R4D Sudan

COMDIS Bulletin 1

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:46:00 GMT

Miscellaneous L. Brehmer 2009 COMDIS Bulletin 1, Autumn 2009. 6 pp. The aim of this bulletin is to allow COMDIS partners to share updates with each other. It contains information on events, activities and new projects in the COMDIS programme.

Estimates of the duration of the early and late stage of gambiense sleeping sickness

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous F. Checchi, J. A. N. Filipe, D. T. Haydon, D. Chandramohan and F. Chappuis 2008 BMC Infectious Diseases (2008) 8:16 [doi:10.1186/1471-2334-8-16] BACKGROUND: The durations of untreated stage 1 (early stage, haemo-lymphatic) and stage 2 (late stage, meningo-encephalitic) human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense are poorly quantified, but key to predicting the impact of screening on transmission. Here, we outline a method to estimate these parameters.

METHODS: We first model the duration of stage 1 through survival analysis of untreated serological suspects detected during Médecins Sans Frontières interventions in Uganda and Sudan. We then deduce the duration of stage 2 based on the stage 1 to stage 2 ratio observed during active case detection in villages within the same sites.

RESULTS: Survival in stage 1 appears to decay exponentially (daily rate = 0.0019; mean stage 1 duration = 526 days [95%CI 357 to 833]), possibly explaining past reports of abnormally long duration. Assuming epidemiological equilibrium, we estimate a similar duration of stage 2 (500 days [95%CI 345 to 769]), for a total of nearly three years in the absence of treatment.

CONCLUSION: Robust estimates of these basic epidemiological parameters are essential to formulating a quantitative understanding of sleeping sickness dynamics, and will facilitate the evaluation of different possible control strategies.

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform: A Multi-Agency Project

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2008 22 pp. This presentation introduces the UN-led humanitarian reform programme, and gives an overview of the NGOs and humanitarian reform project which seeks to engage NGOs in the overall process.

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform: Mapping Study Inception Report

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2008 10 pp. This inception report is one of the outputs for the Mapping Study on humanitarian reform. It outlines the methodological approach to be used in the five case studies in Afghanistan, DRC, Ethiopia, Sudan and Zimbabwe and the key questions to be addressed. It is important to adopt a common approach in the case studies in order to ensure comparability across them.

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Mapping Study: Sudan Report

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:47:00 GMT

Miscellaneous J. Cosgrave 2009 70 pp. Sudan is at the heart of the whole humanitarian reform process. It was perceptions of poor performance by the humanitarian community here that drove the Humanitarian Reform initiative. Sudan was the first country to have a large Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF). This report examines NGO engagement with the three pillars of the humanitarian reform: funding; coordination; and leadership; as well as the overall enabler of partnership.

In Sudan, NGO engagement with the humanitarian reforms has been mainly limited by the lack of reform. Key elements of the humanitarian reform have not been implemented: pooled funds have not been used as a strategic tool; the cluster coordination approach is clusterised in name only; NGOs are not treated as equal partners; and the Humanitarian Coordinator does not have a humanitarian background. All of these issues are linked. Particularly critical is the lack of strong humanitarian leadership. The humanitarian reforms can only succeed when all elements of the reform are in place. This is not happening in Sudan.

Reforming the process of humanitarian response: involving NGOs in the debate

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The United Nations has been leading a process of reforming the way that humanitarian aid is delivered, aimed at improving the efficiency and reach of humanitarian response for beneficiary populations. With a growing awareness of the need to better involve NGOs particularly national and local NGOs in the various aspects of reform, DFID-funded research is helping to engage NGOs in the reform process.

Review of the engagement of NGOs with the humanitarian reform process: Synthesis report

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:10:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2009 52 pp. This report analyses the current state of global humanitarian reform efforts from an NGO perspective by synthesising a series of mapping studies carried out between November 2008 and February 2009 that looked at humanitarian reform in five different countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Lessons from other contexts are also brought in to strengthen the analysis and provide an overview of humanitarian reform.

