<p>Hypertension is one of the most common non-communicable diseases, and it is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases, death and disability worldwide, especially in developing countries. Physical activity has been regarded as a commonly accepted modality for preventing and treating hypertension. However, despite its known benefits, this modality of treatment and prevention of&nbsp / hypertension continues to be underused. The present study aimed to determine the demographic, social and health-related factors that are associated with levels of physical activity participation among adults with hypertension in Kigali, Rwanda. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 252 adults with hypertension and 87 healthcare professionals through the Godin Leisure-Time&nbsp / Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) and Physical Activity Exit Interview (PAEI). Two thirds of the participants (69.44%) were classified as sedentary. The following factors were found to be significantly&nbsp / (P&lt / 0.05) associated with the levels of physical activity: age, marital status, and level of education, residence, tobacco / past and current users, alcohol / current user, diabetes mellitus, BMI, perceived health status, self-efficacy, and blood pressure. None of the healthcare professionals were considered good physical activity counsellor. The findings of the present study highlight the need for the implementation of health promotion strategies aimed at promoting physical activity lifestyle among individuals with hypertension in Rwanda. Efforts should be made in educating people with hypertension on the benefits of integrating regular physical&nbsp / activity in their daily lives. Furthermore, healthcare professionals should be educated concerning how to promote physical&nbsp / activity to all patients especially those with hypertension.</p>

A major weakness of the literature on the regulation of freedom of expression within the field of political science is the assumption of peaceful, liberal democratic conditions. My project seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the legitimate regulation of speech by analyzing disciplinary approaches to freedom of expression through the lens of countries recovering from intractable conflict. I ask: How appropriate are current understandings of freedom of expression to the regulation of speech in post-conflict environments? Relying on insights from the field of social psychology and the case of post-genocide Rwanda, I argue that greater restrictions on freedom of expression could be legitimate in countries recovering from intractable conflict. However, rights derogations must take place within limits so as not to become a tool of authoritarian rule.

<p>Nursing is worldwide regarded as a high risk occupation for the development of work-related low back pain (WRLBP). LBP is one of the most common causes of disability, creating an important socio-economic problem in modern society. Studies report that more than 80% of&nbsp / workers suffer from WRLBP once in their occupational lives. Among nurses, the lifetime prevalence has been found to be higher, varying up to 90% of a nursing population. The current study aimed at determining the prevalence, perceived disability and contributing/risk factors to WRLBP among nurses in Rwanda, identifying the perceived contributing risk factors of WRLBP and intervention strategies received by those nurses. A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was used to gather data with a self-administered questionnaire on a sample of 226 nurses. The study population included all registered nurses of Kabgayi District Hospital and Nyanza District Hospitals and their respective health centers. To be included, the nurses had to have suffered from WRLBP during the previous 6 months before data collection. The Nordic Back Pain Questionnaire, the Oswestry Disability Index and an open-ended questionnaire regarding perceived risk factors have been used. Descriptive statistics to summarize data and inferential statistics such as chisquare test to test the relationship between different variables of the study have been studied at 5% levels. Correlation coefficients in terms of cross-tabulation were also studied at 1% level of significance. The current study highlights one-month prevalent rates of 70.4%, and one-week prevalent rates of 54.4%. WRLBP among nurses has been found to be significantly associated with gender according to the p-value of 0.007 among the studied variables, and good correlation coefficients between disability scores, together with the length of WRLBP and BMI with 0.0001, 0.0030 respectively. Nurses in the current study reported WRLBP as a result of a wide range of factors related to their work, manual handling being the major physical work activity exposing them to WRLBP. The perceived risk factors for WRLBP reported in this study were classified into 4 categories. The first category included work positional factors such as standing, sitting, bending, and awkward work postures. The second group included work-related nursing tasks such as lifting patients and items at work, repositioning and transferring patients, bed making, washing patients, and many others. In the third group, psychosocial factors like poor relationship with colleagues, work pressure and reduced job satisfaction have been listed. Finally, some non-occupational factors such as aging, pregnancy, menstruation, history of back pain, being female and body built have also been perceived as contributing factors to WRLBP. The Oswestry Disability Index demonstrated a mild to moderate disability due to WRLBP in this group of nurses. WRLBP has a negative impact in health services due to activity limitation, lost time and lowered productivity. The study concludes that nurses must be protected from ergonomic work stressors, and improvement of awareness of&nbsp / urses with regards to ergonomic stressors seems to be crucial. However, an effort by different parties concerned with the problem at all levels in Rwanda is needed. The government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Health in particular, will be recommended to put strategies in place for the management, reduction and prevention of WRLBP amongst health workers, especially in the nursing population.</p>

