Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Zomba'

Thesis (MPhil)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: Health service utilization by people with mental health problems seem to be a large public health issue, especially in low-income countries. In Malawi, the situation is not different from other developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as far as access to services for people with mental health problems is concerned. Non specialized health care workers provide mental health services in the primary care settings in Malawi and, given the workload at primary health care (PHC) setting level, little time is available to screen for mental disorders, hence these may go unrecognized. Therefore, there is a possibility that a significant proportion of patients attending primary care in Malawi may have common mental disorders (CMD) and may be deprived of routine screening. Consequently, the possibility of misdiagnosis may lead to higher service utilization by people with common mental health problems. However, no study has been carried out to assess the health service utilization by people with common mental disorders in Malawi. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate health services utilization patterns of patients with CMDs in primary care clinics. Methods: This was a quantitative study employing a cross-sectional descriptive design. The study was conducted in two primary health care clinics in one of the 28 districts in Malawi. The study included all consecutive patients aged 18 years and older who attended the primary health care clinics for any reason. Face-to-face interviews using the Self-Reporting Questionnaires (SRQ-20) were conducted in a sample of 323 primary health care attendees. Findings: The prevalence of probable CMD was 20.1%. People with CMD had a higher average number of health facility visits in the previous three months compared to those without probable CMD thus 1.6 vs. 1.19 (p-value 0.02). There was no significant difference in the average number of traditional healer visits in the previous three months between those with probable CMD and those without thus 0.05 vs. 0.08 (p-value = 0.565). The total average number of both health facility and traditional healer visits was 1.68 vs. 1.24 (p-value 0. 019), people with probable CMD having a higher average compared to those without a probable CMD. It was found that people who have visited the health care facility repeatedly in the past 3 months were likely to be suffering from CMD. The odds of probable CMD increased with each visit to a health facility by 1.2 (p-value=0.024). Almost all those who had probable CMD had no treatment prescribed for CMD by PHC clinicians. Conclusion: The study reveals high utilization of health services for people with CMD, as well as a treatment gap of mental health care in primary care settings. PHC workers are misdiagnosing patients with CMDs leading to high utilization of PHC services. There is need for PHC workers to improve skills in diagnosing patients with CMD to make PHC services more effective by reducing re-attendances and improving patient outcomes. There is also need to direct effort towards creating awareness about mental health and encourage patient disclosure of psychological or mental health problems.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond: Dit blyk dat veral in lae-inkomste lande, die gebruik van gesondheidsdienste onder mense met geestesgesondheidsprobleme `n kwellende gesondheidskwessie te wees. Malawi, soos ander ontwikkelende lande in Sub-Sahara Afrika, ervaar die probleem van toegang tot gesondheidsdienste vir mense met geestesgesondheidsprobleme. In die primêre gesondheidsdienste in Malawi, word pasiënte met geestesgesondheidsprobleme behandel, deur algemene gesondheidswerkers wat nie gespesialiseerd is in geestesgsondheid. Verder veroorsaak die arbeidslas in primêre gesondheidsorg dat daar nie altyd tyd is om pasiënte voldoende vir geestesgversteurings te ondersoek nie. Dit is daarom moontlik dat `n merkwaardige aantal pasiënte wat gebruik maak van primêre gesondheidsorg in Malawi aan algemene geestesversteurings lei, maar hulle word nie voldoende ondersoek nie en gevolglik word hulle of nie gediagnoseer nie of verkeerdelik gediagnoseer. Dit kan daartoe lei dat `n groter aantal pasiënte, met algemene geestesversteurings, gebruik maak van primêre gesondheidsdienste. Die probleem is dat daar nog geen navorsing in Malawi gedoen is, oor die gebruik van gesondheidsdienste onder mense met algemene geestesversteurings. Doelwit: Die doel van die studie is om pasiënte, met algemene geestesversteurings, se gebruik van primêre gesondheidsorg klinieke te ondersoek. Metodes: `n Dwarssnee kwantitatiewe beskrywende studie-ontwerp was gebruik. Data-insameling het by twee primêre gesondheidsorg klinieke, in een van die 28 distrikte in Malawi, plaasgevind. Pasiënte, 18-jaar en ouer, wat die primêre gesondheidsklinieke vir enige rede besoek het, was ingesluit in die studie. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 323 pasiënte wat gebruik gemaak het van primêre gesondheidsorg klinieke. Onderhoude was met pasiënte gevoer deur middel van `n self-relaas vraelys (ook verwys na as „Self-Reporting Questionnaires‟). Bevindinge: Daar was `n voorkomssyfer van 20.1% pasiënte wat waarskynlik aan algemene geestesversteurings gelei het. Mense wat waarskynlik aan algemene geestesversteurings gelei het, het in `n tydperk van drie maande gemiddeld meer gebruik gemaak van gesondheidsdienste, in vergelyking met diegene wat waarskynlik nie aan algemene geestesversteurings gelei het nie, dus 1.6 teenoor 1.19 (p-waarde van 0.02). In die gegewe drie maande was daar geen betekenisvolle verskil in die gemiddelde aantal besoeke afgelê aan tradisionele geneeshere deur pasiënte wat waarskynlik aan algemene geestesversteurings gelei het, in vergelyking met diegene wat waarskynlik nie aan geestesversteurings gelei het nie, dus 0.05 teenoor 0.08 (p-waarde= 0.565). In totaal het diegene met geestesversteuring ook gemiddeld meer besoeke, 1.68 teenoor 1.24 (p-waarde 0.019), aan beide gesondheidsorg en traditionele geneeshere afgelê het, as diegene wat waarskynlik nie aan geestesversteurings gelei het nie. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat mense wat in die afgelope drie maande herhaaldelik gebruik gemaak het van gesondheidsdienste, waarskynlik aan algemene geestesversteurings gelei het. Die moontlikheid dat `n pasiënt aan `n algemene geestesversteuring gelei het, het met 1.2 (p-waarde=0.024) verhoog met elke besoek aan die gesondheidsdienste. Byna al die pasiënte wat waarskynlik aan `n algemene geestesversteuring gelei het, het nie behandeling ontvang nie. Gevolgtrekking: Daar is bevind dat mense met algemene geestesversteurings geredelik gebruik maak van gesondheidsdienste en dat daar `n gaping is in die voorsiening van geestesgesondheidsdienste in primêre gesondheidsfasiliteite. Primêre gesondheidsorg personeel se hantering van pasiënte lei daartoe dat pasiënte met algemene geestesversteurings meer geredelik gebruik maak van primêre gesondheidsorg. Daar is `n behoefte aan die verbetering van primêre gesondheidsorg personeel se vaardighede en vermoë om pasiënte met geestesversteuring te diagnoseer en sodoende ook herhaaldelike besoeke te verminder en die gesondheidsuitkomste van pasiente te verbeter. Daar is `n behoefte aan groter bewusmaking van geestesgesondheid en om pasiënte aan te moedig om hulle sielkundige en geestesgesondheidsprobleme aan personeel te openbaar.

River water is used for a range of purposes, for example irrigation, laundry, hygiene, mining of sand, as drinking water and for disposal of wastes and wastewater. These anthropogenic activities, along with agriculture and the local climate and geology will have effects on the water quality, and by extension the people living in the area. This study intends to evaluate the water quality of Likangala River, which is a perennial river in southern Malawi, during hot dry season linking it to the activities present in the direct vicinity of the urban segment of the river. A small land use survey was carried out, and eight points for water sampling chosen for analysis of a set of physio-chemical water quality parameters. Also an estimate of the water discharge of the time was made. It was found that most parameters were within the guidelines for drinking water set up by WHO (2011) and Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS, 2008), although turbidity, manganese, iron, chromium and lead showed elevated levels. Some, but not all, parameters showed a trend with low values upstream the city and higher values downstream (except pH with a inverse trend), and almost all parameters were significantly higher in the effluents from the Zomba Sewage Works, and also directly afterwards.
Flodvatten används för en rad olika ändamål, exempelvis bevattning, tvätt, hygien, utvinning av sand, som dricksvatten och för avyttrande av avfall och avloppsvatten. Dessa mänskliga verksamheter, tillsammans med effekter av jordbruk samt det lokala klimatet och geologin kommer att påverka vattenkvaliteten, och i förlängningen de människor som bor i området. Denna studie avser att utvärdera vattenkvaliteten i Likangala, som är en flod i södra Malawi, under heta torrperioden och koppla denna till de verksamheter som finns i dess direkta närhet längs den urbana sträckningen av floden. En liten kartläggning av markanvändning genomfördes, och åtta platser för vattenprovtagning valdes ut för analys av ett antal fysio-kemiska vattenkvalitets- parametrar. Också en uppskattning av vattenföring gjordes. Det visade sig att de flesta parametrar var inom riktlinjerna för dricksvatten som inrättats av WHO (2011) och Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS, 2008), även om turbiditet, mangan, järn, krom och bly visade förhöjda halter. Vissa, men inte alla, parametrar visade en trend med låga värden uppströms staden och högre värden nedströms (förutom pH med en inverterad trend), och nästan alla parametrar var betydligt högre i spillvattnet från Zomba vattenreningsverk, och även direkt efteråt.