Many of the findings of the mapping studies are not new to those who have been following the UN-led humanitarian reform. They do, however, provide field-based evidence to support previously expressed views and emphasise the areas where improvements must be made. This report is intended both to provide a constructive, evidence-based critique of the state of reform and to set out clear recommendations and ways forward in finding solutions to the weaknesses and challenges inherent in the humanitarian community. Many of these challenges existed well before the reforms, and they still confront us today.

The research was commissioned by a consortium formed by six NGOs ActionAid, CAFOD, CARE, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam and Save the Children together with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) as part of the three-year NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Project, funded by DfID. The project aims to strengthen local, national and international humanitarian NGO voices in influencing policy debates and field processes related to the humanitarian reform and to propose solutions so that humanitarian response can better meet the needs of affected populations. This report represents a baseline for the project.

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Project

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:44:00 GMT

Current The overall goal of the project is to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian response, by improving the way that NGOs are able to engage in pooled-funding mechanisms at the county level. NGOs, together with the UN and the Red Cross, constitute of 3 pillars of an international humanitarian response. However, the engagement of NGOs in coordination and financing reforms has faced multiple challenges and obstacles.

Improve NGO participation in coordination mechanism in 4 countries.
Improve NGO access to reformed humanitarian funding in 4 countries.
Improved participation of crisis affected people in needs assessments in 4 countries.
Good practice and lessons learnt are effectively disseminated.
Field generated knowledge impacts global policy formulation.

The recent Synthesis Report Review of the engagement of NGOs with the humanitarian reform process comprising the first phase of the project was recently presented at the Ditchley conference. The report analyses the current state of global humanitarian reform efforts from an NGO perspective by synthesizing a series of mapping studies carried out in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, DRC and Sudan between November 2008 and February 2009.

The project is now in phase 2. Humanitarian Reform Officers (HROs) have been appointed in each of the focus countries. (Sudan has been dropped from the list after international NGOs were expelled earlier this year), There are also 5 secondary countries, Haiti, Indonesia, Palestine, Mozambique and Pakistan.

African cattle to be protected from killer disease

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The Global Alliance for Livestock Vaccines and medicines (GALVmed), a public private partnership supported by DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has facilitated the production of a million doses of an experimental vaccine against a tick-borne disease of cattle in Africa

TARGETS Annual Report 2006-2007

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:04:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2007 24 pp. This report covers the period June 2006 to May 2007. Information on research themes, outputs and knowledge dissemination is provided. Annexes give the Logical Framework, Communications Strategy, Products and Publications, and Risk Assessment Matrix

Baseline report on Food distribution, skill development, and financial services: An evaluation of BRAC South Sudans FFTIG program

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:07:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2008 15 pp. Livelihood development is critical in a post-conflict situation as in Southern Sudan. Returning from camps, a good portion of these internally displaced people are facing lack of employment opportunities along with acute shortage of basic services. In an effort to design an effective approach the extreme poor population of southern Sudan, BRAC Southern Sudan has collaborated with World Food Program (WFP) to experiment its development program known as Food for Training and Income Generation (FFTIG), which aims to offer an integrated package of food distribution, skill development and savings & credit opportunities to support resettlement of displaced poor of south Sudan.

A baseline survey was conducted to record benchmark information regarding key livelihood pattern of the beneficiary and non-beneficiary and help program to craft an intervention which can successfully create sustainable livelihood for the vulnerable women in southern Sudan. The results are presented in this report.

Southern Sudan: an opportunity for NTD control and elimination?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:23:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Rumunu, J.; Brooker, S.; Hopkins, A.; Chane, F.; Emerson, P.; Kolaczinski, J. 2009 Trends in Parasitology (2009) 25 (7), pp. 301-307 [doi:10.1016/j.pt.2009.03.011]. Southern Sudan has been ravaged by decades of conflict and is thought to have one of the highest burdens of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the world. Health care delivery, including efforts to control or eliminate NTDs, is severely hampered by a lack of infrastructure and health systems. However, the post-conflict environment and Southern Sudan's emerging health sector provide the unprecedented opportunity to build new, innovative programmes to target NTDs. This article describes the current status of NTDs and their control in Southern Sudan and outlines the opportunities for the development of evidence-based, innovative implementation of NTD control.

