Digital Commons Network^™

Caring For Caregivers: Challenges Facing Informal Palliative Caregivers In Western Kenya, Hartlee Johnston

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chronic illnesses like cancer, HIV, and other non-communicable disease are increasing globally, especially in developing countries, necessitating development of palliative care and symptom management systems. In Kenya, the burden of care for chronically ill patients often falls to unpaid, informal caregivers like family members or friends. Thirty-five current or past informal caregivers from Kisumu, Kenya were interviewed about their experience, challenges they faced, and interventions they felt would be helpful. Major challenges identified included lack of finances for treatment and other living expenses; inadequate, unaffordable, or interrupted medical care; emotional stress exacerbated by juggling many responsibilities, pressure to emotionally support …

Assessing The Successes Of And Challenges Facing Civil Society Organizations In South Africa, In Influencing Gender-Based Violence Policy, Sarah Connolly

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study is to explore how South African civil society organizations (CSOs) influence government policies that are put into place to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV). The project seeks to determine what strategies for influencing these policies have been the most effective and had the greatest impact, what factors have contributed to the organizations’ successes in influencing these policies, what challenges have been experienced in attempting to influence these policies, and what best practice for civil society actors attempting to influence such policies might be. The research focuses on the experiences of seven women working …

Pasantía A La Oficina Comunal De Migrantes De La Municipalidad De Valparaíso / Internship To The Communal Office Of Migrants Of The Municipality Of Valparaíso, Morgan Craig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report evaluates my own experience over five weeks as an intern at the Communal Office of Migrants in Valparaíso, Chile. This office, along with the Communal Office of Women and the Communal Office of Sexual Diversity, was founded in June 2016 by Mayor Jorge Sharp as a part of the initiative to better represent the citizens of the Valparaíso región. Within the last ten years Chile has had a massive boom of immigration that has come as a shock to many Chileans. Due to a lack of cultural understanding about immigration and an immigration law that dates back to …

Prevalence Of Moniliophthora Roreri In Theobroma Cacao In Relation To Clone Variety, Community Composition, Environmental Factors In An Organic Cacao Farm In Charagre, Bocas Del Toro, Panamá: A Case Study, Kara Eckberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Moniliophthora roreri, or Frosty Pod Rot (FPR) is a widespread pathogen that affects the fruit of Theobroma cacao, a tree commonly known as the cacao tree. Often, cultivators seek to control spread of M. roreri through fungicidal compounds. However, these fungicides place selective pressure for resistance on M. roreri. Additionally, they can have adverse environmental and human health effects and are difficult to integrate into practice for smallholders. Therefore organic farms in Bocas del Toro in western Panama, have turned to biocontrol agents to reduce the spread of M. roreri. These strategies include increasing hybrid variety, modifying community composition, altering …

A Comparative Case Study Of American And Ugandan Refugee Policies, Anna Feins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research was conducted in order to expand upon current understandings of the policies affecting refugees in Uganda and the United States (U.S.). Appreciating both policies and implementation strategies for each country is critical in providing the ability to fully grasp the reality of the refugee crisis faced by countries all over the world.

This study employed field-based research, including observations, focus groups, and interviews with refugees and those who implement refugee policies. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and implementing partners of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda were interviewed, along with officers and commandants in the Office …

Hiv Harm Reduction Methods: A Comparison Between Switzerland And The United States, Erin Major

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the connections between harm reduction methods and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Switzerland and the United States of America, focusing primarily on the harm reduction methods of needle exchange programs, safe drug consumption spaces, and sex education. While these two countries are largely similar in their culture and geopolitical approaches, there are some key differences in how HIV is approached in each. Switzerland’s somewhat unique approach with relaxed drug policies and more pragmatic, harm reduction based response to the AIDS epidemic sets a model framework for other countries to follow, with comparatively widespread use of needle exchange …

