Much of the research on orphan and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa has focused on their risks and vulnerabilities. This article describes the 'funds of knowledge' (Moll and Greenberg, 1990) and means of acquiring new knowledge of children living in child-headed households in Uganda's Rakai District. Using ethnographic methods, the authors documented the experiences and activities of children in five rural home contexts. They advance the view of children as resourceful, competent, and knowledgeable, highlighting their ability to build on, utilize, and acquire new funds of knowledge while simultaneously recognizing their conditions of extreme adversity. The authors' aim is to expand and strengthen the current knowledge base on children living in child-headed households by providing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between children's risks and capabilities.
Because of agriculture's direct link to global food security, it is strategically important. This research recognizes the importance of a paradigm shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture for East Africa to advance this strategic importance. This shift has particularly had significant impact on the poultry industry. In East Africa, commercial poultry farming has steadily taken root over the last decade albeit the challenge of inadequate farm management competences among farmers which has been aggravated by lack of systems and approaches to enhance effective and efficient decision making among poultry farmers in the region. The focus of this study therefore is how decision processes of poultry farmers can be enhanced so that they are able to efficiently monitor and manage their operations as they seek to take advantage of the trend of commercialisation of the poultry industry. This paper explores the decision making practices of poultry farmers with an aim of enhancing these decisions for improved productivity of poultry farms in the region. The key research question this study seeks to address is: How can decision making among poultry farmers in East Africa be enhanced?
Infant feeding among mothers of African descent living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a critical practice that is influenced by policies, cultural expectations, and the resultant psychosocial state of the mother. Hence, this paper draws insights from a broader infant feeding study. It provides insights into how guidelines on infant feeding practices, cultural expectations, migration, or geographic status intersect to influence the psychosocial experiences of mothers living with HIV. We compared psychosocial experiences of Black mothers of African descent living with HIV in Nigeria versus those in high-income countries (Canada and USA), in the context of contrasting national infant feeding guidelines, cultural beliefs about breastfeeding, and geographic locations. Survey was conducted in venue-based convenience samples in two comparative groups: (Ottawa, Canada and Miami-FL, USA combined [n = 290]), and (Port Harcourt, Nigeria [n = 400]). Using independent samples t-statistics, we compared the means and distributions of six psychosocial attributes between Black mothers in two distinct: Infant feeding groups (IFGs), cultural, and geographical contexts at p < 0.05. Psychosocial attributes, such as discrimination and stigma, were greater in women who exclusively formula feed (EFF) than in women who exclusively breastfeed (EBF) at p < 0.01. Heightened vigilance, discrimination, and stigma scores were greater in women whose infant feeding practices were informed by cultural beliefs (CBs) compared to those not informed by CBs at p < 0.001. Discrimination and stigma scores were greater among mothers in Canada and the USA than in Nigeria at p < 0.001. Heightened vigilance and perceived stress scores were less among women in Canada and the USA than in Nigeria at p < 0.001. The guidelines on infant feeding practices for mothers with HIV should consider cultural expectations and migration/locational status of mothers.
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