The needs of young people in classroom based HIV/AIDS Education in Malawi, the extent to which current classroom practices respond to these needs, and the factors influencing these responses have been explored using questionnaires, interviews, lesson observations, and document analysis. In contrast to previously reported literature on HIVIAIDS Education in Malawi, the present study has drawn pupils' needs directly from the pupils' themselves, focussed on classroom practice, and triangulated the various data sets to give a comprehensive picture of HIV/AIDS Education in Malawi. Pupils identified a need for open discussion climates on HIV/AIDS issues despite a conservative cultural and religious adult world that is not open. They also identified a need for explicit and accurate knowledge on HIVIAIDS issues, opportunities to acquire behavioural skills for HIV prevention, and involvement of external speakers. The needs of the pupils have not been adequately addressed by the current classroom practice. Factors which influenced this can be linked to lack of policies that are responsive to culture and religion, ineffective and inadequate teaching policy guidelines, and lack of a policy prioritising HIV/AIDS education by making it examinable. The findings suggest that in future, effective HIV/AIDS Education needs to be informed by the pupils' needs. To address these needs, support from the wider society and related policies, coupled with appropriate management and classroom practice will be required.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) pandemic still remains a major public health concern worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately over 70% of people living with HIV in the world are in sub-Saharan region. Malawi is one of the worst affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa with prevalence reaching up to 16% in some areas. Recent study reports, largely in Africa, comparing outcomes for HIV patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma (HIV/KS) and HIV patients without KS indicate poor prognosis and poor health outcomes amongst HIV patients with KS. While efforts are being made to improve the management and care for the HIV/KS patient group, there is also need for continued efforts to better understand the survival patterns in this patients. The work presented in this thesis attempts to investigate the survival patterns in different patient subgroups in HIV cohorts in Malawi by using advanced and novel statistical techniques with an ultimate aim of informing targeted patient treatment and management practices. In this thesis, we aim to address the following four objectives; (1) to identify risk factors for mortality among HIV patients diagnosed with Kaposi’s sarcoma during routine initiation of ART, (2) to model the survival pattern among HIV patients diagnosed with KS, (3) to model local geographical variations in survival among HIV patients on ART, (4) to quantify transition dynamics in HIV and TB co-infection using multi-state modelling. For the first two objectives, we considered extended Cox models and parametric models. We also used a novel approach of accounting for high attrition in cohorts in which we used a ’gold-standard’ data to compare survival in our cohort. Sensitivity analyses indicated consistencies in our approach providing an insight into how model results change when using this comparison approach. Overall We noted an early mortality with most patients dying in the first five months after starting HIV treatment. Patients with TB and the patients who started in the early era of ART were significantly at risk of dying. The model diagnostics indicated that (i) a random effects Cox/Log-Gaussian frailty model and (ii) a flexible parametric proportional hazards model, describe the risk of mortality in the HIV/KS patients well. For the third objective, spatial survival models were considered. The study showed existence of possible residual spatial variation in survival after adjusting for age, sex, KS status, TB status and unobserved individual frailties. To further aid our understanding, we used the choropleth maps to indicate areas with substantially high probability of mortality risk at different cut-off values. These results highlight the local geographical variations in survival in HIV populations, an element more often ignored in most studies on HIV data. For the last objective, we considered the homogeneous continuous time multistate Markov models. In this study we found that patients in TB free status had a relatively higher probability of transitioning to being diagnosed with TB compared to dying while in TB free status. However, the cumulative transition hazards for the ’TB free ! death’ transitions compared to the "TB free ! TB infection" transitions were only higher during the early days of HIV treatment. This result emphasize how early periods after starting HIV treatment is crucial to ensure better prognosis. We also noted significant gender differences in the ’TB-free ! death’ transitions. It is anticipated that the findings in this thesis will help to inform treatment and management practices of HIV patients. The findings provide clear outcome pathways taken by HIV/TB patients before experiencing a terminal outcome. More importantly, the findings could help inform policies aimed at improving overall survival in HIV cohorts by establishing targeted patient management and treatment strategies and also formulating a more efficient triage system for care and treatment of particular group of patients.

Despite consensus on their significant nutritional value, wild foods are continually excluded from both food security statistics and economic values of natural resources. Though largely unexplored, there is evidence on the use of wild foods by children to supplement their diets and as a source of income. Children have knowledge on the gathering and hunting of selected wild food species and sources thereof. Wetlands, agro-ecosystems, natural forests, human landscapes and river systems remain important sources of wild food resources. The provision of and access to these resources are significantly affected by the interference and disruption to natural ecosystems. In Malawi, interference has been largely due to deforestation and land use change caused by an interplay of pressures from population growth for development and agricultural expansion. Against this background, the implications of deforestation and vegetation cover on the availability of wild foods and their access and use by children is largely unexplored. Through a comprehensive analysis of data collected from 150 children and 50 elderly men and women, the integration of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises and Geographic Information System (GIS), in the four sites of Mpheta, Mtuluma, Kasonga and Makombe in Zomba district, wild foods availability was established and their contribution to the nutritional status of children and households’ food security assessed. Study sites were identified along the deforestation gradient of Lake Chilwa, Zomba Mountain and Shire River basin with an additional focus on varying landscapes. One hundred and twenty species of wild foods were identified with greatest availability in areas of high vegetation cover and the lowest in areas of low vegetation cover, but with meaningful differences per wild food category. There was considerable reduction in the availability of wild foods with increasing deforestation; mainly wild game and fruits species and, in turn, decreased access of these by children. Nevertheless, small game, insects, other wild fruits and wild vegetables thrive well in agro-ecosystems and therefore were minimally affected by deforestation but largely by management practices of those systems and can be possibly improved through the promotion of agro-ecological farming systems. The research reveals that wild foods form an important component of the starch based diets of households from agricultural communities in the various landscapes. Besides securing the household’s food base, all children largely supplemented their diets with wild foods but with increased dependence by children from poorer households who are highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Access and use of wild foods was largely dependent on children’s knowledge, perceptions of the wild food and ease of access, with considerable variations due to gender and socio-cultural norms. Besides contributing to the nutritional status and food security, commercialisation of wild foods was common among children, hence providing them with an alternative livelihood strategy and in some cases only viable source of income.

xiv, 126 p. : ill., map. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
The government of Malawi is being lauded internationally for having ostensibly eliminated hunger within its borders through a subsidy that makes available chemical fertilizers to smallholder farmers. Development scholarship and policy have recently turned toward promoting a "new" Green Revolution in Africa for the establishment of food security and the advancement of economic development. Many view the increased use of chemical fertilizer in Malawian agriculture and the resultant rise in maize yieldsdescribed by such publications as the New York Times as the "Malawi Mirac1e"-as evidence that the prescribed NGR is indeed a recipe for success. This thesis places the subsidy in its historical and theoretical framework and discusses the extent to which production-end strategies accomplish the goals of food security. Also discussed are nonproduction measures that are essential to creating a reliable and accessible food system.
Committee in Charge: Peter A. Walker, Chair; Derrick L. Hindery

Magister Public Health - MPH
The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) brought new hope to HIV patients as it has transformed a fatal disease to a chronic manageable condition. In 2009 there were over 920,000 Malawians infected with HIV and 110,000 new infections. Malawi like other countries in the sub-Saharan Africa has made great strides in ensuring access to ART. The government of Malawi introduced free antiretroviral therapy (ART) in June 2004. By 2010, a total of 250,987 patients in the country were receiving ART. The success of ART requires, amongst others, a sustained adherence rate to medication of more than 95% to prevent viral replication and the development of drug resistant HIV strains. Identifying the factors that influence adherence is essential for the long-term success of public ART programmes. This study explored patient, socio-economic, cultural, and religious and health systems factors that influence adherence to ART in Zomba district in Malawi. An explorative qualitative study was conducted amongst ART patients and health workers in four health facilities in Zomba district of the Southern Region of Malawi. Data collection was through individual in-depth interviews with 25 ART patients and semi-structured key informant interviews with 13 health workers that were actively involved in the ART programme. Data was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic and content analysis of transcribed data was done. The study found high individual commitment, having social support from family and friends and continuous good counselling to be facilitators to adherence to ART. HIV-related stigma and discrimination, none disclosure of HIV status, lack of partner support, travelling to attend funerals and religious beliefs were noted barriers to adherence. Health system factors such as congestion in the clinic, negative staff attitudes and a lack of privacy at the pharmacy were also identified as barriers to clinic attendance and keeping appointments. Although pill burden was not mentioned, patients reported drug reactions as a barrier to adherence. Although there is good road network in the district, transport cost was still mentioned as a hindrance to treatment adherence. Treatment success was reported to be both a facilitator and a barrier to adherence. HIV-related stigma and discrimination among people need to be addressed to increase support to PLWHIV and encourage disclosure of HIV status. The improvement of the socio-economic status of ART patients needs to be addressed to reduce dependence on support from other people and provide money to make follow-up appointments. The health systems need to reduce clinic congestion and waiting times so that patients are not deterred from accessing ART.