Water Injustice In Jendouba Governorate, Wilder Mccoy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water is a precious resource even in a tropical rainforest, and in a dry country like Tunisia it is essential. Located in the south central region of the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia, like nearly every other Mediterranean country, faces a stark challenge in providing clean drinking water to its growing population. Compared to its neighbors, Tunisia, with a few minor exceptions, does a good job in meeting this goal. In the rural northwestern governorate of Jendouba, where most of the country’s surface water comes from, there is ironically a dire need for clean drinking water in the rural areas outside the …

Exploring Rwanda's Continuing Education Capacity For Information Communications Technology (Ict) Skills, Li Keen Lim

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Rwanda strives to become the ICT hub of the region, it will need to develop its greatest asset: its people, in ICT skills. This exploratory study used 30 semi-structured interviews, observation and secondary data from different sources, schools, students and NGOs, to answer a simple question: how does an everyday, working adult Rwandan learn new computers skills for a new computer age? This study found that a wide variety of suppliers fulfil different niches that give prospective students a range of prices, content, schedules, certification, practices, etc., and that demand is increasing for a host of different reasons. It …

When The Health System Fails You: Maternal Care Under Kenya’S 2017 Nurses' Strike, Tessa Coughtrey-Davenport

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study focuses on the 2017 nurses’ strike and how the crippling of the public health system impacted maternal care in Kisumu, Kenya. Kenya has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, and there have been many efforts to reduce this, such as delivery with a Skilled Birth Attendant and attending antenatal care visits, all of which are centered around a functioning health system. The research team used a combination of interviews with key populations and analysis of service delivery data at local health centers to evaluate the effects of the strike on maternal care. The study …

The Effect Of Warming On Wind Speed And Potential Wind Power In Iceland, Alexei Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Climate change is causing a shift in the temperature and pressure gradient between the Arctic and the Equator, with the Arctic warming at a faster rate than the Equator. This shift has the potential to alter the seasonal wind speeds in the Northern Hemisphere, which could in turn affect the wind power density potential. In this study, a wind model was created to predict future wind speeds and wind power density for 6 weather stations in Iceland. According to the model, winter wind speeds and wind power density potential will either stay the same or increase slightly (0 – 4%), …

Understanding Sanitation Preferences: An Exploratory Study In The Sirohi District Of Rajasthan, Karen Mac

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Of all the countries in the world, India has the highest number of people practicing open defecation, causing adverse health outcomes from the unconfined spread of faecal matter. The Government of India is ambitiously aiming to end this practice through the construction of 12 million toilets by 2019, but historically, many toilets across India have gone unused. This study focused on understanding: (1) the reasons why people continue to openly defecate despite having toilets and (2) the requirements of a toilet that rural households would be willing to use. Along with 36 observations of household toilets, semi-structured group (n=8) and …

Las Condiciones De Vida De Los Usuarios Adultos Mayores Del Hospital Makewe / The Living Conditions Of Elderly Users Of Makewe Hospital, Taylor Selembo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Life conditions are a fundamental aspect of the health of senior citizens, as these are the factors that determine their quality of life and capacity to satisfy their needs. Life conditions are dependent on the particular social, political, economic, and geographic context of the region. This study intends to answer the following question: How are the life conditions of senior citizens belonging to Hospital Makewe, located in the IX region of Chile? This quali-quantitative study utilized observation, surveys (n = 40) and interviews (n = 15) in order to accomplish the main objective. The main objective was to describe senior …

Una Investigación Sobre La Prevalencia De La Lactancia Materna / 62/5000 An Investigation On The Prevalence Of Breastfeeding, Madeline Ferone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El propósito de la investigación es estudiar la realidad de las prácticas y la prevalencia de la lactancia materna en Chile, y cómo las características demográficas distintas de las mujeres influyen en la alimentación de sus bebés. La lactancia materna es crucial para el crecimiento y desarrollo saludable de un bebé, y también tiene beneficios para la salud de la madre. Sin embargo, las madres a menudo no siguen las pautas de la Organización Mundial de Salud y UNICEF. Los métodos de recolección de datos son una revisión de una Encuesta del Ministerio de Salud de 2013 de 9604 madres …

