The southwest and northwest regions of Cameroon have experienced high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). Limited information is available about IPV victims' experiences with social support systems. This phenomenological study was aimed at investigating IPV victims' lived experiences with social support systems in Cameroon. Some of these systems are the judicial system, police officers, hospitals and clinics, and domestic violence agencies. The Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) were used to understand how 8 self-identified victims of IPV were able to discuss their lived experiences with social support systems. The research questions addressed women's experiences with social support systems as victims of intimate partner violence. The study also addressed participants' willingness to use social support systems again if the systems were made available to them. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using a purposeful-criterion sample that discussed the themes developed after the interview. The participants were selected with the help of 2 local domestic violence organizations based in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon. Study findings, which were generated via inductive analyses, indicated that victims sought the help of social support systems at least 3 times in hopes of changing their situation but were not satisfied with these systems. The study conveys social change by encouraging the need to educate social support systems in implementing and developing culturally-sensitive programs to eradicate IPV in Cameroon.

Lack of safe drinking water and lack of water hygiene literacy contribute to a large disease burden in rural areas of Africa, and children suffer disproportionately more than adults from diarrheal diseases caused by nonpotable water. Research is needed to help merge education and water sanitation to provide more effective methods of preventing diarrheal diseases. The ecological model and hygiene improvement framework were used to guide the study. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the shared experiences of people participating in the water hygiene education program provided by Lifewater International. Lifewater is a nonprofit organization focused on improving access to clean water and increasing water hygiene literacy in rural parts of developing countries. Individual interviews were conducted with six Lifewater program participants, using the Delphi sampling technique. After I transcribed and thematically analyzed data for codes, three main themes were identified that motivated Lifewater partners and members of their community to change behavior: improving their children's health, saving time and money, and being a better Christian. The most meaningful part of participating in the program is that they use the information to improve the lives of those in their communities. In addition to making curricula for the Lifewater organization and its partners more streamlined, if the lessons are more culturally relevant, people are more likely to accept the behavior changes being taught, which can also influence the behavior change. Culturally relevant curriculum could help increase the access to and knowledge of clean water in developing areas, which contributes to the United Nation;s Millennium Development Goals, and thus promotes social change.