Browsing by Subject "Uganda"

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    Enhancing Data Management Capacities for Ugandan Education Leaders STIR Education, Uganda
    (2018-04-24) Arce, Adriana; Eyimina, Tarere; Giron, Isaac; Martinez, Andrea
    This training manual is designed by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Capstone Team in conjunction with STIR Education Uganda to assist their efforts in enhancing data management and action planning capacities for Education Leaders (EL) participating in the Learning Improvement Cycle program. This training manual is motivated by the participants’ eagerness to build their data management skills to make more informed decisions that improve academic performance in their respective districts. Additionally, data management skills are transferable to other government functions. The envisioned outcome of these training sessions are more empowered and motivated participants who can use data to drive academic improvement. Drawing from training examples in various sectors, this training manual was designed to offer flexibility for trainers to custom design sessions according to the context of Ugandan school districts. Based on our meetings with STIR Uganda, and findings from a review of data management literature, our analysis of the STIR Uganda data management structure and current practice revealed 5 Key Considerations (Figure 1) which is the foundation supporting the design of this manual and the activities therein. This tool is useful for training design teams, and can be used as an exercise to thoroughly design activities that consider participants’ challenges and motives, and resource and time constraints facing STIR Education Uganda.
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    Examining the Role of Aggression and Victimization in the Development of Psychopathology in Ugandan Adolescents
    (2015-06) Hecht, Kathryn
    Positive peer relationships play an important role in child development, serving not only as protective factors during and after exposure to adversity such as war or armed conflict, but also providing a training ground to develop the wide range of social skills and behaviors necessary for effective functioning within any given cultural context. Alternately, negative peer experiences such as relational and physical aggression and victimization can serve as powerful risk factors for later psychopathology; in particular, research supports a link between depression and forms of aggression as well as victimization. However, this relation has primarily been explored in North American and European contexts. Further, child aggressive behavior and depressive symptoms both appear to be more prevalent in contexts where children have been exposed to armed conflict. Little information is available on how different forms of aggression and victimization relate to depression in youth in more diverse cultural contexts, particularly in war-affected populations. The present study addresses this gap through examinations exploring the prevalence and gender differences of different forms of aggression as well as the relationship between relational and overt forms aggression/victimization and depression in a sub-Saharan, war-affected setting. Participants include a cross-sectional sample of 258 adolescents (M=16.26 years of age) to examine prevalence and gender differences in forms of aggression and victimization, as well as 96 adolescents (M=15.71 years of age) studied longitudinally over one calendar year to examine the relation between aggression, victimization and depression. Findings indicate that self-reported relational aggression as well as overt aggression each uniquely predicts depression symptoms, controlling for the alternate form of aggression. Relational victimization also uniquely predicts depression symptoms after controlling for overt victimization. Overt victimization did not significantly predict depression after controlling for the contribution of relational victimization. Implications of findings, limitations and future directions are discussed.
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    A framework for the evaluation of strategies to reduce risk of foot and mouth disease transmission associated with the trade of beef from East African cattle systems: a progressive and participatory approach
    (2021-09) Adamchick, Julie
    granularity needed in places that tend to have diverse and informal value chains, and b) tapping into unwritten local knowledge / subject matter expertise in a way that generated credible information in a format that can be used for quantitative analysis. The dual training-research activity was also a beneficial experience for participants to model and analyze a problem and system from their professional work. The second aim was to estimate the probability (risk) of FMD at slaughter under current conditions -- the baseline risk. This required quantifying input values and distributions for the variables identified in aim one and translating the conceptual relationships into a probabilistic mathematical model. The risk estimates and sensitivity analyses provided insight about influential factors that could be leveraged to lower the probability of FMD among beef cattle at slaughter from select populations. The third and final aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of possible interventions that could reduce risk in specific value chains. Scenarios were generated using the insights from aim two and compared based on estimated costs and level of risk expected to achieve. This provided insight about specific steps that could be taken as well as a more general gradient of what scale of risk reduction might be expected from a given investment. This information can be combined with information about benefits, limitations, and tradeoffs to support decisions about investments related to FMD control and ambitions for international trade. The output and process of this work provide useful contributions to improve decision-making regarding investments for animal health and trade in regions with endemic trade-sensitive diseases. In Kenya, a