Suchergebnisse

The pastoral mode of adaptation in the Awash Valley region of Ethiopia has long been under increasing pressure and stress as a result of manmade and ecological factors. The expansion of large-scale irrigation agriculture and conservation schemes has over the years led to the expropriation of vast portions of prime grazing land. Like other neighbouring pastoral groups in the area, pastoral Karrayu have borne the brunt of the resulting consequences. Unable to a large extent to practice their transhumant pastoral way of life in the customary way, the Karrayu have become compelled to resort to alternative livelihood strategies. Irrigated farming in the well-watered neighbourhoods is a major activity that they have embarked upon. In the wake of this shift have come about transformations in the patterns of settlement and land use and tenure arrangements. Concomitantly, horticultural communities have evolved, accompanied by different land access institutions and emerging land transaction practices. This study was conducted with a view to examining the dynamics of the evolving land use and access strategies, and generating fresh evidence in the context of a community under transformation from pastoral to agro-pastoral form of livelihood. The study was undertaken in an agro-pastoral setting, unlike most others that were conducted predominantly in smallholder agricultural communities of the highlands. Therefore, it is expected that the study will impart fresh insights of academic relevance as well as policy implications, thereby helping to fill the existing gap in knowledge on the subject of land use and tenural research.

Objective: To study knowledge and perceptions among residents of Bahir Dar about the causation, prevention, and treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses.

Methods: Sixty randomly selected informants, including 20 key informants, were interviewed about the occurrence of the most common sexually transmitted and other diseases, as well as illness perception, causation, prevention, and treatment in Bahir Dar using semi-structured interview guides. Ten health practitioners also were interviewed about their knowledge and attitudes about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and patients infected with them.


Results: The five most frequently named STDs were AIDS, gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), in that order. HIV/AIDS and gonorrhea were relatively well known compared to the other STDs, reflecting their high prevalence. Community members used many local vernacular names to refer to sexually transmitted illnesses. This use of euphemisms reflects the cultural belief that such diseases should not be talked about openly. While the considerable stigma attached to all STDs inhibits open discussion, it is easier to talk about AIDS because of the wider publicity the epidemic has received. A number of misconceptions about causes and ways to prevent STDs were identified. Government health services were found to be used relatively
infrequently by persons with STDs. Stigma, inconvenience, problems in patient-provider interactions, and issues of confidentiality and privacy were major factors in both the underutilization of public health services and the widespread use of self-medication, traditional healers, private doctors, and injectionists (local practitioners who administer medical injections for a fee).


Conclusion and Recommendations: A combination of persisting misconceptions about the causation, transmission, and treatment of most STDs exists. The ethnomedical environment surrounding these diseases is characterized by strong stigmas, secrecy, delayed treatment, widespread self-medication, and problematic patient-health services relationships, all of which impede the prevention and control of STDs in Bahir Dar. Development and implementation of collaborative programs involving official health services and community-based organizations may increase STD clinic utilization rates.

Hongoro, Charles; Tadele, Getnet; Kloos, Helmut: HIV/AIDS and the Mining and Commercial Agricultural Sectors in Southern Africa. - S. 127-142