement svarade några andra lärare i Tanzania på en enkät som handlade om hur de ser på barn med läs- och skrivsvårigheter och på sina möjligheter att stödja dessa barns utveckling. Samma enkät dela-des ut till några lärare i Sverige. På så sätt fick jag en kontrasterande bild att spegla de Tanzaniska förhållandena i. På många sätt har lärare i Sverige och i Tanzania väldigt olika förutsättningar. Men det finns även likheter. Både i Sverige och i Tanzania upplever lärare att kraven från statligt håll är svåra att uppfylla och i båda länderna finns det många hängivna lärare som vill jobba för att kunna hjälpa alla barn till en god utbildning. / The aim of this study has been to learn more about the school system in the developing country of Tanzania in order to give an idea of what opportunities there are for teachers in Tanzania to support students with dyslexia. For a better understanding of the premises teachers in Tanzania have some comparisons with Swedish conditions been made. By studying the Tanzanian policy documents I have got a picture of how the government of Tanzania want the Tanzanian school to be. The question is whether that image is in compliance with what teachers in Tanzania can give. To find out, I went to Tanzania where I conducted interviews in primary schools and at a university where they train special needs teachers. As a complement a few other teachers in Tanzania answered a questionnaire about how they look at children with reading and writing difficulties and how they experience their opportunities to support these children's development. The same questionnaire was distributed to some teachers in Sweden. In this way I got a contrasting picture that I could use to reflect the Tanzanian situation. In many ways, teachers in Sweden and in Tanzania have very different conditions. But there are also similarities. Both in Sweden and in Tanzania teachers experience that the requirements of the governments are difficult to encounter and in both countries there are many dedicated teachers who wish to help all children to get a good education.