feedlot-focused, abattoir-partnered approach may reach the lowest achievable risk. Specific opportunities need to be evaluated in terms of the capacity of necessary stakeholders, cost of sanitary and traceability investments, costs of production, and competitiveness of the resulting product. In both Kenya and Uganda, regionally-focused investments that combined livestock identification and traceability systems with vaccination among willing producers in partnership with an ambitious export abattoir improve FMD control and animal health while reducing risk in the product produced and taking steps toward foundational traceability and disease control capacity. The framework of incremental progress with a focus on risk of the final commodity complements the Progressive Control Pathway for FMD, providing a way to benchmark slow and steady forward motion, and should be used to evaluate disease control and SPS interventions that intend to achieve market access. Participatory approaches that embed data collection for decision analysis into training opportunities for local professionals are a rich way to improve the quality of data and analysis while also building capacity of participants to appreciate the complexity of systems in which they work and the value of analytical approaches to decision-making. Key findings from each chapter: • Aim 1 (chapter 3): o Risk processes differ between management systems, with an especially clear delineation in Kenya between agro-pastoral/pastoral and ranching/feedlot system groups-- highlighting the important interactions between management factors and health or risk dynamics. o FMD infection and sale for slaughter are not always independent events for cattle in Kenya and Uganda, suggesting it would be judicious to characterize the relationship between sale and disease of cattle in the population of study when examining the movement or sale of animals in endemic environments. o The motivations and actions of value chain actors influence the ultimate risk level in a product, demonstrated through the need to include a distinct event for whether or not a disease event is reported after a positive diagnosis. • Aim 2 (chapter 4): o The overall risk of FMD infection at slaughter was substantially lower for cattle originating from Kenyan feedlots and ranches compared to the other six systems evaluated. o In Uganda, semi-intensive and ranching systems showed the potential to reach similarly low risk levels if able to severely limit the exposure to new infections after leaving the herd. o Reduction or elimination of commingling before slaughter was the most effective intervention to reduce risk of infection at slaughter for most systems. o For Kenyan ranches, the detection and removal of infected animals was identified as a potentially important point for intervention. • Aim 3 (chapter 5): o Preventive mass vaccination was the least cost-effective strategy evaluated, even for a relatively small region. It would require a relatively high investment for not the best return with many obstacles on the path, and may not be an advisable strategy especially for the purpose of targeting export opportunities. o Strategies that involved voluntary rather than compulsory participation had more favorable cost-effectiveness ratios. o The greatest reduction in risk at the lowest cost was obtained through a voluntary program that combined a livestock ID and traceability system with biannual preventive vaccination and a premium price at slaughter for participants.
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    Identifying parasite virulence factors and host genetic and immunologic factors that contribute to severe malarial outcomes in Ugandan children
    (2016-10) Shabani, Estela
    Cerebral malaria (CM) and severe malarial anemia (SMA) remain drivers of morbidity and mortality due to Plasmodium falciparum infection in children in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are currently no adjunctive therapies for severe malaria (SM), suggesting that we need a better understanding of both host and pathogen factors that contribute to SM. This dissertation attempted to identify both host and parasite factors that contribute to disease severity in malaria, factors that differentiate between CM and SMA, and those associated with mortality and neurocognitive outcomes in CM. Children between 18 months and 12 years of age, meeting the WHO definition for CM (n=269) or SMA (n=232), were recruited from the Acute Care Unit at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Healthy community children (CC, n=213) in the same age-range were recruited from the neighborhoods and extended households of children with SM. Whole blood was collected at enrollment and was either processed immediately for plasma or was preserved and stored accordingly for future RNA and DNA isolation. We performed genotyping for endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) polymorphisms, quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR to estimate transcript levels of var genes encoding P.falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), and used plasma to quantify a number of cytokines, chemokines, angiogenic growth factors, soluble EPCR and erythropoietin with ELISA-based assays. The work presented in this dissertation identified both cytoadhesion of infected erythrocytes (IEs) and host immune factors as important contributors to SM pathogenesis. We have shown that polymorphisms associated with less bound and more soluble EPCR are associated with reduced risk of SM; that EPCR-binding PfEMP1 are important in SM and that their transcript levels are higher in CM than SMA; that the immune profile, while quite similar in CM and SMA, is differentiated especially by elevated levels of chemokines and IL-10 in CM. Lastly, our studies on the association of TNF-α and EPO with disease severity in CM highlight the importance of understanding both systemic and local effects of host mediators when considering targets for adjunctive therapies, and the importance of selectively inhibiting the pathogenic effects without compromising the beneficial roles of that target.