Gender sensitive programme design and planning in conflict affected situations. Research Report.

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:19:00 GMT

Miscellaneous J. El-Bushra, A. El-Karib and A. Hadjipateras 2002 8 pp. This report outlines a project intended to contribute to the reduction of poverty and suffering through enhancing gender-awareness in the design and management of development projects in contexts affected directly or indirectly by conflict. It aimed to achieve this by increasing understanding of the gender dimension of conflict, both for the humanitarian community and for development practitioners. The project sought to address two particular questions, namely how do gender relations change as a result of conflict? and how might conflict itself be fuelled by aspects of gender identity? It also examined the strategic and research implications of these findings for project design. The project ran from April 2000 to December 2001: field research was carried out in Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Mali and Angola, with complementary desk studies for Eritrea and Rwanda. These case studies, and reports on workshops conducted by the project, are published in separate Annexes [not available].

What can be done to beat urban poverty?

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:00:00 GMT

DFID-funded research by Practical Action has improved understanding of the impact of different approaches to urban poverty reduction through research and sharing the experiences of Southern-based NGOs

Improved treatment for sleeping sickness

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

A new combination of drugs has been successfully trailed by the DFID-funded Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative as a treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa

Supporting science journalism in Africa and the Middle East

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

A dozen new teams of science journalists from different countries across Africa and the Middle East trained through the DFID-funded SjCOOP Programme are collaborating on science related stories

HIV and AIDS in crisis regions

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:00:00 GMT

The DFID-funded PlusNews network has produced a series of in-depth reports on HIV/AIDS in crisis settings for researchers and policy makers

Reintegration of displaced people in southern Sudan

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:00:00 GMT

id21 highlights a report assessing the prospects of reintegration for displaced people in the Sudanese states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Southern Kordofan

Pathways of Women's Empowerment

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Current

Pathways of Womens Empowerment is an international research and communications programme established in 2006 which links academics with activists and practitioners to find out what works to enhance womens empowerment. The aim is to make these pathways of change visible and to build on them to inspire a radical shift in policy and practice. By involving policy actors and practitioners directly in the research and learning, they hope the work will be in itself a catalyst for change.

The programme investigates what enables women, individually and collectively, to empower themselves, how they can sustain these changes, and how development agencies' policies support or hinder this process in order to make such changes visible and to build on them to inspire a radical shift in policy and practice. The key areas of focus are:

Locating empowerment in women's everyday lives, applying a range of methodological and analytical strategies to gain a better understanding of how positive change happens in women's lives.
Tracing policy processes that seek to promote women's empowerment in order to understand the enabling conditions, strategies and tactics for achieving policy change.
Understanding strategies for change, seeking to reveal the factors for success and asking what works and what is specific to particular contexts, and what more generic lessons can be drawn.

Research strategy implemented for systematic identification of pathways of women's empowerment in four thematic areas.

Four centres of regional excellence in applied research strengthened CEGENSA, NEIM, SRC/AUC and BRAC University with capacity to implement and support policy research on womens empowerment within their regions.

Associated global institutions UNIFEM, DFID and other donors, IDS strengthened in their capacity to make use of innovative and critical research.

Communications strategy achieved, having influenced key stakeholders to take RPC research findings into account in policy practice.

Consortium governance and management system achieved horizontal working practices and power sharing.