<p>This study explores second and third year students' and teachers‟ views on factors that hinder or facilitate the mastery of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in the Science and Engineering Technology Higher Institutions of learning in Rwanda (KIST) and seeks to establish the extent to which the current programme meets the needs of the students. This is done by highlighting a whole range of teacher and student perspectives on the EAP programme. Two key requirements invite students to write their academic assignments in the form of research proposals and research project reports. In order to help them perform well in their field subjects, KIST introduced a department of English with a General English Programme under the umbrella of the then School of Language Studies (SORAS) in 1997. The department‟s first assigned mission was to teach English to students in all departments in a bid to support and encourage them to cope with their field specific courses which are taught in English. Rwanda‟s National Council for Higher Education (2007), on language teaching and learning, states that the trio, that is Kinyarwanda (the Mother Tongue and national language) and English and French (as foreign languages), should be taught at primary, secondary and higher education levels in order to reconcile the divide between Rwandan returnees (who had lived abroad for many decades) and locals. It is in this context that KIST, one of the institutions of higher learning, adopted the bilingual policy to cater to students‟ needs to learn both French and English as media of academic communication. However, after Rwanda‟s integration into the East African Community and the Commonwealth, English has been officially adopted as the medium of instruction in all schools and higher institutions of education. That is why there was a sudden language shift in 2006 from French to English as a medium of instruction at KIST. French and Kinyarwanda are now merely taught as subjects. The motive behind the move was to cater for Rwanda‟s needs to fully participate in the economic community of East African Community in general and in the global economy in particular. The move drastically affected students‟ ability to read and write English in their respective disciplines. The move also affected lecturers of other speciality areas. To avert the obvious challenges emanating from this sudden shift in language policy, the Institute introduced the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programmes under the then KIST School of Language Studies (SOLAS) and the KIST Language Centre. However, appropriate instructional materials for such courses have not been easily available. Given this situation, English teachers have had to create their own materials rather than the existing generalised and pre-packaged language teaching materials. As a result, students‟ specific needs for induction into a scientific writing community at tertiary level have rarely been met. It is against this background that the study seeks to investigate factors that are facilitating and the mastery of EAP. The study operates on post-colonial/post-structuralist theoretical perspectives. These were founded on the analytical framework that is guided by thematic and/or conceptual underpinnings of language policy in the post-colonial Africa. Thus, English Language Teaching (ELT), developed into English as a second and additional language that is multi-semiotic and multi-modality in EAP and science genres, focusing mostly on its academic literacy, identity, ideology, power and agency, as well as its investment in language teaching and learning and the scientific community practice. Using a combination of ethnographic principles/practices like participants‟ observations, oneto- one interviews, focus group discussions and documentary review in data collection, the study utilises thematic/conceptual analysis to draw its conclusions. Drawing from the above conceptual perspectives, therefore, as well as from the methodological approach, this thesis emphasises the fact that the inability of students to successfully master EAP is caused by various factors, including the choice of English language learning materials. Contradictory approaches to language learning and to academic literacy practices create further challenges to the Rwandan students‟ advancement in English mastery. These same practices also serve to limit the students‟ ability to learn this language and complicate their access to local and global cultural exposure that is necessary for their socio-economic development of Rwanda. The study also reveals lack of appropriate discursive competence and multi-semiotic repertoires as some of the major factors inhibiting students‟ academic progress. This is partly explained by the nature of the English language learning and teaching materials that is in use which neither provides general nor disciplinary specific academic and learning opportunities in English. Similarly, a range of structural and professional constraints on &bdquo / agency‟ exists for teachers of English in Rwanda as an additional language to the students, including lack of induction into scientific discourses or the EAP community of language practice. The overall lack of power and agency by teachers also contributes to constraints and constrictions in English language learning practices for these students in Rwanda. The study, however, observes that this situation is not only peculiar to KIST, as it is also common in almost all tertiary institutions in Rwanda. Specific recommendations are made in the study to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching in general and EAP in particular at KIST as an institution of higher learning, through the establishment of a clearer language policy and training opportunities for staff to update and develop required language skills in EAP, especially with regards to writing skills in sciences and engineering. The government of Rwanda, under the umbrella of Rwanda Education Board (REB) and the contribution of English language experts at the Institute, should provide a clearer direction of the language policy and curriculum that addresses Rwandan students‟ specific needs. KIST, as an institution of higher learning, should value and facilitate the teaching and learning of English in general and the teaching of EAP in particular, bearing in mind its assigned mission. The management of the Institute should encourage interaction between EAP and subject area lecturers to discuss and agree upon, text types to be used by EAP lecturers in teaching. KIST management should also provide room for regular interactions with English lecturers to listen to their views and offer them further language training opportunities in order to update and develop the required skills in EAP, especially with regards to writing skills in science and engineering.</p>

No description available.