This study was aimed at assessing the implementation status of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council in Malawi given the current situation where the council is operating without ward councilors. It also undertook an exploration of factors affecting the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council and made recommendations which can positively contribute to the effective implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council. Using both qualitative and quantitative research design, data for the study was collected using interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The study found that the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council during the period under study was unsatisfactory. The major challenges to the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council were largely linked to the absence of councilors in the current council setup, violation of legal instruments governing the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy by the incumbent leadership, lack of political will among the ruling elite to see full implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy, poor performance of structures operating in place of ward and council committees and inadequate finances at the disposal of Zomba District Council. The study concluded that Zomba District Council needed ward councilors to fully implement the National Decentralisation Policy. However the study also observed that it would be impossible to attain the objectives of the decentralization policy if there was no political will on the part of the incumbent leadership to see the National Decentralisation Policy implemented in full at Zomba District Council.

Background. Common mental disorders (CMDs), including depression and anxiety disorders, and risky alcohol use are highly prevalent among people living with HIV. Yet, many studies have found that most people who suffer from mental disorders do not receive treatment, especially in low-income countries. Given people living with HIV frequent health services, this represents a missed opportunity for identification and treatment that could improve physical and mental health outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify missed opportunities to address mental health of people living with HIV in Malawi. Four types of missed opportunities were operationalised for this study. The first two address missed opportunities for screening or identification For missed opportunity #1, a respondent had to screen positive for mental health problem (depression/anxiety or alcohol use ; and in any of their visits to the clinic in the past 12 months, the clinical officer or nurse did not ask about their mental health. Missed opportunity definition #2 was a more nuanced missed opportunity for identification of probable mental health problems. A respondent had to be undetected for mental health problems; and in any of his or her visits to the clinic in the past 12 months, the clinical officer or nurse did not ask about his or her mental health and s/he wanted to receive advice or treatment about his or her mental health problems. The second to definitions address missed opportunities for treatment. For missed opportunity definition #3, a respondent had to screen positive for mental health problem and if in any of his or her visits to the clinic in the past 12 months, and s/he did not receive advice or treatment. For missed opportunity definition #4, a more nuanced missed opportunity for the treatment of probable mental health problem: a respondent had to screen positive for a mental health problem; s/he wanted to receive advice or treatment about his or her mental health problems/alcohol use; and in any of their visits to the clinic in the past 12 months, s/he did not receive treatment for a mental disorder/risky alcohol use. Methods. A a random of participants receiving HIV care were approached while they were waiting for their consultation at three ART clinics namely: Tisungane, Matawale and Domasi. Those who consented to participants were interviewed in a private room. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to detect probable cases of CMDs and clients consuming alcohol at risky levels. Following v administration of the SRQ-20 and AUDIT, participants were asked if clinical officers (COs) or nurses inquired about their feelings (sad or worried) or alcohol consumption during their routine visits to ART clinics, thus eliciting data on identification by healthcare workers or identification of CMD symptoms. The participants were also asked whether advice or treatment was recommended and whether they would have liked to receive advice or treatment regarding their feelings or risky alcohol use. Descriptive statistics were utilized to calculate prevalence estimates of missed opportunities and multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the factors associated with missed opportunities for mental health service provision. Results. The study had 382 participants. The proportion of participants who screened at risk was 77 (20.2%) for probable CMDs and 16 (4.2%) for risky alcohol use. The proportion of participants who screened at risk for any mental health problem (depression, anxiety and risky alcohol use) was 87 (22.8%). Participants who were asked by clinical officers and nurses about CMD symptoms and alcohol use were 92 (24.1%) and 89 (23.3%) respectively. Of the entire sample, 351 (91.9%) participants wanted to receive advice or treatment and 26 (29.9%) received advice or treatment. Missed opportunities to address the mental health of people living with HIV were found to be as follows: definition #1, 40 participants (46.0%); definition #2, 35 participants (40.2%); definition #3, 87 participants (100%) and definition #4, 66 participants (75.9%). After adjusting for other variables in the model female gender was significantly associated with missed opportunity definition #1. After adjusting for other variables in the model female participants were more likely to meet criteria for missed opportunity definition #2 than male participants. Furthermore, older participants were less likely to meet criteria for missed opportunity definition #2 compared to younger participants. Participants who were employed were less likely to meet criteria for missed opportunity definition #2. In the same vein, participants who were spending less were less likely to meet criteria for missed opportunity definition #2. Given all participants met criteria, we were unable to develop logistic regression models. There were no significant associations for missed opportunity definition #4. Conclusion. Approximately one fifth of the sample recruited screened at risk for CMDs and most clients wanted to receive advice or treatment. Despite over 40% of the participants reporting being asked about CMD symptoms, PHC workers did not provide advice or treatments to 75.9% of clients. There is need to advocate for screening of mental health problems including alcohol use and treatment in all ART clinics in Malawi.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between risky sexual behavior and contextual factors related to economic resources, woman’s empowerment, and health facility characteristics among young women in Zomba district, Malawi. Secondary analyses of the Schooling, Income, and Health Risk (SIHR) study were undertaken. Four outcomes related to risky sexual behavior were examined: if participants had ever had sex, consistent condom use, and two scores measuring risk related to partner history and age during sexual activity. Regression models with cluster-robust standard errors and multilevel regression models were used to estimate associations; analyses were stratified by school enrolment status at baseline of the SIHR study and utilized weights to account for SIHR sampling design. For participants in school at baseline, the percent of girls enrolled in school at the community level was associated with ever having sex and consistent condom use. Belief in the right to refuse sex was protective against ever having sex, lower household education was associated with higher odds of ever having sex, and near rural and far rural residence was associated with decreased odds of condom. For participants not in school at baseline, lower individual education was associated with riskier scores related to age and partner history and lower household education was associated with lower age during sexual activity. Private or non-governmental health facilities were associated with decreased odds of condom use and higher age during sexual activity. In both strata, increasing age and near rural residence (within 16 kilometers of urban center) increased odds of ever having sex; lower educational achievement was associated with lower age during sexual activity. A history of pregnancy was associated with lower odds of condom use and riskier partner history. Risky sexual behavior is multifaceted and complex. While various factors related to women’s empowerment played a role, the most consistent variables associated with risky sexual behavior were those related to education. Interventions and programs seeking to reduce risky sexual behavior among young women, thereby reducing their risk of HIV infection, should continue to focus on improving access to education at multiple levels.

Includes bibliographical references
Background: Mental illness increases risk for substance use and the presence of substance use in people living with mental illness makes diagnosis and treatment of both disorders more complicated. For treatment of either disorder to be successful, both must be identified and treated individually. The substance use burden and service needs of psychiatric inpatients in Malawi are unknown. Objectives: The study aimed to determine prevalence of risky substance use and service needs among psychiatric inpatients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted examining subjective substance use using the World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) version 3.1 in 323 new inpatients aged ≥18 years. The prevalence of risky and lifetime substance use was calculated in addition to bivariate analysis and linear regression. The kappa statistic was calculated to compare diagnosis of substance use during routine clinical assessment on admission with screening using the ASSIST. Results: ASSIST-linked lifetime prevalence for each substance were alcohol 54.8 %, (95 % CI: 49.3-60.1 %), followed by tobacco 43.7 %, (95 % CI: 38.4-49.1 %), and cannabis 39.0 %, (95 % CI: 33.9-44.4 %). No-one reported any use of amphetamine-type stimulants, hallucinogens, or opioids. The prevalence of moderate risk use, requiring brief intervention were tobacco 19.2 %, (95 % CI: 15.3-23.9 %), cannabis 9.9 %, (95 % CI: 7.1-13.7 %), alcohol 7.1 %, (95 % CI: 4.8-10.5 %), sedatives 1.2 %, (95 % CI: 0.4-3.3 %) and cocaine 0.6 %, (95 % CI: 0-2.4 %). High risk use requiring specialist care was identified for alcohol 18.6 %, (95 % CI: 14.7-23.2 %), cannabis 16.7 %, (95 % CI: 13.0-21.2 %), tobacco 10.8 %, (95 % CI: 7.9 -14.7 %) and inhalants 0.3 %, (95 % CI: -0.1-2.0 %). Interrater agreement for diagnosis of substance use disorder between routine clinical assessment compared to ASSIST questionnaire was Kappa = 0.530 (p < 0.001) which is moderate but statistically significant. The multivariate linear regression to determine the risk factors associated with tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. Males are more likely to use all these substances and have a higher ASSIST score than female patients (p < 0.001). The model indicated that risky alcohol use is significantly higher in Christians than other religions or no religious affiliation (p =.044) while risky cannabis use is significantly higher in rural residents compared to urban residents (p =.042). Conclusions: Results suggest that tobacco, alcohol and cannabis are commonly used among psychiatric inpatients in this population. Most patients use substances at risky levels requiring both brief intervention and specialist care. Although substance use is common, the detection of substance use disorders in admission assessments is moderate and could be improved. The ASSIST questionnaire is useful in screening for substance use in psychiatric inpatient populations and is likely to improve detection and management.