The Mid Term Review of 2009 found that most of the outputs have either been achieved or are in the pipeline and nearing completion. Some of the real successes highlighted include:

Knowledge outputs of extremely high academic quality, the consistency of the quality is remarkable for a consortium comprising such diverse locations, the outputs are diverse in form, content and style.
A significant number of policy-advocacy and public education oriented communications materials have also been produced and used in the form of pod casts, photo exhibitions, films and videos.
Capacity of the research partners enhanced. There is some variation, in relation to the increased capacity of individual and teams compared to improved institutional capacity.
Communications is not an "end of pipe" activity but a central part of the programme.
Some stunning examples of creative communications work across all hubs: Stories for Change (Bangladesh), a pilot TV drama on mythical stories of Nigerian women, the Changing Times, Changing Lives photography course and exhibition (Bangladesh), work with Ghanaian Foundation for Female Photojournalists.
The programme created a transparent, democratic, egalitarian and effective system of managing the multiple partnerships and relationships within its structure.

SecureWater: Building sustainable livelihoods for the poor into demand responsive approaches. Inception phase.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:58:00 GMT

Completed This research project will bring together two development approaches in order to achieve more sustainable poverty elimination through water supply improvements. A sustainable livelihoods (SL) framework (see http://www.odi.org.uk/ rpeg/srls/html) - to understand the nature of poverty at a household level and best practices for its elimination - will be used to inform and assist in the move towards more demand-responsive approaches (DRA) in water supply development. A need for better understanding of the water-poverty links has been highlighted in recent years in the increasing focus on poverty elimination amongst many ESAs and national governments. The challenge is to build a better understanding into the work of all participants involved in water supply development. Of particular importance is how to assist in the development of water for productive purposes at a household level, a key to which is understanding how and where water is used as part of natural capital in the livelihood strategies of poor households, thus understanding demand properly in order to respond to it. Understanding this micro-level use of water entails achieving a holistic understanding mirrored at a higher level by the recent global emphasis on integrated water resources development at the basin level. Hitherto, water supply has been closely linked to the achievement of health benefits through its integration with sanitation and hygiene promotion. Whilst the importance of this integrated approach is acknowledged, its limitations in terms of addressing broader water-livelihoods linkages in understanding at household-level are recognised. Significant issues surrounding sanitation and livelihoods will be a subsidiary focus of this research. To increase understanding anong interveners in the water sector of water livelihoods links, enhancing their capacity to eliminate poverty in demand responsive approaches. A concept paper, incorporating literature review.

An inception report, incorporating research methodology framework, collaborative arrangements and dissemination plan.

Five case studies on water and livelihoods, and one on sanitation and livelihoods in an urban context, in versions adapted for different capacity building contexts.

Sustainable livelihoods-based tools developed for decision-support, monitoring and demand assessment tools to contribute to pro-poor sectoral decision making.

Forum established for institutional collaboration to develop sustainable financing mechanisms and appropriate technological choice for poor communities.

Dissemination of research findings, tools, training materials, through broadcast video, electronic media, journals oriented to interveners as well as to the research community.

Supporting the provision of security and justice

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:00:00 GMT

A seminar at DFID London investigates the limitations of justice and security provision by states, the nature of local justice and non-state providers

Satellite assessment of rainfall for agriculture in tropical Africa (TAMSAT)

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed The purpose of the project is to gain a better understanding of rainfall processes and rainfall information in seasonally dry Africa. Using Meteosat data for monitoring near surface changes in temperature and estimating area rainfall over the Sahel, it is hoped to consolidate the technique into practical tools for appropriate countries in Africa.
The immediate objectives for the final year are to validate 10-day satellite rainfall estimates in Sahel, and to extend assessment into remote hilly areas and to the south into more humid zones. It is also planned to shorten the period estimation (averaging over larger areas). Improved empirical methods of estimating rainfall over greater Sahel: 5 year data set comparison.

The definition of temporal and spatial limitations.

Stronger understanding of meteorological processes and the vegetation/rainfall relationships involved. This project has been highly successful. TAMSAT are now among the world leaders in satellite rainfall estimation. Validation of the cold cloud duration method of estimating area rainfall over 10 day or monthly periods has been demonstrated. In the past year efforts have concentrated on :

(1) development of a 5 year rainfall climatology from satellite images compared with conventional ground observations.

