No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of mathematical connections used by selected teachers when teaching the topic of algebra and to investigate their perceptions of their use of connections. The participants were selected on the basis of teaching experience as well as their willingness to share their ideas. An interpretive paradigm was used to collect and analyse data. The data was collected from three participating teachers. These participants were selected from the three secondary schools in the town of Tsumeb in Namibia. I used video recordings of two lessons per teacher as well as semi-structured interviews as my tools to gather data. After the two lessons were video recorded, I conducted a workshop with the teachers to introduce them to the 5 types of mathematical connections pertinent to this study. We analysed the videos together using Businskas' framework as a basis for analysis. This then formed part of the stimulated recall interviews. It was found that, even though teachers were not aware of the concept of mathematical connections before our interactions, there was strong evidence of connections being made and used in their lessons. The two types of connections that were used most frequently (24.1 percent each) were procedural and instruction-oriented connections respectively. Part-whole relationships connections were used the least with a frequency of 12 percent. All three teachers agreed that they needed to make more connections when teaching and that they would think more about connections in future, particularly when preparing their lessons. The study makes recommendations to encourage the continuous use of connections in teaching mathematics.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Providing quality health services is a concept currently given a high priority by the World Health Organization (WHO). As a member of WHO, Namibia is determined to improve health services delivery in the country. In order to achieve this, both doctors and patients must fully engage in the planning and implementation of health services. There have been long standing complaints from patients attending Tsumeb district hospital in Namibia about unsatisfactory services from doctors. The Regional Health Management Team and District Coordinating Committee have tried to make sure that all essential services required at the district hospital are in place and functional. Despite these measures, some patients continue to express dissatisfaction with the services provided by doctors. The aim of this study was to describe factors considered by patients in choosing a doctor at Tsumeb district hospital Outpatient department. The research was an observational descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered by the researcher in interviews to a sample of 235 patients attending the Tsumeb Out Patient Department over five weeks. Data was analyzed using Epi-Info computer software. Approval to conduct the research was sought from the Namibian Ministry of Health Research Ethical Committee and Regional Health Management Team prior to commencing the study. Study participants received full information on the purpose and process of the study in their preferred language and were allowed to withdraw at any stage without consequences. All data was made anonymous and securely stored. The majority of the study sample (90 percent) did not have a tertiary level of education. Although a majority of the study sample (80 percent) said there were long waiting times at Tsumeb hospital Out Patient Department and 48 percent indicated that the environment at Tsumeb hospital was unfriendly, a significant percent of patients surveyed (38.3 percent) were present for follow-up care. This could be attributed to patients who attend Tsumeb hospital being of low socio-economic status and hence having a limited choice of health services, or it could suggest that overall patients were satisfied with the doctors they saw, as 67 percent of returning patients agreed with the statement that Out Patient Department doctors are competent. Four participants complained about the lack of confidentiality among nurses, an issue that was not part of the original questionnaire. In order to improve the quality of patient care, there is a need for the Tsumeb hospital authority to address key complaints around waiting times and staff attitudes.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Every year, about 20 million infants are born with low birth weight globally, putting a heavy burden on health care and social systems, especially in developing countries as they are often understaffed and/or lack optimally functional equipment. In 1978, Dr E. Rey proposed the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) programme which was further developed by coworkers at one of the largest obstetric facilities in Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia. KMC was introduced as an alternative to the expensive and seldom used traditional methods to care for low birth weight infants. KMC is currently not practised at Tsumeb district hospital despite many infants born with low weight in the district. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore perceptions regarding the implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care in the maternity ward of Tsumeb district hospital. Study design: This was a qualitative exploratory study. Study population and sampling: The study population are doctors and nurses working in Tsumeb district, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as well as the health programme administrators in the family health division of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Oshikoto region. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Results: Perceptions were grouped into three main themes namely the parent-related, health worker-related and baby-related. Parent-related perceptions include self-trust, increased competency, less frustration, and active involvement of parents in baby care, which are similar to the literature and regarded as benefits of KMC. Health worker-related perceptions included both reduced workload and an increased workload. Baby-related perceptions are reduced morbidity, increased bonding and improved care. The study also revealed the barriers to KMC implementation as well as factors that can make KMC implementation a success. Conclusions: Three broad themes emerged from the study, parent-related, health worker-related and baby-related. Most of the health workers’ perceptions are similar to the benefits of KMC found in the literature but, some health workers have negative perceptions regarding KMC.