The principal aim of this study was to assess the socio-economic contribution of nontimber forest product (NTFP) trade to households in Zomba and Machinga, southern Malawi. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through several methods, including a household survey using questionnaire interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews with individual traders, direct observations, and literature review. The quantitative data were analysed statistically using SPPS version 16.0 while the qualitative data were analysed thematically. NTFP trade was the third important source of cash income for 15% of the households, although the level of use, buying and selling of NTFPs varied across the four study villages. All households in all the study villages used firewood (100%), and most used thatch grass (94%), bamboo (96%), wood for building (92%), largely as construction materials. However, the percentage of households buying NTFPs was lower, with the maximum percentage of households being 50%. The percent of households engaged in selling at least one NTFP was lower still at 39%. Substantial cash incomes were generated from firewood and edible orchids sales which provided up to a maximum of Mk180,000, equivalent to US$456, per year. Households joined the trade mostly for an alternative source of cash income due to poverty and to meet basic needs when other options were not available or feasible. Cash income generated from NTFP trade acted as a safety net and a coping strategy when other avenues supporting livelihoods were not accessible. The socio-economic benefits derived from NTFP trade were associated with the quantities collected, sold, market forces influenced by the law of demand and supply. The small amounts of cash income generated by most households were important as they supplemented household cash needs. There was a strong association between NTFP trade as one of the important sources of cash income and the number of months a household had food from their own garden in a year. There was a significant relationship though weak between ranking of NTFP trade and livestock ownership by households. Value chain analysis was used as an analytical tool to understand the processes involved in NTFP trade. The value chains for the products under study were short, dominated by traders and some intermediaries. Most of the products were sold in local markets with little value addition. This study recommends that policy makers should integrate NTFPs into their development plans, emphasizing the establishment of management strategies that will enhance availability and sustainability of the resource. NTFPs contributed to the livelihoods of the households socially and economically through provision of food, cash income, energy for cooking, medicine and construction materials.

Magister Public Health - MPH
Background: Millennium Development Goal 7 was to ensure environmental sustainability by aiming to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water by the year 2015. The 2015-MDG Report estimated that the use of improved sanitation rose from 54% to 68% globally, but the target of 77% was not met, and that implies slowing the progress in the health and education sectors. Although Malawi has made significant progress in increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation in comparison to other Sub-Saharan African countries, disparities in improved water supply and sanitation within Malawi remains a challenge. In Malawi, only about a quarter of all schools have improved latrines with a ratio of one latrine for every sixty learners. While the water and sanitation situation in primary schools of Malawi is reported to be making progress, such progress remains unreported in secondary schools. Aim: The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide insight on the water and sanitation situation in secondary schools by understanding factors that influence learners' use of the water and sanitation facilities and personal hygiene practices in a girls' boarding secondary school in Zomba District, Malawi. Methodology: This study employed a descriptive qualitative study design using individual interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and observations. A purposive sample consisting of 12 learners participated in two FGDs, while individual interviews were conducted with 6 prefects, 2 teachers responsible for sanitation at the school and 1 matron. The FGDs and individual interviews were targeted at exploring these participants' perceptions, experiences, challenges faced in the use of water and santation facilities and perceptions of appropriate interventions to improve hygiene practices and utilization of sanitation services. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings indicate that there were several factors that influenced learners' use of water and sanitation and their hygiene practices at the school. One of the main challenges was the irregular supply of safe water by the Southern Region Water Board which meant that alternate sources of water, which was not always potable, had to be used instead. Poor water and sanitation infrastructure and facilities including lack of privacy in shower cubicles and the poor condition of the incinerator that is meant for disposal of sanitary pads were other challenges facing the learners. There were also insufficient toilets and shower cubicles for the number of learners at the school. A good number of learners knew the importance of hand washing for their personal health at school, but limited accessibility to running water compromised their hand washing practices and personal hygiene including menstrual hygiene. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the challenging factors occur at the macro, meso and micro levels but more importantly that these levels are interrelated and impact on one another, emphasising the complexity of the water and sanitation situation in the study school, but could most likely also be the situation at other schools in Malawi. Therefore multi-level interventions will have to be put in place to address these challenges. Recommendations: The present study recommends that at macro level the Department of Education should provide an enabling environment and political will to facilitate development of a multi-sectoral approach that would complement the school operation rules to improve the adequacy of the water and sanitation facilities and hygiene practices. In addition, the Southern Region Water Board should ensure a reliable supply of safe water to the school and provide better infrastructure of piped water. At meso level (school organisational level), the school management should take more responsibility for maintaining the infratstructure. In addition, the school-board, the school management and parents'-teachers' association and learners should form a committee to discuss and implement strategies that would enhance the learner's use of water and sanitation facilities at the school and ensure their privacy and dignity. At micro level, the school, the communities including families and religious leaders should encourage personal hygiene practices repeatedly amongst everybody.

Since Vatican II, Roman Catholic Theologians from the Third World have been arguing for the creation of their own indigenous or local theology. Traditionally this has taken one of two forms, liberation or inculturation theology. The first concentrates on a political or economic analysis of society and addresses it with the message of freedom from oppression in the Bible; the second considers the "colonialism of the mind", reinterpreting western Christianity in the framework of other cultures and religions. Both forms of theology emphasise the importance of the grassroots Christians owning and determining the local manifestation of the church. This thesis takes the people as its starting point. It uses sociological methods of data collection and qualitative analysis to examine closely the local expressions of what it means to be church in two Third World countries. Through interviews with the local congregations and an investigation of the activities of the local church it paints portraits of these churches. The two dioceses chosen for investigation were the diocese of Zomba in Malawi and the Prelature of Infanta in the Philippines. Both are "post-revolutionary" countries where the Catholic hierarchy took a significant role politically and they were chosen to discover how this has affected faith at the grassroots. The thesis investigates to what extent inculturation and liberation have occurred in the two situations, suggesting that the old division between inculturation and liberation is no longer valid in real-life circumstances. In place of this dualism, which could be seen as a further legacy of Western colonialism, the case studies suggest that inculturation and liberation are part of the same process, and can be expressed by Vatican II's understanding of "Incarnation Theology". This refers not only to a past event but interprets incarnation as an ongoing process which gives a new understanding and value to history. From the portraits, the analysis that follows examines models of incarnation, taking the issues presented by the case studies to suggest three themes that are important in the process towards a local church. Through the voices of the congregations of these diverse churches, the thesis discusses the position of history in faith, the emphasis on the liturgy of life in addition to the liturgy of the church, and the new models of church emerging in the Third World.

This study assessed the implementation of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programmes for primary school teachers in Zomba Rural Education District in Malawi. The study arose from a concern that, despite the Government of Malawi putting in place structures to facilitate the implementation of CPD for primary school teachers, research has shown that teachers have not improved their classroom practice. As a result, there has been poor learner performance at all levels of the primary education system to the extent that learners scored the lowest in the 2005 international examinations for the Southern Africa Development Community. From the literature, it appears that no thorough and conclusive studies to look into the issues behind the implementation of CPD programmes in Malawi have been conducted. Hence the researcher was motivated to assess how the CPD programmes are implemented with the view to explore better ways of implementing CPD programmes for teachers that can result in teacher change. The study was placed within the post-positivism paradigm and used a mixed method research design that incorporated concurrent procedures in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data while qualitative data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, CPD observations and document analysis. A total of 798 teachers filled the questionnaires. This figure represented 47% of the total number of teachers in the district. The researcher conducted 34 focus group discussions with teachers from various schools. She also held interviews with 34 head teachers and CPD programme facilitators (12 Primary Education Advisors and 3 CPD facilitators from organizations). Other interviews were held with the District Education Manager, the Coordinating Primary Education Advisor, the Coordinator of the New Curriculum, and the Coordinator for the Department of Teacher Education and Development. Further, the researcher made 3 CPD observations. The study revealed weaknesses in the implementation of CPD programmes for teachers in the district. Generally the study noted that there was much emphasis on the transmissive model of CPD implementation, to the neglect of transitional and transformative models such that the personal, social and occupational aspects of professional learning were not holistically considered in the programme designs. Specifically, the duration of the programmes was found to be inadequate for meaningful assimilation of new knowledge and skills; the expertise of facilitators was sometimes questionable; and the use of the cascade mode left teachers unsure and with knowledge gaps. Further, the study noted that the monitoring and support mechanisms for the programmes were weak; the consultation processes for teacher inputs in the CPD programme designs were dismal; and the welfare of teachers at the CPD venues was poorly handled.. At school level the study revealed that the teaching and learning environment compounded the problem of teachers’ difficulty in implementing what they learnt from CPD training. Large classes, inadequate teachers, lack of teaching and learning resources, limited infrastructure, lack of accommodation for teachers, lack of support from colleagues and learner absenteeism were some of the factors hindering implementation of CPD programmes at school level. The study has put forth recommendations for the effective implementation of CPD programmes for teachers in the district. Furthermore, based on the findings of the study and an extensive literature search, the researcher has suggested an alternative model for CPD implementation that can result in teacher change. Overall there is need for collaborative effort among stakeholders in education to ensure effective delivery of CPDs and their subsequent translation into practice at classroom level.