(2) validation, improvement and extension of the technique further south and for shorter time periods.

(3) identification of anomalous areas.

(4) comparison of the satellite rainfall estimates and vegetative response as shown by NOAA satellite 10 day vegetation indices, to determine the extent of time-lagged correspondence.

The success of TAMSAT has led to several TC-supported applications and much further interest in Africa. However, the project has also been hurt by it's own success and UK expertise so developed is being actively bought out by US interests.

Initiatives in local management of dryland forest areas in the Sudano-Sahelian zone.

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Experimental institutional arrangements for forest management have been evolving at a variety of dry forest sites in the semi-arid areas of Africa for some years now, succeeding an era of centralised but increasingly nominal State control in many countries, which had failed to conserve and manage woodland resources. These new approaches - which involve management with local people - are being tried. Techniques for sustainable management of forest resources by local governance systems developed and promoted. Forest management planning and monitoring by local management structure is demonstrably happening, and is shown to be stimulated significantly under improved tenure regimes. However, management plans rarely exist in a codified form. The absence of codification hardly inhibits local resource management potential and performance, but affects recognition by non-local stakeholders such as the forest service. Ecological "disequilibrium", characteristic of Sahelian woodlands, renders forestry planning tools such as the quota system of little use. Economic opportunism of Sahelian villagers also affects the usefulness of the quota system. The transaction costs of forest management under a project environment are usually too high, in comparison with anticipated benefits of improved management. The predominant Sahelian model of the "Rural Firewood Markets" has the pitfalls of a single stakeholder monopoly (the firewood producer) in a multistakeholder situation. Increased social conflict is a likely outcome. Case studies of institutional dynamics of dryland forest user groups and their interaction documented and disseminated.

Conclusions drawn on appropriate local use/management structures, rule making, and enforcement processes.

Participatory resource assessment and monitoring methods developed/applied and tested.

Criteria for effective use and management plans and structures defined.

Criteria for identification of manageable semi-arid woodlands defined. * Case studies of local forest resource management.
* Conclusions drawn on appropriate local management structures.
* Participatory forest management tools developed.
* Criteria for effective management defined.
* Policy innovations initiated.
* Dissemination through books, journals, workshops and courses.

The project contributes to a better understanding of the efficiency of local forest management in comparison to that of the forest service. It compares local mechanisms with those of the forest service and provides support to ongoing decentralisation policies. It points out the key role of new institutional players such as elected local government, unions of local forest management committees, and national environmental agencies, as opposed to the historic monopoly of the forest service. At a project level, more realistic forest management tools have been developed.

An analysis of some key opportunities and constraints to the responsible involvement of communities and rural people in forest management in eastern and southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed To identify and understand the key opportunities, problems and constraints to the responsible involvement of communities in forest management activities, in order to learn lessons from practice, and use such lessons to inform and influence the policy arena. This will lead to the identification of constraints which might be alleviated or eliminated through further research and thus provide a basis for future poverty elimination in community forestry interventions. These reviews have helped to highlight the current status of the knowledge with respect to community involvement in forest management in the two regions of Africa. This comes at a critical time when the countries are preparing for WSSD, and donors are increasingly focussing on poverty reduction. The reviews demonstrate the importance of forest options as a component for, in particular, rural livelihoods to help reduce poverty. Many practical case studies are highlighted which demonstrate that rural people are capable, and do manage trees and forests in a sustainable manner, provided the incentives are right (rights of access, responsibilities for management, economic). In eastern Africa, for example, these reviews have been used as a basis for discussion with heads of forest agencies to assist them in arguing more forcefully in budgetary allocations for forestry. Further, the two published reviews have helped demonstrate precedents from one country to influence policy in another. However, the real benefit of these reviews will be seen in the coming years, when they have all been published and distributed. Four reviews:

* Review on the importance of tenure of land and resources in community involvement in forest management.