El Futuro Indefinido Del Barrio Puerto De Valparaíso: Explorando El Nexo Complicado Entre La Preservación Del Patrimonio Y La Gentrificación En El Barrio Puerto De Valparaíso / The Indefinite Future Of The Puerto De Valparaíso Neighborhood: Exploring The Complicated Nexus Between Heritage Preservation And Gentrification In The Puerto De Valparaíso Neighborhood, Anne Paglia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the years following UNESCO’s conferral of the World Heritage title to the historic zone of Valparaíso, the residential neighborhoods of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción underwent a drastic process of gentrification. Private investors hoping to profit from increased tourism flows pumped capital into the sector in the form of restaurants, cafes, and hotels. As result, residents were gradually expelled due to higher rent prices and an overall increase in cost of living.

The consequences of developing the city’s tourism infrastructure in these neighborhoods were not limited to gentrification; as the residential life of these neighborhoods was uprooted, so was …

Language, Race, And Integration: A Comparative Exploration Of The Sub-Saharan Migrant Experience In Morocco, Madeline Davison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper uses a qualitative approach to explain the divide between local and migrant populations in the Moroccan context. This divide is primarily influenced by “feelings of otherness” and is triggered first and foremost by differences in physical appearance—easily identifiable differences upon first impression. Though inspired by a nearly instantaneous arrangement, this divide is fueled further by an inconsistency of language usage between groups. Because there is a wide variety of migrant experiences in this context, it is important to identify some of the differences between these lived experiences. Upon observation, the question, “What are the fundamental differences between migrants’ …

“Porque Soy Madre”: Un Análisis Del Rol De La Maternidad En La Organización “Multisectorial Contra La Violencia Institucional” En Rosario, Santa Fe / “Because I’M A Mother”: An Analysis Of The Role Of Maternity In The Organization “Multisectorial Against Institutional Violence” In Rosario, Santa Fe, Daisy Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is difficult to talk about social movements in Argentina without discussing the significant impact of “Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo.” “Las Madres,” which began as an activist organization of mothers of “los desaparecidos” or the “disappeared” during the military dictatorship of 1976-1983, is politically influential in Argentina to this day. Through demonstrations, marches, and other campaigns, Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo and its work have shaped the way that the whole world understands human rights violations during the dictatorship. Apart from their work to visibilize instances of state terrorism, Las Madres has created a precedent that allows …

Las Consejerías Estatales Y No Estatales Para Las Mujeres Víctimas De Violencia De Género: Un Estudio De Caso De La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva / The State And Non-State Councils For Women Victims Of Gender Violence: A Case Study Of La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva., Elizabeth Millar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La violencia de género existe en todas las dimensiones de la vida, como el trabajo, el hogar, la atención médica, y situaciones afines. Las mujeres que han experimentado la violencia merecen conocer y comprender sus derechos. La ley ha cambiado para reconocer más derechos, pero todavía el estado no está cumpliendo su rol de proveedor de servicios. Por eso, las consejerías no estatales, como la de la Colectiva, desempeñan un papel importante en compensar donde el estado está faltando a través de servicios legales para los casos específicos y educativos sobre sus derechos. Este ensayo reflexiona sobre el funcionamiento de …

¿Dónde Está Santiago Maldonado? El Uso Del Retrato Y El Activismo Artístico Para Exigir La ' Aparición Con Vida ' De Los Desapariciones Forzadas En Argentina / ¿Dónde Está Santiago Maldonado? The Use Of Portraiture And Artistic Activism To Demand For The ‘ Aparición Con Vida ’ Of The Forcibly Disappeared In Argentina, Emily Gresham Beamer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The dissemination of portraiture of the forcibly disappeared in Argentina represents a key strategy of visual protest within Argentina’s human rights movement, and an effective tool for ‘collective memory construction’ of the forcibly disappeared. Its history of use spans from the last dictatorship, to protests of forced disappearances in modern Argentina’s democracy. Following the disappearance of a young artisan, Santiago Maldonado, from a ‘route cut’ he participated in on August 1st, 2017, alongside the Mapuche community of Pu Lof, in protest of the Italian multinational clothing manufacturer Benetton’s control of their ancestral lands, a massive dissemination of his portrait was …

