Publications

Nationally representative tuberculosis (TB) prevalence surveys provide invaluable empirical measurements of TB burden but are a massive and complex undertaking. Therefore, methods that capitalize on data from these surveys are both attractive and imperative. The aim of this study was to use existing TB prevalence estimates to develop and validate an ecological predictive statistical model to indirectly estimate TB prevalence in low- and middle-income countries without survey data.

It is estimated that the prevalence of child marriage among females aged 18-24 in Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde in Machinga District is 18% while teenage pregnancy prevalence among females aged 20-24 years is at 63%. The prevailing gender inequality in this area constitutes one of the root causes of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Plan International will implement the “Champions of Change” (CoC) intervention in order to address gender inequality, as part of the YES I DO (YID) programme. Thirty-two facilitators of Champions of Change (FCoC) will be trained and these will lead girls’ and boys’ groups

To provide a short review of the GFF – Global Financing Facility, regarding:

The baseline study of the YES I DO (YID) programme found, among other issues, that initiation ceremonies stimulate young people to experiment with sex, leading to teenage pregnancy and consequently (child) marriage. This study was initiated to explore how initiation ceremonies have evolved over the last 30 years and especially how they have impacted on youth sexual and reproductive health behaviour.

Research on Small Producer Organization (SPO) development, strengthening and resilience was commissioned by Fairtrade International to the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the Netherlands. The study is a qualitative-led mixed-method six country study (Côte d’Ivoire, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and Peru).

The African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) program is an Africa-wide collaboration led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with diverse stakeholders including universities, national research institutes and private sector partners in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania. ACGG tests and makes available high producing, farmer preferred genotypes that increase smallholder chicken productivity in Africa. ACGG works in partnership with rural communities to test the productivity of improved breeds. ACGG was initiated in 2014 and runs until 2019.

This is a short periodical Announcement of Research being done by the Centre of Applied Spatial Epidemiology (Case) team

In many respects, agriculture as a sector is ground zero for gender in development theory and practice: agriculture and rural development were Boserup’s empirical base for her 1977 landmark book Women’s Role in Economic Development. Her finding of the inconspicuous absence of the role of women in rural development policy and practice inspired an era of initiatives to integrate women in development. Subsequent critiques of these efforts swerved as an impetus to situate women’s social positionings relative to that of men’s within the wider contexts of development itself.

The purpose of this project was to list key messages delivered during the webinar ‘When She Needs it Most: Access to Reproductive Health Supplies in Humanitarian Settings’ co-hosted by The Inter-Agency Working Group for Reproductive Health in Crisis (IAWG) and The Advocacy and Accountability Working Group of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC)

KIT Royal Tropical Institute, the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) with the financial support of Food & Business Knowledge Platform recently conducted a research on youth inclusion in agricultural cooperatives. The extensive literature review conducted for this explorative study highlighted knowledge gaps, specifically with regards to the role of youth in agricultural cooperatives. The findings presented in this report take into account gender dynamics at play. The different socio-economic realities amongst young women and men – which are critical in determining how easily and under what conditions they can access key resources, such as knowledge, land, and finance – are also highlighted.

This paper presents an overview of main findings of perspectives and lessons on integrating efficiently and effectively gender in research and development programs. These have been gleaned from the gender synthesis of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) undertaken by KIT Royal Tropical Institute

This report presents the findings of the YES I DO (YID) midline study, conducted in April 2018, in Group Village Head (GHV) Mangamba, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde, Machinga District in Malawi. The study aimed to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and the extent to which these causes and effects, and the three problems themselves, were present in TA Liwonde. The study also aimed to provide insight into why and how the YID intervention strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people, including prevention of child marriage and teenage pregnancy

YES I DO. is a strategic alliance of five Dutch organizations which main aim is to enhance the decision making space of young women about if, when and whom to marry as well as if, when and with whom to have children.

In 2015 the maternal mortality ratio for Ethiopia was 353 per 100,000 live births. Large numbers of women do not use maternal health services. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the use of maternal health services at the primary health care unit (PHCU) level in rural communities in Sidama zone, south Ethiopia in order to design quality improvement interventions.

Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are manifestations of deeply rooted gender inequality and social norms, poverty and limited economic perspectives. The factors that hold both FGM/C and child marriage in place are the consolidation of family interests of maintaining honour, enhancing fidelity within marriage and preserving virginity before marriage, the social integration of the girl and family, and financial security in situations of poverty (Boyden et al 2012). Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and FGM/C are interrelated issues that involve high health risks and human rights violations of adolescent girls, and impede socio-economic development in a great number of low- and middle-income countries.

This report presents the findings of the YES I DO (YID) midline study, conducted in April 2018, in Group Village Head (GHV) Mangamba, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde, Machinga District in Malawi. The study aimed to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and the extent to which these causes and effects, and the three problems themselves, were present in TA Liwonde. The study also aimed to provide insight into why and how the YID intervention strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people, including prevention of child marriage and teenage pregnancy

The study was commissioned to the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in July 2017 by the Land Dialogue, with financial support from the Dutch Government. The objective is to provide insight and guidance into the relevance of land governance as a possible priority theme to be considered in the process of the International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) Agreements. The study was conducted in the period between July and November 2017 and included desk research, workshops and interviews with a diverse set of stakeholders in the IRBC process. The opinions expressed in the study are those of KIT and do not represent the views of the interviewees.

Close-to-community (CTC) providers have been identified as a key cadre to progress universal health coverage and address inequities in health service provision due to their embedded position within communities. CTC providers both work within, and are subject to, the gender norms at community level but may also have the potential to alter them. This paper synthesises current evidence on gender and CTC providers and the services
they deliver.

International business is confronted with significant risks and impacts related to human rights, labour rights, environment and climate change. These impact on local communities, economies, environment and land use in “host” countries, but also affect Dutch companies and consumers. In order to address these risks and initiated by the Dutch Government, the Dutch Social-Economic Council (SER) facilitates trajectories towards agreements on International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) in different high risk sectors.

Background: Cambodia has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates in the world. People aged 55 years and over account for an estimated 50% of the country’s TB burden, yet this group has a low notification rate owing to specific barriers in accessing health services. One-off active case finding (ACF) days with mobile GeneXpert and X-ray systems were organized at 75 government health facilities in four operational districts. Symptomatic community members with an abnormal chest X-ray were tested using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. People with TB were then treated at health facilities after screening services moved onto the next site.