* Review on economic and financial incentives for responsible involvement of communities in forest management.

* Analysis of policies and institutional arrangements for enhanced community involvement in forest management.

* Review on whose stake in forest management - the role of gender and other stakeholder groupings in community involvement in forest management. Four reviews of community involvement in forest management have been produced for Eastern and Southern Africa, one each focussing on Tenure, Economics, Policy, Stakeholder and Power Relations. Because of some savings, it was possible to print 1,000 copies of each of the reviews published to date. The printing of the remaining two reviews will be funded from this grant and from the Ford Foundation. The two published reviews (tenure and economics) have been widely distributed within the region, and the project has an address list of over 400 addresses, mainly from within the region but also more widely. They have both been well received and reviewed, and there have been many demands for the publications from outside the region. In addition, the CIFOR website POLEX has featured a summary of the Tenure review, and the other three reviews will also be featured in POLEX.

A regional training workshop was held in Uganda in 2000 for 55 participants from 14 countries of the eastern and southern African regions. A report has been produced and distributed to the participants, with additional copies being sent to key institutions in the region.

Understanding urban livelihoods: project experiences - Phase 2

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Awaiting Confirmation of Completion A range of projects and programmes has sought to address poverty in urban areas: two main thrusts can be identified. The first identifies the need for income generation, and the second concentrates upon neighbourhood improvements in housing, basic services and/or infrastructure. In their intermediary role between communities, municipalities and large-scale donor agency programmes, NGOs need to be able to show sustainable progress in poverty reduction. This project will make a major contribution to understanding the impact these different NGO approaches on livelihoods in the low-income informal settlements where they have been implemented. Guidelines on the future direction of NGO activities in low-income urban settlements will emerge from this research. These will be shared during the course of the project with stakeholders in the projects areas and the agencies involved in the research will form a joint platform to disseminate the findings. Our initial hypothesis on the inter-relationship between financial and physical assets concerns the potential limitations of income generation approaches. Markets are subject to many different sources of instability and therefore NGO supported income generation activities do not necessarily result in secure improvements in income. It often proves difficult to accumulate sufficient savings or other assets to provide security when market conditions change. In times of recession, assets can lose value and be exhausted rapidly whilst those borrowing for micro-enterprise development may be required to meet ongoing commitments even as their situation deteriorates. It may prove difficult to support and strengthen collective activities through activities based on income generation, due to the complex and competitive market environment. Collective activities are vital for local residents to be able to move forward with their improvement in incomes to tackle housing, basic services and infrastructure, which are the basis for lasting improvements in the quality of life in informal settlements. Collective organisations are needed to undertake activities in the settlement and to negotiate resources from external agents. It is therefore vital that NGO activities contribute to building social capital if the gains from income generation are to be effectively channelled into lasting neighbourhood improvements. In terms of generating community social capital, therefore, income generation projects represent an approach of value but one that may be limited in regard to who in the settlement receives support and for how long that support is effective. These activities should not be dismissed because they are an important part of livelihood improvement but they need to be further understood and analysed - how can our practical experiences inform this discussion? To improve understanding of the impact upon livelihoods of different appproaches to urban poverty reduction through research and experience sharing by southern NGOs. Detailed case studies yielding significant findings on the poverty impact of diverse types of urban project interventions in a range of urban contexts.

Comparative analysis of the case studies.

Research findings disseminated.

To identify and analyse situations whereby:
*improved income levels have led to neighbourhood improvements.
*neighbourhood improvements have had a beneficial impact on household income levels. Income may not mean absolute increases in income but the more effective allocation of income. For example, the provision of clean piped water may increase effective income by reducing expenditure on private water providers and on medical and related costs when family members are sick.

The research will need to establish the distribution of these improvements among different types of household within the settlement, whether there have been unforeseen negative impacts on certain categories of households, and how local associational activity and links to municipal authorities and other political actors have affected the processes identified. Also entrepreneurial activity within selected settlements will be analysed to understand enabling factors and whether interventions have been well attuned or not to identifying and supporting local micro enterprises.