“Todavía Nos Falta”: Un Análisis Etnográfico Del Género Y La Clase Social En Un Club Deportivo Barrial En El Sureste De La Ciudad De Buenos Aires / "We Still Lack": An Ethnographic Analysis Of Gender And Social Class In A Neighborhood Sports Club In The Southeast Of The City Of Buenos Aires, Alonso Fernández

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El rol de la mujer ha sido históricamente uno de minoría en el mundo del deporte. Las mujeres han sido excluidas culturalmente y por la sociedad por mucho tiempo y no han tenido la accesibilidad a todos los beneficios del deporte de la misma manera que los hombres la han tenido. Igual que el género, el rol de la clase social también es significativo en como funciona adentro del contexto deportivo. En varios deportes, como el fútbol o el boxeo, el deporte representa una oportunidad para poder tener éxito que resulta en una ascendencia por la escalera de la clase …

Jabal Al-Weibdeh: A Counter-Memory Of Amman A Case Study In The Resistance Of Memory, Gwendolyn Dilworth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The neighborhood of Jabal al-Weibdeh is one of Amman’s most historic neighborhoods, founded in the 1930s atop one of Amman’s seven original hills. Using previous research on the construction of Jordanian national identity and the marginalization of Ammani identity, this paper aims to serve as a case study of the relationship between Amman and hegemonic discourses of Jordanian identity in Weibdeh. Through interviews with Jordanians who are connected to Weibdeh, this study examines the presence of collective memory and Ammani identity in Weibdeh. This paper argues that Weibdeh’s collective memory acts as an explicit counter-memory to Hashemite constructions of national …

Linguistic Imperialism In Jordan: The Impact Of English Education Curriculum On Cultural Behaviors Of Secondary Students In Amman, Haley Chatwin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explores the questions of how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the cultural behaviors of secondary students in Amman, Jordan, and how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the attitudes that these students have towards the English language itself. The researcher hypothesized that culturally inclusive curriculum mitigated the dilution of students cultural identities, and effected the students attitudes towards the English language. This study is significant, as English is taught at every school in Jordan, and Jordan has a long history of occupation by an English-speaking country. The researcher conducted the study using the data collection tools of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, …

Bridging The Gap From Policy To Practice: Diabetes In Rural Morocco, Zoe H. Robbin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco is in the midst of an epidemiologic transition ushered in by reduced fertility rates and extended life expectancy. Unlike two decades ago, today’s leading cause of death is chronic disease. In 2006, Moroccan officials launched Vision 2020, a comprehensive plan that seeks to expand access to healthcare and reign back the prevalence of noncommunicable disease, among other goals related to development. Through qualitative interviews with the residents of Tarmilat and Oulmes, a rural community south of Khamissat, this paper represents the first assessment of Vision 2020’s performance thus far to combat the spread of type 2 diabetes among rural …

Vrai: The Culture Of Knockoff Goods In Morocco Their Social Value, Utility, And Context In Contemporary Rabat, Peter Nyberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fashion has long been an aspect of culture through which people identify, and it serves as a marker for class, nationality, and various other social statuses. With the continued democratization of culture via the internet and its various outlets, such as social media, fashion culture and the divide between high couture and mass-produced clothing, as noted by Bourdieu, is becoming less distinct. In the context of Rabat, Morocco, this has partially played out in the consumption of knockoff goods by the youth, a part of a larger individuation[1] process that includes a “westernization”of dress and a slow departure from …

Tourism And Representation: Digital Expressions And Implications Of Orientalism, Lily P. Ayau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the tourism industry in Morocco expands, so does Morocco’s online presence. Digital representations of Morocco are often written by and geared toward Westerners; these are often projections of an imagined Morocco, one that is informed by Orientalist conceptions of the Arab/Islamic countries. This study aims to analyze a selection of online articles about touring Morocco in an effort to determine how the underlying Orientalist attitudes in these pieces fit into a larger narrative of exploitation and Western dominance.