Aquest estudi investiga la figura del mort vivent –zombi- des de una perspectiva interdisciplinar per tal de descubrir les causes del renaixement al que s’ha vist sotmès el subgènere a partir del atemptat terroriste produït als Estats Units l’ onze de setembre del 2001. Per això, el treball aborda la figura del no-mort des de diferents àmbits i èpoques històriques. Primer, dibuixant un recorregut que mostra la rellevància d’aquesta figura en la cultura occidental, a través de la iconografía macabra a partir de la seva representació a les Dances Macabres i els Triomfs de la Mort durant l’Edat Mitjana, per a prosseguir amb el Renaixement i la cultura de la dissecció dels cossos que tènia lloc en els Teatres Anatòmics i finalment mostrant la rellevància d’aquesta figura entesa des de un prisma capitalista i psicoanalític, basant-se en les teoríes marxistes i freudianes del capitalisme i del sinistre. La següent part de l’estudi es centra en el simbolisme del zombi en el folclore europeu per a prosseguir cap al seu inici etnogràfic. Aquí tendrán rellevància tres figures que mostraràn les primeres aproximacions d’aquesta figura des de l’àmbit de l’etnografía. En primer lloc W. Seabrook amb el seu treball “The Magical Island” que marcarà un punt d’inflexió entre les obres de no-ficció prèvies així com a la popularització de la figura del zombi en la cultura popular americana. Seguidament, el treball de camp de Zora Neale i la seva aproximació al vudú i als rites religiosos haitians i finalment, la controvertida i més actual investigació de Wade Davis sobre el procès de zombificació en les societats haitianes. Aquestes tres visions enmarcaràn el context històric i cultural haità i la seva religió majoritaria –el vudú- per a ajudar-nos a entendre els inicis del zombi com a aparell ideològic i la zombificació com un càstig social en la societat haitiana. La segona part de l’estudi canalitza la figura del zombi dins del circuit cinematogràfic com la consecució lògica de l’arribada d’aquesta figura de terror a occident, explorant el seu éxit com arquetip fílmic a partir del considerat primer film del subgènere “White Zombie” i de la seva primera explotació fílmica entre els anys 1930 i 1950. Acte seguit, s’explora tres cinematografíes bàsiques i complementàries entre sí que mostren l’evolució del subgènere, així com els seus principals directors. De Estats Units, George A. Romero, d’Espanya Amando de Ossorio i Jorge Grau i d’Italia Lucio Fulci. Finalment s’analitza l’últim renaixement de la figura del zombi en la cultura popular a través de la Cultura de l’Apocalipsis de Parfrey i l’estètica de la destrucció a partir del 11/S analitzant els motius de l’inici d’aquest renaixement així com tenint en compte els aspectes de mercat i tècnics que converteixen al zombi en una figura transmediàtica, exemplificat a través del videojoc “Resident Evil” i de la novela gràfica de Robert Kirkman “The Walking Dead” que ens portarà a traçar el futur d’aquest icone de terror al finalitzar la seva tercera explotació.
Este estudio investiga la figura del muerto viviente –zombi- desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar para descubrir las causas del renacimiento al que se ha visto sometido el subgénero a partir del atentado terrorista producido en Estados Unidos el 11 de septiembre del 2001. Para ello el trabajo aborda la figura del no-muerto desde diferentes ámbitos y épocas históricas. Primero, trazando un recorrido que muestra la relevancia de esta figura en la cultura occidental, a través de la iconografía macabra a partir de su representación en las Danzas Macabras y los Triunfos de la Muerte durante la Edad Media para proseguir en el Renacimiento y la cultura de la disección de los cuerpos que acontecían en los Teatros Anatómicos y finalmente mostrando la relevancia de esta figura entendida desde un prisma capitalista y psicoanalítico, basándose en las teorías marxistas y freudianas del capitalismo y de lo ominoso. La siguiente parte del estudio se centra en el simbolismo del zombi en el folclore europeo para proseguir hacía su inicio etnográfico. Aquí tomarán relevancia tres figuras que mostrarán las primeras aproximaciones a esta figura desde el ámbito de la etnografía. En primer lugar W. Seabrook con su trabajo en “The Magical Island” que marcará un punto de inflexión entre las obras de no-ficción previas así como a la popularización de la figura del zombi en la cultura popular americana. Seguidamente, el trabajo de campo de Zora Neale y su aproximación al vudú y a los ritos religiosos haitianos y finalmente la controvertida y más actual investigación de Wade Davis acerca del proceso de zombificación en las sociedades haitianas. Estas tres visiones enmarcarán el contexto histórico y cultural haitiano y su religión mayoritaria –el vudú- para ayudarnos a entender los inicios del zombi como aparato ideológico y la zombificación como un castigo social en la sociedad haitiana. La segunda parte del estudio encauza la figura del zombi dentro del circuito cinematográfico como la consecución lógica a la llegada de esta figura de terror a occidente, explorando su éxito como arquetipo fílmico a partir del considerado primer film del subgénero “White Zombie” y de su primera explotación fílmica entre los años 1930 y 1950. Acto seguido se explora tres cinematografías básicas y complementarias entre sí que muestran la evolución del subgénero, así como a sus principales directores. De Estados Unidos, George A Romero, de España Amando de Ossorio y Jorge Grau y de Italia Lucio Fulci. Finalmente se analiza el útlimo renacimiento de la figura del zombi en la cultura popular a través de la Cultura del Apocalipsis de Parfrey y la estética de la destrucción a partir del 11/S analizando los motivos del inico de este renacimiento así como teniendo en cuenta los aspectos de mercado y tecnológicos que convierten al zombi en una figura transmediática, ejemplificado a través del videojuego “Resident Evil” y de la novela gráfica de Robert Kirkman “The Walking Dead” que nos llevará a trazar el futuro de este icono de terror al finalizar su tercera explotación.
This study investigates the figure of the undead –zombi- from an interdisciplinary perspective to discover the causes of his rebirth in the film genre since the terrorist attacks ocurred in the United States on September 11, 2001. This investigation deals with the figure of the undead from different areas and historical periods. First, tracing a route that shows the importance of this figure in Western culture, through the Macabre Iconography and its representation in the Dances of Death and the Triumph of Death during the Middle Ages to continuing in the Renaissance with the culture of dissection of corpses that happened in the Anatomical Theatres to finally showing us the relevance of this figure understood from a psychoanalytic and marxism prism, based on Freudian and Marxist theories of the uncanny and capitalism. The next part of the study focuses on the symbolism of the zombi in European folklore to continue seeking his etnographic start. Here take relevance three fundamental authors and their approaches to this figure from the field of etnography. Firstly W. Seabrook with his work on “The Magical Island” wich will mark a turning point between non-fiction works prior to he popularization of the zombi figure in American popular culture. Then, the fielwork of Zora Neale and her approach to vudoun and the Haitian religious rites and finally the most current and crontroversial investigation leaded by Wade Davis, showing us the process of zombification in Haitian society. These three views frame the historical and cultural context and its principal religion –vudoun- to help us understand the beginnings of the zombi as ideological apparatus and zombification as a social punishment in Haitian society. The second part of the study directs the zombi within the film circuit and the arrival of this horror figure into the West, exploring his success as a film archetype with effect from “White Zombie” considered the first zombi film, and the start of the first film explotation of the genre between 1930 and 1950. Then explores the three principal countries showing the evolution of the genre, and their main directors. From United States, Geaorge A. Romero, from Spain Amando de Ossorio and Jorge Grau, and from Italy Lucio Fulci. Finally we analyze the renaissance of the zombi figure in popular culture trhough Adam Parfrey’s “Apocalypse Culture” and the Aesthetics of Destruction after 11/S studing the reasons for this revival and taking into account the market and techological aspects that rebuild the zombi as a transmedia icon, exemplified trhough the video game “Resident Evil” and the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman “The Walking Dead”, leading us to chart the future of this horror icon –the zombi- at the end of his third wave, and at the moment, last wave.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO
Este trabalho pretende demonstrar a importância das letras compostas por Noel Rosa para a cultura carioca e brasileira. As letras destes sambas, recheadas de uma visão humorística, podem desvelar um pouco o universo social que nosso artista vivia e o que ele ainda tem a nos dizer nos dias de hoje. Para tanto, foi necessário estudar algumas letras compostas por Noel paradigma da cultura e sua interpretação, para uma maior compreensão da sociedade, discutindo a importância dos artistas e sua arte enquanto formuladores de cultura, além de abordá-los como mediadores culturais e também criadores de interesses sociais. Passamos a aventar a preponderância do samba enquanto um fenômeno histórico e social carioca e também brasileiro, e sua trajetória até chegar ao nosso compositor, tendo suas letras como nosso objeto de estudo. Assim revelando um pouco de sua biografia, demonstrando a sua importância para o mundo do samba e como sua visão social pode representar um olhar diferenciado sobre a sociedade. Classificamos este olhar diferenciado pela presença do discurso do humor, analisando de como se desenvolve a linguagem do riso e seu contraponto com a ordem vigente. Finalmente, destacamos alguns temas de caráter social pertinentes na obra noelina, concentrando a atenção em dois elementos, que aí se encontram inter-relacionados: a malandragem e o desejo difuso de ascensão à condição aristocrática.
This work aims to demonstrate the importance of the lyrics composed by Noel Rosa for the carioca and Brazilian culture. The lyrics of those sambas, filled with a humoristic vision, can reveal a little of the social universe that our artist lived and what he nowadays has yet to tell us. Therefore, it was necessary to study the role of the culture and its interpretation, for a better comprehension of society, discussing the importance of artists and their art as formulators of culture, as well as to approach them as cultural mediators and also creators of social interests. We start to envisage the preponderance of samba as a historical and carioca and also Brazilian social phenomenon, and its trajectory until reaching our composer, having his lyrics as our objective of study: Noel Rosa, revealing a little of his biography, demonstrating his importance for the world of samba and how his social vision can represent a differentiated view upon society. We classified this view distinguished by the presence of humor discourse, we also make an analysis of how the laugh language is developed and its counterpoint with the established order. Finally, we highlight some social relations that are present in the Noel s work, focusing on two related behaviors: the rogue and the aristocratic willingness.