Ce mémoire examine deux institutions rwandaises de «justice transitionnelle» mises sur pied après le génocide de 1994, soit les juridictions gacaca et les camps de solidarité (ingando). Nous tentons de démontrer, dans un premier temps, que ces institutions gacaca et ingando s'inspirent essentiellement de pratiques étatiques antérieures qui permirent le génocide, et, dans un deuxième temps, que ces institutions constituent des pratiques de « biopouvoir » au sens foucaldien. La partie I du mémoire, consacrée à la présentation du cadre d'analyse, résume certains principes de méthode foucaldiens - notamment l'approche généalogique-, et la notion de biopouvoir et ses pôles (« anatomo-politique » du corps humain et « biopolitique » du corps-espèce). Ensuite, à travers un exposé historique couvrant les périodes précoloniale, coloniale (1887-1961) et postcoloniale (1961 et s.), nous divisons notre analyse du phénomène gacaca / ingando en deux parties. Sous la partie II, nous comparons la structure et l'administration de l'appareil gacaca / ingando à la structure et à l'administration de l'appareil étatique utilisées lors du génocide, soit une structure hiérarchique pyramidale, autoritaire, et omniprésente sur le territoire. Sous la partie III, la comparaison se poursuit entre certaines autres pratiques - p. ex. pratiques éducatives, bureaucratiques, législatives, religieuses, et médiatiques - qui rendirent possible le génocide, et certaines pratiques gacaca/ingando, notamment : la compétence d'attribution gacaca ; la procédure d'aveu gacaca ; les enseignements historiques ingando ; et les initiatives promotionnelles (médias et discours officiels gouvernementaux) liées aux gacaca et aux ingando. Suivant le discours officiel du gouvernement rwandais - dirigé par le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR) depuis juillet 1994-., les gacaca et les ingando sont destinés, dans différentes mesures, à révéler la vérité, à punir les responsables, à réconcilier les Rwandais, et à assurer, ultimement, la transition vers un Rwanda démocratique et prospère. Cependant, après avoir constaté certaines contradictions entre ces objectifs officiels et certaines pratiques gacaca / ingando, au terme de notre analyse de l'ensemble de ces pratiques - et à titre d'alternative au discours gouvernemental rwandais officiel -, nous soutenons que l'appareil gacaca / ingando agit à titre de dispositif anatomo-politique et biopolitique et vise à imprégner le corps social rwandais de cinq normes (ou « vérités ») principales, soit : l'invalidité des divisions identitaires entre Hutus et Tutsis; le bien-fondé de l'identité nationale rwandaise; la vilenie des administrations passées hurues et coloniales, seules responsables du « mal rwandais »; le caractère indésirable d'une présence dominante hutue au gouvernement et, plus généralement, au pouvoir; et la nature légitime et bienveillante du gouvernement rwandais en place depuis la fin du génocide. Selon nous, ces normes s'harmonisent avec l'objectif suivant : assurer la pérennité du FPR (et des forces incarnées par cette formation) à la tête du Rwanda par l'emploi de mesures relativement douces et anonymes, mais extrêmement étendues, économiques et efficaces, qualités associées aux mécanismes de biopouvoir décrits par l'historien et philosophe Michel Foucault. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Rwanda, Génocide, Justice transitionnelle, Gacaca, Ingando, Biopouvoir.