Community Management And Governance Of Comatsa-Sud New Protected Area (Ambalamanasy Ii Commune), Allison Tennant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community-based natural resource management is an increasingly more popular choice for governments to delegate power back to local communities to conserve the resources they rely on. In Madagascar, where much of the rural population provides for their livelihoods by using natural resources, this governance structure, in cooperation with delegated manager for assistance, presents an opportunity for economic development in cooperation with conservation efforts. This paper aims to better understand the role of community, NGO, and governmental actors in creating and executing community management structures. Through Participatory Rural Analysis and structured and semi-structured interviews, it explores what management transfers look like …

The Latex Journey: A Narrative Approach To Exploring Condom Use, Stigma, And Education From The Perspective Of Women In Masxha, Kylie Yocum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although the South African National Department of Health (NDOH) is spending increasing amounts of money on improving their HIV programs (including the rollout of new, scented condoms for their condom distribution program), the rates of condom use at last sexual encounter are declining. This inquiry focused on young women in the neighborhood of Masxha, Cato Manor, and their opinions surrounding how condoms are being used or misused, as well as the gender norms that perpetrate this (mis)use. This inquiry demonstrated the narratives of these young women on factors such as condom acquisition, gendered stigma, and condom education, including the Life …

Land Insecurity In Gulu, Uganda: A Clash Between Culture And Capitalism, Zachary Slotkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents the causes and consequences of land insecurity in Gulu, Uganda. In order to address this important and often sensitive issue, the paper analyzes the role of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and the government’s policy of forced encampment during the insurgency in contributing to land insecurity, causing widespread displacement among former internally displaced persons (IDPs). It further explores the importance of land ownership in providing economic productivity to rural landowners, as well as the nature of customary land tenure in Acholi culture and the government’s efforts to privatize communal land, to give a background on the …

Quem Ama Não Mata: Brazilian Feminicide And Odara’S Black Feminist Luta, Jair Oballe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Community Development Project paper discusses my work with Odara, a black feminist organization within Salvador, Brazil. There, I spent one month studying different forms of gender-based violence, with a particular focus on feminicide. I also examined state response such as Lei Maria da Penha and Lei do Feminicídio, and how this legislation impacted violence from a qualitative perspective.

My studies are centered around news articles I read on various forms of violence within Bahia, which were then developed into a database that catalogues each incident based on a variety of categories. Additionally, I read a large assortment of books …

Convivendo Na Lagoa Do Mineiro: An Education In Living And Loving With, Daniela Aldrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of Brazil’s most pressing issues is unequitable land distribution and agrarian land reform. Movimento Sem Terra (MST) is at the forefront of this struggle and has redistributed land to approximately 1,250 families so far. As well as access and right to land ownership, MST addresses issues from youth development, to education, to ecology and more with the mission to create a more just and inclusive Brazil by training its future leaders. This vision includes moving away from the capitalist system that currently enables hierarchies of power to control Brazil at the expense of many of its citizens and natural …

Olas De Cambio: Violencia Política Y Desplazamiento Durante La Guerra Interna En El Perú (1980-2000), Sarah Benewith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación responde al problema de las aproximadamente 600,000 personas que fueron desplazadas internamente entre 1980 y 2000 como resultado de la violencia política ocurrida entre el Estado Peruano y grupos insurgentes como Sendero Luminoso. Específicamente, investigo la relación entre violencia política y desplazamiento interno, así como la naturaleza de las experiencias personales de los desplazados. Como enfoque secundario, examino cómo la identidad juega un papel en las experiencias de los desplazados. Desarrollando la investigación en Cusco y Lima, utilizo una combinación de revisión de archivos, observación directa y entrevistas. Las entrevistas, de indígenas desplazados de Apurímac durante la Guerra …