The handling of wastes is an eternal problem, all societies are confronted to this issue. Their origins are very diverse, they could come from industrial activities, power production, shops, retail or household for instance. While in developed countries the collection is generally efficient and the disposal safe, the situation in developing countries is different. The municipal budget does not allow the construction of advanced and expensive methods of disposal and the collection suffer from the age of vehicles. This generalisation is nevertheless not totally truth as the situation is extremely depend on the country but also of the city considered. Each city will need to adapt its waste management according to its size, climate, wealth, culture, etc... This report will focus on a Namibian medium town, Tsumeb. The aim is to be able to draw a clear picture of the waste management currently achieved. When the situation is well known, new directions to make Tsumeb refuse management more sustainable can be decided. Implementing progressively an integrated waste management (IWM) is a solution to the waste problem as it is considering economic, social and environmental impacts. A waste characterization was done in order to know the exact amount and composition of the waste generated in Tsumeb to implement afterwards the most suitable solution. The refuse of Tsumeb are surprisingly very similar to high income country. Moreover the stakeholders involved in recycling were investigated. A small informal sector is already making a living by recycling a few materials as glass bottle and cans. There is also a possibility to include extra stakeholder in the recycling process in Tsumeb. Recycling companies, recycling organization or investors are also important stakeholder who can be include in Tsumeb recycling plan. Developing recycling in Tsumeb is facing some challenges but it is also full of opportunities. The main issue when it comes to recycling in Namibia is the long transportation distances what makes it expensive. Furthermore, most of the recovered materials have to be sent in South Africa because Namibia does not possess the necessary industries to recycle paper and glass for instance. On another hand the presence in Tsumeb of a small informal sector already working with waste is promising. The workers could be more organized and the municipality can also helping them with logistic and storage to improve the recycling done. The dump site will also be close within the next years and a new sanitary landfill will be open. It will be a great opportunity to implement a recycling facility on site. Informal workers working on the landfill will be more controlled, to avoid for instance children labour. Some stricter health and safety measure can be decided, to give better working condition to the informal manpower. The development of recycling activities in Tsumeb will be highly beneficial to the community. It will create jobs for the poorest part of the population, decrease the cost of the waste management, reduce the pollution and stimulate the local economy.

M.Sc. (Geology) / The main objective of this study was to characterize the North Break Zone of the Otavi Mountain Land, Namibia in terms of stratigraphy and petrography and to investigate its relationship with the Tsumeb ore body and other mineralized prospects in the immediate vicinity of Tsumeb. The Late Proterozoic Otavi carbonate platform sequence is famous for its base metal deposits. The North Break Zone is a stratabound zone of sporadic mineralization, brecciation and silicification occurring in the lower part of Iithozone T6 of the Hoffenberg Formation (Tsumeb Subgroup). It intersects the pipe-like Tsumeb Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag ore body at a depth of about 900m below surface. Where the North Break Zone intersects the Tsumeb ore body large massive ore associated with calcitized dolomite, dolomite breccia as well as feldspathic sandstone lenses occur. These features extend along strike and dip outside the normal dimensions of the Tsumeb ore body. The genesis of the Tsumeb ore body is poorly understood. The conventional model is that meteoric fluids circulated through the so-called North Break Zone paleo-aquifer, dissolving carbonate and giving rise to solution collapse and eventually the creation of the Tsumeb karst pipe. However, no direct evidence is available to support this model. This study was devised to critically evaluate the relationship between the North Break Zone and formation of the Tsumeb ore body. The study entailed field mapping, detailed sampling of the stratigraphic sequence and ore bodies, white light, reflected light, UV/blue light and cathodoluminescence petrography. Cathodoluminescence proved to be the most effective petrographic tool for differentiating various carbonate phases. The North Break Zone is defined as a 10 to 14m thick chert free oolitic to intraclastic dolomitic grainstone, stromatolite and mudstone unit, in which discontinuous lenses of mineralized secondary quartz are present. It is interbedded with dark grey cherty micritic dolomite of Lithozone T6 of the HOffenberg Formation. Minor calcification, Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization and manganese and iron enrichment are associated with the quartz-rich bodies. The mineralized quartz bodies are only present up to 2.5km to the west and 2.6km to the east of the Tsumeb ore body. The petrographic study indicated that 1) the epigenetic sequence of carbonate alteration, precipitation of new carbonate phases and mineralization is virtually identical in all Cu-Pb-Zn occurrences and 2) that the mineralization is closely associated with Mn-bearing brightly luminescent (CL) carbonates. Earlier Cu-Pb-Zn sulphide mineralization is associated with Mn-bearing bright red luminescent sparry dolomite (dolomite IIIB). Late stage Cu-arsenate, oxide and silicate mineralization is associated with an episode of Mn-bearing bright yellow luminescent calcite (calcite II) which also causes dolomitization of the associated dolomites. A very simple paragenetic model of mineralization is proposed. The earliest is defined by pre-mineralization calcite (calcite I) vein formation with associated dolomitization. This phase is followed by deposition of kerogen luminescent Mn-bearing dolomite IIIB - quartz and Cu-Pb-Zn sulphides representing the main mineralization event. It is followed by a late mineralization event composed of Mn-bearing calcite (calcite II) with associated Cu-arsenates, oxides and silicates. Supergene alteration is represented by the precipitation of very late stage non-luminescent Mn and Fe-poor calcite (calcite III) and quartz without any associated Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization. The sequence of mineralization is explained by the evolution of a single hydrothermal fluid, from relatively cold to hot and then back to cold, during a major period of fluid migration through the carbonate platform sequence. The North Break Zone probably never acted as a paleo-aquifer for fluids that formed the Tsumeb ore body. Rather hydrothermal fluids moved from the Tsumeb ore body into the North Break Zone. Hydrothermal fluids may have been derived from the Damara orogen to the south of Tsumeb during a period of tectonic loading and thrust deformation.