Cette recherche qualitative porte sur l'expérience de vie d'hommes rwandais ayant été exposés, directement ou indirectement, à la violence du génocide des Tutsi au Rwanda. Elle offre ceci d'original qu'elle met en lumière la pluralité des effets du génocide dans la vie des sujets à partir d'une compréhension qui ne relève pas uniquement du vocabulaire de la pathologie. De nombreuses recherches recensent les conséquences débilitantes associées au vécu de la violence organisée. Cependant, rares sont les écrits qui s'attardent aux significations individuelles et collectives qui entourent le traumatisme tout comme peu d'études se penchent sur les efforts déployés par les sujets pour composer avec une telle expérience. Dans le cas précis du génocide des Tutsi au Rwanda, les initiatives documentées témoignent fréquemment de la mobilisation des femmes. Les moyens sur lesquels les hommes, eux, s'appuient pour continuer à vivre suite au génocide demeurent beaucoup moins connus. Notre thèse se fonde sur le discours d'hommes rwandais et s'articule autour de trois grands objectifs : sonder les processus individuels ou collectifs via lesquels ces sujets arrivent (ou non) à construire du sens autour de leur expérience du génocide; mettre en évidence les moyens qu'ils utilisent pour faire face à cette expérience et finalement, explorer la place et le rôle de la parole et du silence dans leur discours portant sur l'expérience du génocide. Neuf hommes adultes rwandais habitant au Québec ont été invités à participer, à deux reprises chacun, à des entretiens semi-directifs. Totalisant plus de 30 heures d'entrevues, le verbatim de ces dix-huit entretiens a été soumis à une analyse de discours en trois temps (thématique, par tableau synthèse et dynamique). La méthodologie qualitative de cette recherche s'est inspirée de l'approche psychodynamique. Nous nous sommes ainsi attardée aux contenus manifestes et latents du discours des sujets mais également à leur contexte d'énonciation: celui d'une rencontre intersubjective entre sujet et chercheur. Notre analyse met en relief la difficulté qu'éprouvent les participants à s'expliquer le génocide. Cette difficulté ne semble cependant pas bloquer l'effort de pensée des sujets qui, s'ils ne trouvent pas de réponses satisfaisantes au pourquoi du génocide, n'en continuent pas moins de chercher. Pour plusieurs sujets ayant été sur place lors du génocide, leur survie même est le fruit du hasard. Lorsque saisie dans l'horizon du don et de la dette, cette vie reçue pourrait représenter une forme de don à la fois précieux et accablant impliquant une certaine réciprocité. Une part des aménagements de vie des participants suite au génocide peuvent ainsi être lus dans une optique de retour du don. Les sujets ont recours à une diversité de moyens pour composer avec l'expérience du génocide tels que l'aide apportée à d'autres victimes, le raccrochage à certains éléments de la vie active, la mobilisation autour d'un devoir de transmission et la recherche de support auprès de membres de la communauté. Il appert que la valence structurante de ces moyens ne soit pas absolue mais plutôt tributaire du mouvement par lequel les sujets arrivent à se distancier de l'horreur tout en parvenant à en assimiler certains contenus. Finalement, la parole de l'intime se fait effacée dans le discours des sujets au profit d'une parole politique qui se rallie à une identité collective et cherche à promouvoir la mémoire du génocide dans l'espace public. L'emprunt d'une telle parole pourrait notamment viser à rétablir un lien social mis à mal par le génocide. En conclusion, la complexité et la mouvance des rapports que les sujets entretiennent face à leur expérience du génocide interrogent le statisme des modèles normatifs qui ramènent la conception du traumatisme à la présence de symptômes préétablis. Notre analyse souligne la pertinence d'un travail clinique qui ne se fixe pas uniquement sur la recherche de sens mais qui admet aussi la part d'absurdité sur laquelle s'ouvre l'expérience du génocide. Cette thèse met aussi en lumière le décalage qui s'opère entre le dévoilement de l'intime prescrit par certaines approches cliniques centrées sur le traumatisme et la parole politique que les sujets privilégient. Finalement, la prégnance des initiatives que les sujets mettent en œuvre dans l'espace public réaffirme l'importance de reconnaitre le pouvoir thérapeutique non seulement dans l'espace privé de la clinique mais également dans l'espace social. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Génocide, Rwanda, Hommes, Parole, Aménagements de vie, Construction de sens, Survie, Traumatisme, Psychologie

This thesis examines the role of the hegemon in the international response to genocide. The study looks specifically at the role of the United States and the post Cold War cases of genocide to determine how the United States encouraged or discouraged a response to genocide. By using the plausibility probe method, this study finds that the role of the hegemon is an important one that should be studied further to understand the impact of the hegemon on the international response to genocide.

The background of our field of interest grew out of getting knowledge of an organisation called Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). We learnt that FAWE had created schools in different African countries and that they had formulated gender responsive pedagogy. Through the methodologies of semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with teachers, students and FAWE representatives, in addition, studies of documents, we wanted to examine what the FAWE educational strategies were and how FAWE was perceived amongst teachers and students at FAWE girls‘ school. Finally, we wanted to understand how and if gender pedagogy can help strivings towards gender equality and development. The study has a qualitative and inductive approach which implies that no theoretical framework was formulated prior to the field study. However, we have formulated a theoretical framework which has served as a tool for analyzing our findings. We have turned to postcolonial feminist theory and development theory on education and gender.Our findings imply importance of understanding the uniqueness in the Rwandan society due to colonialism and genocide, especially when it comes to formulating definitions of gender. Further the Rwandan context is important to keep in mind for donor societies, when formulating demands on Rwanda. For example we will note that international influences on the Rwandan educational system are immense, but what happens if the influences are not coherent with the Rwandan context? Since girls‘ access to education has increased in Rwanda due to among others FAWE Girls‘ School, we also underline the importance for government to meet the girls‘ needs once they have graduated in order to minimise risks of brain drain. In addition we have detected a pattern of understandings amongst the students that financial support to girls is crucial to meet their definitions of gender and gender equality; the girls view financial support as a foundation in order to reach gender equality, or for girls to be able to access arenas that previously belonged to the boys.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Changement social : Lille 1 : 2004. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3459 SO. Résumé en français et en anglais. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. f. 418-426. Index.