Researching pathways to scaling up sustainable and effective kitchen smoke alleviation

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current Nearly three billion people worldwide cook and/or heat their homes with simple stoves burning traditional polluting fuels resulting in smoke, which creates an unhealthy living environment. According to WHO's publication - Health and Environment in Sustainable Development - Five Years after the Earth Summit (1997) - 60% of the 2.2 million deaths a year in children under five caused by acute respiratory infections are associated with indoor air pollution (e.g., from the burning of biomass fuels in small, confined spaces), the lack of adequate heating and/or other unsanitary living conditions. Use of polluting solid fuels contributes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in women, and is implicated in other adverse health outcomes including low birth-weight, active TB and cataracts. Reliance on simple fuels and polluting, inefficient stoves restricts opportunities for education and economic activity to escape poverty. To research mechanisms for creating a sustainable infrastructure for reducing indoor air pollution and thus improving health and alleviating poverty for large numbers of poor people, particularly women and children. Phase 1
*Baseline data on women's and men's perception of smoke.
*Quantification of the effect of the promotion campaign (on the health dangers of smoke) on people's perceptions of the need to reduce smoke and their preferences for doing so.

Phase 2
*Supply-side barriers to scaling up addressed.
*Impacts of scaling-up monitored.
*Consumers linked with appropriate credit through women's, and other, local community groups.
*Impacts of smoke alleviation analysed.
*Dissemination of findings; written and submitted papers; network discussions; conferences.
*Project evaluated.

The Extent and Nature of Absolute Poverty

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current To produce cost-effective and efficient ways of eradicating poverty, it must be defined and measured accurately. Social science research shows that, whilst all cultures have a concept and definition of poverty, these often vary. Until the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen there was no agreed definition. However, the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action included the preparation of national anti-poverty plans based on measures in all countries of 'absolute' and 'overall' poverty. 'Absolute' poverty is defined as ,a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services., This research will provide reliable scientific estimates of the extent and nature of absolute poverty in the world, based on the definition agreed to by the government of 117 countries at the 1995 World Summit on Social Development and within the framework of International Human Rights Conventions. This research will provide reliable and valid scientific measurements of the extent and nature of absolute poverty of adults and children, by operationalising the internationally agreed definition. Without good comparable measures of poverty, it will be impossible to determine if any anti-poverty policies are working effectively and efficiently.

Institutionalised scaling-up and uptake promotion of outputs from soil and water management research in East and Central Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Awaiting Confirmation of Completion The East and Central Africa sub-region has the most abundant land and water resources in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time the sub-region has perhaps the highest proportion of people living below the poverty line and food insecurity in the world. Deliberate efforts are therefore required to put the land and water resources into sustainable use for creation of livelihoods and wealth, if the millennium development target to reduce by half the proportion of people living in poverty and hunger by the year 2015, is to be achieved. The purpose of this project is to institutionalise a culture of promoting uptake, scaling-up and effective use of results from soil and water management research in East and Central Africa. The project will focus on research managers as well as researchers themselves in the ten countries that are members of ASARECA but with case study activities in four (Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania) countries. These four countries have been chosen because all have a long-term history and large research systems in soil and water management, providing adequate background materials for drawing lessons. The project will increase the contribution of research knowledge demanded by stakeholders in soil and water management for agriculture. Currently only a very small proportion of research results lead to practical advice to farmers and other clients such as NGOs, planners and policy makers. Furthermore, the little advice that is delivered to clients provides insufficient information on essential economic and risk factors so vital in decision making and policy formulation. This problem is very costly with respect to research on soil and water management where investments are high and it takes a long time before tangible outcomes and impact can be realised. This situation must be reversed as a matter of urgency to ensure that existing and new knowledge is delivered to the target policy makers, planners and all key players including the poor people, to facilitate a sustainable use of the land and water resource base in ECA to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty. It is anticipated that ultimately poor men and women whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture will benefit from enhanced integrated management of watershed as a result of increased availability of relevant knowledge and recommendations from research. It is expected that better informed programmes will be more productive and in the long run contribute to effective reduction of poverty. A culture of promoting uptake, scaling-up and effective use of results from soil and water management research in East and Central Africa institutionalised. Constraints and barriers limiting uptake promotion by research institutions and partners, elaborated and understood.

