This case study is conducted through ten weeks of field studies in South-Eastern Uganda. Both authors have received funding from Minor Field Study scholarships. These scholarships were provided by Sida, Sweden's government agency for development cooperation. This entails that the authors are contract bound to comply with the terms and regulations established by Sida and Jönköping University as well as write and submit a report to the Swedish Council of Higher Education upon return to Sweden.  Without the substantial contributions from the local community in Kamuzinda and neighbouring villages, this thesis would not have been completed. First and foremost, profound gratitude is expressed to the many people who contributed to making this study a reality, be it big or small. This includes our supervisor Åsa Westermark, who has been of great help and guidance throughout the entire research process. Secondly, we want to thank Uganda Child Care Sweden for a productive collaboration, with special recognition to Ponsiano Nyombi and Rebecca Nanyanzi for their welcoming hearts and support throughout our entire stay in Uganda. Lastly, we are forever grateful to the people who brought us into their homes and were willing to share their life stories with us. It is your participation and kindness that made this thesis possible.

Dissertation / This study explores the role of the principal in the management of parent involvement in secondary schools in Northern Province. A literature study investigated existing theories and models of parent involvement; parent involvement in the South African context and the provision of education in South Africa in historical perspective. It also investigated the managerial role of the principal in parent involvement. A qualitative investigation in three secondary schools in Northern Province was done. Data were gathered by means of participant observation in-depth interviews with principals and focus-group interviews with teachers and three parents on the school governing bodies. Analysed data revealed the following findings: principals lack knowledge on parent involvement and schools lack policies and organisational structures dealing with parent involvement as well as home-school relations. As a result of these findings, there is a need to equip principals with ways in which they can involve parents in their schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Les espaces fortifiés médiévaux du Velay (diocèse médiéval du Puy-en-Velay), sont analysés dans leur constitution et leur utilisation. L’enquête concerne un corpus de sites castraux, bourgs fortifiés, maisons fortes, prieurés et églises fortifiées de 145 communes situées en majorité dans le département de la Haute-Loire (France- Auvergne). Les changements que ces espaces fortifiés opèrent sur la période XIIIe-XVe s. sont mis en avant : morphologie spatiale et choix d’occupation des espaces, évolution de l’habitat individuel seigneurial et des enceintes en contexte rural et urbain. L’ensemble est documenté par des textes qui indique la nature des relations entre les différents groupes sociaux, acteurs de la construction du territoire fortifié : relations entre les seigneurs et l’évêque du Puy ou le roi, relations entre les seigneurs et les communautés urbaines ou rurales, émergence de nouveaux groupes sociaux (la petite noblesse). L’accent est mis sur l’articulation de ces espaces et le rapport social et symbolique que chacun des groupes sociaux entretient avec la fortification. Les intentions de dominations et les résistances de chacun des groupes sociaux sont ainsi mis en évidence par l’analyse du parcellaire, des édifices et de la forme de la fortification. / The fortified medieval areas of the Velay (medieval diocese of Puy-en-Velay) are analysed in their constitution and their use. The survey concerns a corpus of castle sites, fortified towns, fortified houses, priories and fortified churches in 145 communes, mostly in the department of Haute-Loire (France-Auvergne). The changes that these fortified spaces operate during the 13th-15th centuries are highlighted: spatial morphology and choices of occupancy of these areas, evolution of individual seigneurial habitats and enclosures in rural and urban context. The nature of the relations between the different social groups building this fortified territory is mainly documented by texts : relationships between the lords and the bishop of Le Puy or the king, relationships between the lords and the urban or rural communities, emergence of new social groups (the small gentry). The purpose focuses on the articulation of these areas and the social and symbolic relationships that each of the social groups has with fortifications. Thus, the intentions of domination and the resistance of each of the medieval social groups are revealed by analysing the plots, the buildings and the form of the fortification

Dissertation / This study explores the role of the principal in the management of parent involvement in secondary schools in Northern Province. A literature study investigated existing theories and models of parent involvement; parent involvement in the South African context and the provision of education in South Africa in historical perspective. It also investigated the managerial role of the principal in parent involvement. A qualitative investigation in three secondary schools in Northern Province was done. Data were gathered by means of participant observation in-depth interviews with principals and focus-group interviews with teachers and three parents on the school governing bodies. Analysed data revealed the following findings: principals lack knowledge on parent involvement and schools lack policies and organisational structures dealing with parent involvement as well as home-school relations. As a result of these findings, there is a need to equip principals with ways in which they can involve parents in their schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-04T12:36:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010 / Este estudo busca avaliar as representações de comunidades rurais do 7o. distrito do Município de Nova friburgo sobre a concepção de lixo, suas práticas no manejo e descarte de seus resíduos, e entender as modificações descritas pelas comunidades em relação a essas práticas no passado, e sua relação com saúde e ambiente.