ABSTRACT Teenage pregnancy is a health and social problem in Malawi as a result of physical, psychological and socio-economic consequences on the teenage mother, family and the society as a whole. Although studies have been conducted on the prevalence and risk factors that cause teenage pregnancy in Malawi before, detailed reports are scanty, especially for Zomba district. In spite of studies and interventions that have been and are being implemented, the prevalence of unplanned teenage pregnancy in Malawi is still high, suggesting that more efforts are required to achieve effective preventive measures. The aim of this study was to explore risk factors such as cultural issues, non-use of contraceptives, lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, circumstances of first sex, gender power dynamics, sexual and physical violence, age difference between teenage girls and their partners and socio-economic status for unplanned teenage pregnancy in Zomba district of Malawi. A cross-sectional analytic design was used. Five antenatal clinics were selected using a stratified and simple random sampling technique. Data were obtained from 505 participants under the age of 20 years using a questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data and comparisons between planned and unplanned teenage pregnancy were conducted using the Chi-squared (P ≤ 0.05) and logistic regression model to predict factors for unplanned pregnancy. Findings reveal that unplanned pregnancy accounted for 76.4% of teenagers attributable to early sex and marriage, low contraceptive use, educational levels and socio-economic status, lack of knowledge of reproductive and sexual health, physical and sexual violence and substance abuse, transactional sex due to poverty, early school dropout, misleading counselling causing a lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and gender inequalities. Recommendations made are aimed at eliminating myths and misconceptions surrounding the use of contraceptives and condoms, empowering teenagers economically and in decision making, promoting career guidance, awareness on human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights and implications of early marriage and training of traditional counsellors. A multisectoral approach, including government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and communities, is required to implement these recommendations.

Within this study, the aspirations that communities are striving to realise in bettering the outcomes for their children have been explored. Their achievements are extraordinary and remarkable in the face of serious resource limitations. Nevertheless, some room still exists within the reach of communities themselves to improve the current situation of early childhood services. The roles of other early childhood development stakeholders who partner with communities in supporting the community-based child care centres have also been explored. Their greatest impact in infrastructure, play and learning resources is greatly appreciated. However, an apparent lack of need-based and systemic criterion for allocating resources creates serious disproportionate resource distribution among communities. While some limitations are obviously within the ability of communities to manage. some are obviously not. Substantial and systematic resource allocation by the Government, cooperating partners and all stakeholders in early childhood development, local and international if channelled through highly committed members of the communities, has great potential to ensure that children in these communities develop optimally. Greater synergy among all stakeholders that are supporting community-based child care centres in Malawi is therefore an indispensable password to unlocking the many aspirations that communities are striving to achieve through the community-based child care centres.

The study aimed at establishing the relationship between household socio-economic characteristics and young female education participation and success in Zomba (Malawi). The main objective of the study emanated from huge concern regarding obstacles being faced by young females in education in most developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which continues to contribute to young female school drop outs. The study had set empirical and theoretical objectives as guidance. The theoretical objectives were: to review the literature on the trends of young female education in sub-Saharan Africa and in Malawi; to review theoretically the relationship between household socio-economic characteristics and young female education participation and success in Malawi; to review the literature on cultural practices and gender biases that hinder young female education participation and success in sub-Saharan Africa and Malawi; to document the economic benefits of young female education; and to review gender disparities in education in Malawi. The empirical objectives were set as follows: establish if there is a gender bias in the households perceptions in terms of education support; establish if there is a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of young female education across different categories of heads of households; establish if there exists a statistically significant relationship between household Socio-economic characteristics and young female education participation in Malawi; and establish if there exists a statistically significant relationship between household socio-economic characteristics and girl success for those in school. The literature of the study was based on the theoretical objectives relating to what other studies have done on female education. A comparison across the world was conducted on factors hindering girls’ education and some of the trends on girls’ education in Malawi were reviewed from the past decade or so. It was observed that there is a gender bias in education, boys being given more precedence over girls, that from the factors that hinder children’s ability to attend, school girls seemingly had more share of the problems. The empirical portion of the study was based on data that were collected from random households in Zomba district. A total of 327 households with school aged children were interviewed. The study adopted a quantitative analysis where different quantitative methods were used such as descriptive analysis (cross tabulation, frequencies and means) and a logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship between household characteristics and girls’ education. Overall, the descriptive and cross tabulations analysis showed that there is a gender bias in education with boys receiving more benefits compared to girls, and more girls than boys either repeat classes more or even drop out of school. Most girls dropped out of school because of pregnancy-related issues. It was also discovered that parental perceptions that were based on cultural norms hindered girls’ education participation, where most parents, especially from the rural areas, do not regard female education as important, and where given a choice, they would rather have their girl child drop out of school and get married. The regression analysis was based more on the relationship between household characteristics and girls’ education. Two regressions were used, one having success and the other school participation as the dependent variables and household characteristics like income, distance to water point, distance to school, age of child, age of parents and location as the independent variables. Overall, it was observed that children that came from rural areas had a higher probability of dropping out of school, and if the household was located in areas far from the water point and school, their girl child had a higher probability of dropping or repeating a class. In addition, the age of child and parents played a role in girls’ education. The study recommends that the government, in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation that deal with girls’ education in Malawi, should continue to explore other ways of dealing with the problems faced by girls in schools. There is need to educate parents, especially those in the rural areas, about the importance of girls’ education and this could be done through village-by-village campaigns through the chiefs. Government should also look into some of the cultures practised in different communities and maybe set by-laws stopping girls from attending for The relationship between household socio-economic characteristics and young female education participation and success in Zomba (Malawi) Page vi example initiation ceremonies during school days. Lastly, it should be every woman’s duty who has benefited from education to give back to the community by helping young girls who are having difficulties in accessing quality education.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, May 2016.
This thesis presents work on four problems identi ed in the Zomba Water Distribution Network. The research was carried out on the existing network infrastructure with the aim of improving e ciency by reducing Unaccounted-For Water (UFW). The rst challenge was to develop a demand model for the city based on its in uencing factors: daily and seasonal uctuations as well as population dynamics. The model was to capture demand patterns for short-term, medium-term to long-term time periods, thereby becoming an important input factor into decision making. The developed model may be employed to generate demand which can be input into the city's 10 year infrastructure expansion plan. The second problem was to explain why houses built too close to tanks are at risk of inconsistent water supply. It was found that the requirement of observing the tank elevations, helv, had been violated. As a result, the discontinued supplies occurred. Once the required tank elevation helv had been established, an extra increase in the elevation so as to accommodate a larger population was determined to be on the order of one centimeter. Third problem was to explain the continued mains pipe failures observed in the network. It was established that the main cause was the hammering e ects started through the process of manually closing ow control valves (FCVs) tted next to tanks. A possible remedy was to rather t the FCVs at joint nodes and not at the tanks. This was estimated to greatly reduce the hammering e ects, eventually turning them into minor head losses due to elbow bends. Finally, a structural approach to designing tanks that optimize the use of gravity is presented. This is an input into the infrastructure expansion planning of the city. Regardless of any design shapes they may take, tanks with height-radius, h=r, ratio of less than 1 exhibit diminished, as opposed to increased, height changes with demand changes. Such a property would ensure consistency in the pressure at the tank, allowing for delivery of the demanded load.
GR2016

This study has evaluated outcomes of the care and educational intervention set up for children of Magalasi and the surrounding villages since 2003. Magalasi Village is located in the rural area of Zomba District in Malawi, Southern East of Africa. The study has investigated perceptions, attitudes and ultimately meanings that participants have attached to this intervention. In doing so, it has established the effectiveness of this intervention, which is based on based on the principle of partnership, and aimed at improving the care and education of young children of Magalasi Village. The study employed the narrative inquiry approach situated within a hermeneutic phenomenological framework. Data was collected from 35 community participants using conversational narratives and has been analyzed thematically. The study has generated numerous findings; way beyond assessing the objectives set out at the beginning of the intervention, 40 themes in total. The major findings are: a) the reversal of child neglect situation; resulting in improvement in the hygiene and personal care of nearly all children in Magalasi village; b) highly improved school performance of most children attributed to improved school preparedness and leading to most children enjoying and staying in school, and successfully completing primary education; c) highly appreciable nutritional support to children; and d) existence of challenges and tensions underlying the implementation process. Overall, the Muula Center is having a huge positive impact on the care and education of most children of Magalasi village with minimal financial and essential technical support. Therefore, the financial, technical and community ingredients that are responsible for the delivery of the care and educational services in this intervention need to be sustained for continued impact. Also, a good understanding of challenges and tensions underlying the implementation process bears the potential of identifying and addressing critical issues, which will lead to further strengthening of the efficacy of the intervention.
Graduate
khamachibwana@gmail.com