Understanding by key research managers and planners, of the importance of communication and up-take promotion strategies for impact of R4D in S&WM increased and enhanced.

Capacity for providing training and skills development in communication planning and up-take promotion, developed among the SWMnet stakeholders in ECA. Reports of the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of project communication stakeholders and reviews of the literature have been completed at regional level and in the four target countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania). These have identified the critical barriers to scaling-up and the key needs for awareness raising and capacity building. The project has contributed to the ASARECA strategic planning and priority setting process for its NRM group (five networks) as well as for several commodity crop networks. The NRM priority themes include one crafted as a result of R8381; namely: ,increased effectiveness in knowledge management, brokering and sharing,. In its forthcoming call for concept notes, the ASARECA competitive grants scheme (CGS) will allocate Euros 3.4 million to eight projects focussed on a single central theme: ,to address the existing gaps to scaling-up and wider utilise the considerable body of knowledge, information and technologies which already exist by focussing more on identifying barriers to uptake and large scale utilisation of innovations that have produced good results at pilot scales,. This project is therefore on track to deliver one of its purpose level OVIs: ,by July 2005 there is evidence that new research plans at national or institutional levels contain robust communication and up-take promotion plans,.

Helping Fragile States

Thu, 17 May 2007 01:00:00 GMT

The latest ID21 Insights feature on Fragile States asks the donor community to consider how interventions in fragile states can contribute to securing peace and development

Reducing household smoke in Sudan

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Researchers at Practical Action work in partnership with local communities to find accessible, acceptable and affordable ways to alleviate smoke

Trade case studies

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Building capacity for trade plays an important role in enabling developing countries to take advantage of the opportunities of international trade

R4D Sudan

COMDIS Bulletin 1

Estimates of the duration of the early and late stage of gambiense sleeping sickness

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform: A Multi-Agency Project

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform: Mapping Study Inception Report

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Mapping Study: Sudan Report

Reforming the process of humanitarian response: involving NGOs in the debate

Review of the engagement of NGOs with the humanitarian reform process: Synthesis report

NGOs and Humanitarian Reform Project

African cattle to be protected from killer disease

TARGETS Annual Report 2006-2007

Baseline report on Food distribution, skill development, and financial services: An evaluation of BRAC South Sudans FFTIG program

Southern Sudan: an opportunity for NTD control and elimination?

Gender sensitive programme design and planning in conflict affected situations. Research Report.

What can be done to beat urban poverty?

Improved treatment for sleeping sickness

Supporting science journalism in Africa and the Middle East

HIV and AIDS in crisis regions

Reintegration of displaced people in southern Sudan

Pathways of Women's Empowerment

SecureWater: Building sustainable livelihoods for the poor into demand responsive approaches. Inception phase.

Supporting the provision of security and justice

Satellite assessment of rainfall for agriculture in tropical Africa (TAMSAT)

Initiatives in local management of dryland forest areas in the Sudano-Sahelian zone.

An analysis of some key opportunities and constraints to the responsible involvement of communities and rural people in forest management in eastern and southern Africa

Understanding urban livelihoods: project experiences - Phase 2

Researching pathways to scaling up sustainable and effective kitchen smoke alleviation

The Extent and Nature of Absolute Poverty

Institutionalised scaling-up and uptake promotion of outputs from soil and water management research in East and Central Africa

Helping Fragile States

Reducing household smoke in Sudan

Trade case studies

Baseline report on Food distribution, skill development, and financial services: An evaluation of BRAC South Sudans FFTIG program