LLM / Department of Public Law / Historically, there were enormous differences and inequalities with regard to service delivery in South Africa. Traceable to the apartheid period, these inequalities included, inter alia, supply of inadequate and safe drinking water for black communities in particular those at rural areas. Yet, water is an essential necessity for human beings, regardless of race, disability and social status. As a legislative measure to redress the injustices of the apartheid regime, the right to have access to sufficient water is entrenched in Section 27(1) (b) of the South African Constitution of 1996. Also, several legal instruments such as the National Water Act of 1998 and the Water Service Act of 1997 were enacted to uphold the human right to water. The Constitution bestowed the responsibility of water supply and management to the national, provincial and the local government. Despite its inadequacy, the South African government is addressing the water needs of the most impoverished communities by guaranteeing each household a free minimum quantity of potable water of 25 litres per person per day or 6 kiloliters per household per month. Any person who needs more will come under privatisation model which key provisions on the existing law favors. About 38.4% of the population of South Africa who reside in rural communities are poor and mostly affected by inadequate water service delivery in that they cannot afford payment for water in excess of the minimum for which no fees is charged. As a concept, affirmative action is generally used in the context of work places to ensure that qualified marginalized groups have equal opportunities to get a job, but it is not yet investigated in the context of water service delivery. This study assessed laws governing water service delivery and explored how affirmative action can be used as an instrument to ensure the delivery of potable water to rural population in South Africa.

MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Agricultural abandonment is a challenge in areas of South Africa more especially in rural areas. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods of in sampling and collection and analysis. It adopted a case cross-sectional study design. This design is a case study in nature, hence this study compared the active and none active farmers in identifying the causes and effects of the phenomenon studied. Comparatively, the study sought to find out if there are factors influencing farm abandonment and its consequences in Tshiombo village. The study was based on field surveys allowing for observation and with respect to agricultural abandonment. In addition to observation open ended questions together with questionnaires were administered to extension officers. The data collected from open ended questions and questionnaires was recorded and subjected to descriptive analysis. Several factors have been identified influencing farm abandonment. The challenges ranges from needs prioritization, infrastructure and capacity. It was recommended that government should reinstate its support to small scale farmers prioritize the maintenance of irrigation canals. The prioritisation of agriculture will attract many into agricultural practice with the aim of reducing poverty and starvation in rural communities. / NRF

PhD (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology / Globally, one in ten child deaths before the age of 5 years is due to diarrheal disease, causing almost 800,000 mortalities worldwide, which mostly occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of diarrheal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Unsanitary environments and poor hygiene practices allow diarrhea causing pathogens including viruses, bacteria and parasites to spread more easily. Norovirus (NoV) are now considered the most common cause of outbreaks of nonbacterial gastroenteritis. However, the factors which control the genetic diversity, the sources of sporadic NoV infections, the transmission and persistence of infection are poorly understood. Limited data are available for NoVs strains in South Africa, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. Despite the excessive burden of diarrhea disease in developing countries, NoVs outbreaks have been to date mostly reported in developed countries. Given that the contribution of the various pathogens to diarrhea may differ substantially between regions depending on local meteorological, geographic, and socio-economic conditions, there is a need to investigate intensively the role of viral agents associated with diarrhea in different settings in Africa continent. How would poor living conditions in rural setting impact the prevalence and genetic characteristics of Norovirus strains circulating Limpopo province is the research question of this study. ix To determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of NoVs strains circulating in the rural communities in the Limpopo Province, South Africa and investigate the genetic relationship between NoVs strains, a cross-sectional study was performed on human stools collected from rural communities. We used qualitative variables of poor living environmental conditions including type of water used at the household of child’s parent or guardian, use of toilet seat, presence of livestock at the household and parent employment status to assess possible environmental risk factors of NoV infection within the study area. Prior to this prospective study, we conducted a systematic review of the PubMed and EMBASE databases for published articles of Human NoVs in Africa between 1990 and 2013 in order to assess the contribution of Human NoVs to diarrhoeal diseases in Africa. This review provides a picture of Human NoVs studies in Africa and reveals that unreported sporadic gastroenteritis cases of Human NoVs are common in Africa. Most are community-associated infections reported from urban settings. Possible environmental transmission routes have been documented. Combined environmental and clinical studies are required for targeted actions to control transmission of Human NoVs in Africa. Between July 2014 and April 2015, outpatient children under 5 years of age from rural communities of Vhembe district, South Africa, were enrolled for the study. A total of 303 stool specimens were collected from those with diarrhea (n=253) and without (n=50) diarrhea. NoVs were identified using real-time one-step RT-PCR. Nucleotide sequencing methods were performed to genotype the strains. Phylogenetic analyses x were performed to compare identified NoVs genotypes to the worldwide circulating strains. One hundred and four (41.1%) NoVs were detected. NoV detection rates in symptomatic and asymptomatic children (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 0.66 – 2.33) were not significantly different. Comparison of the median CT values for NoV in symptomatic and asymptomatic children revealed significant statistical difference of estimated GII viral load from both groups, with a much higher viral burden in symptomatic children to our knowledge this is the first study reporting on the differences in estimated viral load of GII and GI NoV positive cases and controls. The study findings may have implications for the diagnosis of NoV disease and future vaccine development, which may only need to consider GII as the genogroup associated with diarrhea in the South African population. Sequence analyses demonstrated multiple NoV genotypes identified in rural communities of Vhembe district. The most prevalent NoV genotypes were GII.4 Sydney 2012 variants (n=7) among the capsid genotypes, GII.Pe (n=9) among the polymerase genotypes and GII.Pe/GII.4 Sydney 2012 (n=8) putative recombinants among the RdRp/Capsid genotypes. Two unassigned GII.4 variants and an unusual RdRp genotype GII.P15 were found. With note, the rare GII.P15 identified in this study, has a common ancestor with GII.P15 strain from Japan previously reported as GII / untypeable recombinant strain implicated in a gastroenteritis outbreak. To our knowledge this is the first report of this unusual genotype in the African continent. Though not proven predictive of diarrhea disease in this study, the high detection rate of NoV reflects the substantial exposure of children from rural communities to enteric xi pathogens possibly. However in this study no risk factor has been found between NoV positive and qualitative environmental variables of poor living conditions in rural setting. The results also suggest that the difference between asymptomatic and symptomatic children with NoV may be at the level of the viral load of NoV genogroups involved. The findings highlighted NoV genetic diversity and revealed continuous pandemic spread and predominance of GII.Pe/GII.4 Sydney 2012, indicative of increased NoV activity. An unusual RdRp genotype GII.P15 and two unassigned GII.4 variants were also identified from rural settings of the Vhembe district/South Africa. NoV surveillance / NRF