The Ministry of Education in Malawi introduced Life skills Education program with the intention to empower children with appropriate information and skills to deal with social and health problems affecting the nation including the fight against HIV infections. This study investigates factors affecting the implementation of the Life skills programme in four schools in the Zomba District, Malawi. A curriculum is not implemented within a contextual vacuum. I draw on Cornbleth‟s (1990) notions of the structural and social contexts to study the contexts of the school organisation, classroom environment and social-economic-political context in which the curriculum is implemented. Within this framework, I use Whitaker‟s(1993) identification of key role players in curriculum implementation, to consider the specific ways in which teachers, learners, principals, district officials and the community affect the implementation of this curriculum within the schools I chose to study. Findings suggest that the implementation of Life skills is constrained by a variety of social and structural contextual factors. Some of the crucial factors hampering the teaching of Life skills are the poor conditions under which teachers are working. Teachers are paid very little salaries and this affects their motivation to teaching making some of these teachers giving most attention to what they perceive as priority subjects only such as Maths and Languages at the expense of Life skills. The cascade model of training leaves the responsibility of training Life skills teachers to school principals who are not subject specialists. This adds to their already highly pressured roles in terms of managing their schools, resources and learners. The training of teachers in life skills curriculum involves two days of training. This short duration of the training is not sufficient to develop understanding of content and empower teachers to mediate sensitive topics with 3 confidence. This model of training also undermines professional responsibility of each teacher to empower themselves to become subject experts in the subjects they teach. The inaccessible language used within the Teachers‟ Guide contributes to the omission of areas of the curriculum by teachers who struggle to understand and teach certain topics. The case study shows that hunger experienced by learners affects their concentration in class and leads to frequent absences. It has been found that the Life skills curriculum is not supported by all sectors of the community. Certain teachers and their principals found a clash between rural communities‟ cultural beliefs and the Life skills programme. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS affects both the teachers of Life skills and their learners resulting in teachers feeling uncomfortable and reluctant to teach that which affect them and their learners. Some teachers believe that it is inappropriate to teach sexual matters to children of this age. This results in the teachers omitting the very issues that the Life skills curriculum has sought to address. Given these issues, the research finds significant challenges facing the implementation of the Life skills curriculum in Malawi and based on the findings, recommendations are made for improvement of the implementation of the Life skills program.

Tese de doutoramento em Antropologia (Antropologia Social) apresentada ao Dep. de Antropologia da Univ. de Coimbra
Este subgrupo étnico, também conhecido por Bazombo, Bambata (Ba Mbata), foi considerado como a elite mercantil da região de M’Bata e parte integrante do célebre Reino do Kongo . O seu chefe ancestral, Nsaku Ne Vunda ou Mani Mongo exerceu durante séculos o poder terreno sob o manto sagrado matrilinear da kanda Nsaku. A sua privilegiada localização geográfica, entre o Norte de Angola e o Sul da República Democrática do Congo está implantada num extenso planalto situado entre 1000 a 1100 metros de altitude e esta prerrogativa terá estado na base da escolha das íntimas relações que vieram a estabelecer-se entre o mítico Nimi a Lukeni, o"mwana" de Nsaku (leia-se o primogénito) e a autoridade mítica do grupo Kongo. O seu chefe Mani Vunda era o legítimo herdeiro do poder religioso e o principal eleitor dos reis. Usaram e usam ainda, o poder religioso como suporte fundamental do seu mando, porém, com uma singularidade: sublimaram esse mesmo poder no controle das rotas comerciais entre o rio Zaire ao Norte e o rio kuanza ao Sul. Foram e continuam a ser parceiros comerciais privilegiados entre outros, de portugueses, holandeses, franceses, belgas, ingleses, alemães, americanos e ultimamente de russos, cubanos, chineses e até coreanos. Os Zombo souberam aproveitar das situações diplomáticas e comerciais em que intervieram (e continuam a intervir), assumindo-se agentes activos privilegiados entre os povos do interior e do litoral das bacias do rio Zaire e Kuanza. A sua apetência pelo tráfico de todo o tipo de mercadorias afectou profundamente a sua existência. O ambiente natural e a sua cultura imediatista, relacionada com o comércio de longa distância, levaram a que sejam considerados como comerciantes natos, daí, a sua sedução pelo comércio desde a mais tenra idade.
This ethnic subgroup, also known as Bambata (Ba Mbata) was considered the trading elite in the M’Bata region and part of the famous Kingdom of Kongo. Their ancestral chief, Nsaku Ne Vunda, also known as Mani Mongo, exercised earthly power over centuries under the sacred matrilineal veil of Nsaku kanda. Its privileged geographical location, between the north of Angola and the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo extends over a plateau 3500ft above sea level and this circumstance may have been decisive in the establishment of the close relationship between the mythical Nimi a Lukeni, the Nsaku “mwana” (read first born) and the mythical authority of the Kongo group. Their chief, Mani Vunda, was the legitimate heir of the religious power and the main voice in the Kings’ election. They used, and still do, religious power as the basis of their rule, yet with a particularity: they sublimated this very power in the control of the trading routes between the Zaire River, in the north and the Kwanza River, in the south. They were privileged trading partners of Portuguese, Dutch, French, Belgians, British, Germans, amongst others, and lately Chinese and even Koreans. It can therefore be concluded that the Zombo have been able to take advantage of both the diplomatic and the trading situations in which they took part (and still do) by playing the role of active and privileged agents amongst the peoples in the interior and the ones in the coast of Zaire and Kwanza basins. Their drive for the trade of all types of goods has deeply affected their existence. The natural environment and their immediateness, related with long distance trade, have led them to be considered immediatist and natural-born traders. They are not enticed by investments which mean a long wait for profit; they invest today to profit the following day. This explains their attraction to trade from a very young age.

The research work presented here constitutes both a theoretical reflection and a visual essay about the configuration that “utopia” takes on today. This exploration is based on Franco “Bifo” Berardi's thinking, especially on the way this author mobilizes and combines notions of visibility and invisibility to think about that concept in the present moment. At first, nuclear ideas about the concept of utopia are clarified, more precisely in the understanding that the concept was assumed historically in terms of the imaginary, but also in the greater or lesser importance that was attributed to it, as a critical tool to the present, to depart from them to situate our proposal that we call Zomia: a proposal post-utopic. In a second moment we explain the choice of the photographic device as a medium for the realization of the essay and expose the status of the photographic image as document-photography in the postmodern period strongly marked by the digital mechanisms and the equation of the notions of truth and reality. Next, it is argued that, on the one hand, the regime of photography-expression and the concept of image-fiction, as discussed respectively by Rouillé and Dubois, and on the other, the dimensions of visibility and invisibility considered, conceived in the regime of photography-expression, are the appropriate bases for developing the visual essay on utopia, inspired by the thought of "Bifo". This consists in the creation of a book of images that propose to make visible a utopia, but which simultaneously shows its invisibility, conferring an experience between the visible and the invisible to the proposal of perception of a contemporary utopia. In this way it is suggested, and according to Bifo's thought, that utopia is inscribed in the present, in the form of possibility, and that its vision is urgent, because only through it will it be possible to escape to the dominant dystopian perception, but at the same time is invisible, due to the hegemonic perception that prevents us from contemplating and perceiving different horizons.