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    One coin, two sides: eliciting expert knowledge from training participants in a capacity-building program for veterinary professionals
    (2021-08) Adamchick, Julie; Perez Aguirreburualde, Maria Sol; Perez, Andres M.; O'Brien, Mary K.
    Scientific research may include the elicitation of judgment from non-academic subject-matter experts in order to improve the quality and/or impact of research studies. Elicitation of expert knowledge or judgment is used when data are missing, incomplete, or not representative for the specific setting and processes being studied. Rigorous methods are crucial to ensure robust study results, and yet the quality of the elicitation can be affected by a number of practical constraints, including the understanding that subject-matter experts have of the elicitation process itself. In this paper, we present a case of expert elicitation embedded within an extended training course for veterinary professionals as an example of overcoming these constraints. The coupling of the two activities enabled extended opportunities for training and a relationship of mutual respect to be the foundation for the elicitation process. In addition, the participatory research activities reinforced knowledge synthesis objectives of the educational program. Finally, the synergy between the two concurrent objectives may produce benefits which transcend either independent activity: solutions and ideas built by local professionals, evolving collaborative research and training approaches, and a network of diverse academic and practicing professionals. This approach has the versatility to be adapted to many training and research opportunities.
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    Self-reporting of risk pathways and parameter values for foot and mouth disease in slaughter cattle from alternative production systems by Kenyan and Ugandan veterinarians
    (2021-08) Adamchick, Julie; Rich, Karl M.; Perez, Andres M.
    Countries in which foot and mouth disease (FMD) is endemic may face bans on the export of FMD-susceptible livestock and products because of the associated risk for transmission of FMD virus. Risk assessment is an essential tool for demonstrating the fitness of one’s goods for the international marketplace and for improving animal health. However, it is difficult to obtain the necessary data for such risk assessments in many countries where FMD is present. This study bridged the gaps of traditional participatory and expert elicitation approaches by partnering with veterinarians from the National Veterinary Services of Kenya (n=13) and Uganda (n=10) enrolled in an extended capacity-building program to systematically collect rich, local knowledge in a format appropriate for formal quantitative analysis. Participants mapped risk pathways and quantified variables that determine the risk of infection among cattle at slaughter originating from each of four beef production systems in each country. Findings highlighted that risk processes differ between management systems, that disease and sale are not always independent events, and that events on the risk pathway are influenced by the actions and motivations of value chain actors. The results provide necessary information for evaluating the risk of FMD among cattle pre-harvest in Kenya and Uganda and provide a framework for similar evaluation in other endemic settings.
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    Teacher support for Universal Secondary Education in Uganda.
    (2011-11) Werner, Jessica Ista Gray
    This is a study of teacher support for Universal Secondary Education in Uganda. Universal Secondary Education (USE), an initiative designed to increase access and quality in secondary education, began implementation in 2007. Although ample literature suggests that educational policies require the support of teachers to be successful, the USE policy was enacted without the input of the nation's teachers. The purpose of this study is to examine teacher support for USE, and to determine the extent to which certain characteristics are associated with teacher support for the USE policy in Uganda. Forty-one teachers currently teaching in USE schools were interviewed in the Kampala district of Uganda. The results of this study indicate that although teachers generally support the goals of the policy, they raise concerns about the way the policy has been implemented in their schools. Teachers cite low salaries, limited instructional materials, inadequate school infrastructure, and decreased morale, as factors that have contributed to their lack of support for the implementation of the policy.
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    Uganda
    (2012-04-01) Birkenkamp, Kate
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    “What was best for a white child need not be the same for a dark child”: Producing the ‘educated African child’ in colonial Uganda’s schools, 1877-1963
    (2016-06) Lefebvre, Elisabeth
    Childhood is generally understood to denote a universal stage of development between infancy and adulthood. However, recent scholarship calls for a reinterpretation of childhood as a historically- and culturally-bounded concept. This dissertation takes up a neglected chapter in the history of childhood, namely, colonial constructions of childhood that simultaneously identified childhood as a developmental stage experienced by all children and a particularly precarious period for African children. Focusing on colonial Uganda, this research illuminates how notions of race, gender, religion, and 'development' shaped educational policy for African children and how these categories continue to inform education in post-colonial contexts.