MESHWR / Department of Hydrology and Water Resources / In South Africa, inland aquaculture is on the increase, especially among the rural communities. Thus aquaculture is able to provide a source of employment and improve rural incomes. This study assessed algae species and their cyanotoxins in small holder production in Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. Thirteen study sites were selected to assess the algae species and their cyanotoxins. The water samples were collected in four quarters and analysed for water temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, Electrical conductivity, phosphates, nitrates, chlorophyll, cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, metal species and quality of the water in the fish ponds. In the 1st quarter of the year there was variation in Water Temperature (23.7oC-31.4oC), pH (5.5-9.6), EC (3.82-46.8μS/cm), TDS (2.4-45 mg/L), Phosphate (0.0-1.09mgL-1), Nitrates (0.0-1.00mgL-1), Chlorophyll-a (5.8-11.5mg/m-3). In the 2nd quarter there was variation inwater temperature (22.4-25.0oC), pH (6.6-8.8.9), EC (19.23-21.47μS/cm), TDS (12.5-17.9 mg/L), Phosphate (1.64-1.84mgL-1), Nitrates (1.02-1.88mgL-1), Chlorophyll-a (4.6-15.6mg/m-3). In the 3rd quarter there was variation for water temperature (22.9-25.0oC), pH (7.5-9.1), EC (7.91-293.3μS/cm), TDS (11.7-180.9 mg/L), Phosphate (1.10-1.80mgL-1), Nitrates (1.28-1.84mgL-1),Chlorophyll-a (6.8-15.6mg/m-3). In the 4th quarter there was variation forwater temperature (23.5-30.3), pH (7.1-9.3), EC (18.24-623μS/cm), TDS (23.7-136.4 mg/L), Phosphate (1.45-1.99mgL-1), Nitrates (1.43-1.68mgL-1), Chlorophyll-a (6.6-25.9mg/m-3). The metal content of the fish pond water was variable throughout the year but with moderate levels of Al, Cd, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Ba were found. The metal Fe, exceeded the DWAF guideline values during this first quarter. The presence of Cd in the fish pond water could be attributed to rainfall eroding the earthen embankments of the fish pond. The results of physico-chemical parameters promotes the growth of cyanobacteria in the fish ponds. Flow cam and SEM were used to identify the cyanobacteria species and most cyanobacteria identified are hazard to human health, fish and other aquatic organisms. Molecular technologies were used to identify cyanotoxins and there was no cyanotoxins detected which was concluded that during collection of water samples no cyanobacteria produced toxins. / NRF

No description available.