This study aims at investigating the orphan reunification and rehabilitation program in Zoba Ma'ekel, Eritrea. The orphan reunification and rehabilitation program is an intervention devised by Eritrean government in an attempt to address the ever present and continuing problem of orphans in Eritrea. This program aims at reunifying orphan children with their extended families (the uncles, the aunts, the elder brothers and sisters, the grandparents, and any other available relatives). It also aims at strengthening the participant families economically so that they provide the physical and social needs of the orphans under their care. Using data collected through in-depth interviews and questionnaires administered face-to-face in eight selected sites, this study examines the 'well-being' of the reunified orphans compared to non-orphans 1 in the same families using what were believed basic child needs indicators. The study was carried out over two months (December 2002 to January 2003). The findings illustrate that reunified orphans are provided with food, clothing/shoes and health services. However non-orphans in those families are better off than orphans. Most of the caregiver families are economically poor and tend to privilege their own children when there is scarcity of resources within the family. The statistical findings show that 81.5% of non-orphans are supplied with food four times a day compared to 73.2% of the sample orphans. The expenses made for clothing /shoes are found to be slightly higher for non-orphans than orphans (65.9% compared to 59.1%). The findings also reveal orphans' enrolment rate is higher than the national school age children which means they are better off than other children of the country although they are enrolled 6.2% lower than the comparison group (79% vs. 85.2%). However, they work longer hours than non-orphans and among orphans, females do more work than male which deprived them time for play and study. Relationship with the orphans is found stronger where there is a close family tie between the orphans and the caregivers. 1 Non-orphans in this study refer to children in the same families sampled for questionnaires administered face-to-face.
Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Tese de mestrado em Geologia Económica (Prospecção Mineral), apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa, através da Faculdade de Ciências, 2011
A jazida de Tetelo localiza-se na Província do Uíge (NW de Angola), cerca de 1 km a NE do depósito de Mavoio, integrando o Cinturão do Congo Ocidental, um dos cinturões Neoproterozóicos resultantes da fragmentação do supercontinente Rodinia e posterior orogenia Pan-Africana. A mineralização encontra-se hospedada em unidades do Supergrupo do Congo Ocidental, nomeadamente na Formação C5b do Sub-grupo Xisto-Calcário e nas Formações Inkisi e M’Pioka do Subgrupo Xisto-Gresoso, que constituem a parte superior do Grupo Congoliano Ocidental. Em Tetelo, estas unidades são cortadas por duas falhas de direcção geral NE-SW, a mais importante designada por “Falha das Hematites”, prolongando-se por cerca de 100 km para SW de Tetelo. O Subgrupo Xisto-Gresoso é caracterizado essencialmente por rochas meta-areníticas de natureza arcósica a subarcósica, de fonte granitóide, com calibração má a moderada, de grão muito fino a fino e predominantemente sub-anguloso. Na Formação C5b predominam rochas meta-carbonatadas de granularidade variável que registam modificações assinaláveis, derivadas da progressão heterogénea de mecanismos de recristalização dinâmica e/ou dissolução-reprecipitação. O essencial da mineralização desenvolve-se na Formação C5b, sob a forma de minérios semi-maciços e maciços, muito embora também se apresente como disseminações matriciais e a colmatar fracturas. A associação mineral principal inclui pirite, bornite, calcocite, Cu nativo, hematite, goethite e outros hidróxidos de Fe; como acessórios surgem termos análogos a digenite e covelite, calcopirite, tenantite, cuprite e raros sulfuretos de Cu-Co e arsenatos de composição química diversa (Ca, Mg, Cu, V, Y e/ou ETR). Quando hospedada no Subgrupo Xisto-Gresoso a mineralização é bastante incipiente, originando principalmente disseminações e/ou selando pequenas fracturas; verificam-se, todavia, raros domínios de mineralização semi-maciça. A associação mineral principal inclui: pirite, calcocite, hematite, goethite e outros hidróxidos de Fe, surgindo como acessórios, termos análogos a digenite e covelite, calcopirite, bornite, enargite, tenantite, galena, esfalerite e raros sulfo-arsenetos de Pb, sulfossais de Cu-As-Bi-S e Cu-Bi-S e diversas fases minerais de Cu-Pb-As-S. As diferenças existentes entre as mineralizações alojadas nas litologias do Subgrupo Xisto-Gresoso e da Formação C5b, ao nível da intensidade de mineralização e composição mineralógica, parecem dever-se a diferenças no percurso das reacções químicas estabelecidas pela interacção entre os fluidos mineralizantes e as rochas encaixantes de natureza manifestamente distinta; a maior vulnerabilidade química das rochas de natureza carbonatada permite o reforço destas diferenças aquando da oxidação heterogénea de todo o conjunto por circulação de fluidos meteóricos tardios. Os estudos de química mineral mostram que, independentemente da natureza do encaixante e do contexto textural em que se encontram, as fases minerais apresentam composições relativamente homogéneas, com desvios muito pouco significativos à estequiometria ideal; as únicas excepções prendem-se com os sulfuretos de Cu e Cu-Fe, por força da sua capacidade de formar extensas soluções sólidas dentro do sistema Cu-Fe-S. A mineralização é indubitavelmente epigenética e de carácter polifásico, apresentando características análogas às de outros depósitos epigenéticos discordantes de Cu-Zn-Pb hospedados nos cinturões Neoproterozóicos de Damara e Lufiliano. A precipitação das fases sulfuretadas parece resultar da instabilização dos agentes de complexação dos metais transportados em solução pelos fluidos hidrotermais (de natureza crustal, salinos e de pH ácido); esta instabilização dever-se-á à alteração das condições físico-químicas dos fluidos por reacções de neutralização entre os mesmos e as rochas hospedeiras de natureza carbonatada e siliciclástica. A sustentação do processo mineralizante deverá relacionar-se com a circulação periódica destes fluidos, favorecida pela recorrência de eventos de deformação frágil, desencadeada por sucessivos ciclos sísmicos experimentados pela “Falha da Hematite”, ao longo do tempo. As relações texturais e composição química das fases minerais sugerem importantes variações da composição química dos fluidos mineralizantes ao longo do tempo caracterizando-se (a nível dos elementos maiores) por: uma fase inicial de Fe (+-Cu), responsável pela precipitação de pirite (+-calcopirite), seguida de uma outra de Cu e As, marcada pela precipitação de tenantite (+-enargite) e calcopirite, esta última frequentemente em substituição dos agregados anteriores de pirite; fases subsequentes, caracterizadas pela entrada no sistema de Cu(+-Zn+-Pb), promoveram a precipitação de esfalerite e a substituição das fases sulfuretadas anteriores por fases progressivamente mais ricas em Cu e/ou Pb. A circulação tardia de águas meteóricas terá desestabilizado as fases sulfuretadas, levando à precipitação de (hidr)óxidos de Fe e Cu nativo (+-cuprite+-arsenatos). O estudo comparativo da evolução tectono-sedimentar dos cinturões do Congo Ocidental, Damara (Namíbia) e Lufiliano (República Democrática do Congo e Zâmbia) não exclui a possibilidade de ocorrência de mineralizações estratiformes de Cu-Co nos domínios meta-sedimentares Neoproterozóicos do território Angolano.
The Tetelo mineral deposit is located in the Uíge Province (NW Angola), about 1 km NE from the Mavoio ore deposit, being part of the West Congo Belt, one of the Neoproterozoic belts formed as the result of Rodinia’s supercontinent breakup and later Pan-African Orogeny. It is hosted by the West Congo Supergroup lithostratigraphic units, namely the C5b Formation of Xisto-Calcário Subgroup and the Inkisi and M’Pioka Formations of Xisto-Gresoso Subgroup, making up the upper section of the West Congolian Group. In Tetelo these units are intersected by two NE-SW faults, the main one, traced for about 100 km SW of Tetelo, named as Falha das Hematites. The Xisto-Gresoso Subgroup is mainly characterized by meta-arkosic to meta-subarkosic sandstones of a granitoid source, with bad to moderate calibration, fine to very fine grained and mainly sub-angular grains. The C5b Formation is dominated by meta-calcareous rocks of variable granularity, presenting remarkable modifications due to heterogeneous progression of dynamic recrystalization and/or reprecipitation-dissolution mechanisms. The C5b Formation hosts most part of the mineralization as semi-massive to massive ores, though it can also occur as matrix disseminations or as fracture fillings. The main mineral association includes pyrite, bornite, chalcocite, native Cu, hematite, goethite and other Fe-hydroxides; as accessory minerals appear digenite and covelite, chalcopyrite, tennantite, cuprite, and rare Cu-Co sulphides and chemically diverse arsenates (Ca, Mg, Cu, V, Y and/or REE). The mineralization is rather incipient when hosted by the Xisto-Gresoso Subgroup rocks, developed essentially as disseminations and/or micro-fracture fillings, although, rarely, it can be found as semi-massive ore. The main mineral association includes pyrite, chalcocite, hematite, goethite and other Fe-hydroxides; as accessory minerals appear digenite and covelite, chalcopyrite, bornite, tennantite, enargite, sphalerite, galena and rare Pb-sulphoarsenides, Cu-As-Bi-S and Cu-Bi-S sulphosalts and diverse Cu-Pb-As-S minerals. Differences shown by the mineralization hosted in the Xisto-Gresoso Subgroup and in the C5b Formation, regarding their intensity and mineralogical composition, seem to be due to different chemical reaction pathways established between mineralizing fluids and host rocks of very different compositions; these are later enhanced by heterogeneous oxidation of the host rocks, due to the higher chemical vulnerability of carbonate rocks during meteoric water circulation. Microprobe results show rather homogeneous compositions of the minerals, with little deviations to their ideal stoichiometry, whatever the host rock composition or textural context; the only exceptions are the Cu and Cu-Fe sulphides due to their ability to form wide solid-solutions within the Cu-Fe-S system. The mineralization is undoubtedly epigenetic and polifasic, sharing many characteristics with other fault-related Cu-Zn-Pb deposits of Damara (Namibia) and Lufilian (Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia) belts. The destabilization of metal complexes that are transported by hydrothermal fluids (of crustal source, saline and acid pH) leads to sulphide precipitation as the outcome of buffering reactions established between the fluids and the carbonate and siliciclastic host rocks. The sustainability of the mineralizing process seems to relate with periodic fluid flow favored by fragile deformational events induced by recurrent seismic cycles of Falha das Hematites throughout time. Minerals textural relations and chemical composition suggest wide chemical composition variability of the mineralizing fluids throughout time, characterized by the following (concerning major chemical elements): an initial Fe (+-Cu) stage, responsible for pyrite (+-chalcopyrite) precipitation, followed by precipitation of tennantite+-enargite and chalcopyrite from a Cu and As phase, the latter commonly substitutes the former pyrite aggregates; subsequent Cu(+-Zn+-Pb) phases promoted sphalerite precipitation and substitution of the early sulphide phases by progressively enriched Cu- and/or Pb-minerals. Late meteoric water circulation lead to the precipitation of Fe-(hydr)oxides and native Cu (+-cuprite+-arsenates), by destabilization of the previous sulphide phases. The comparative study of the tectono-sedimentary evolution of West Congo, Damara and Lufilian belts do not rule out the possible occurrence of Cu-Co stratiform mineralizations in the Neoproterozoic meta-sedimentary domains of the Angolan territory.