Appraisal of community-based childcare practices in rural Malawi: the case of Malili traditional authority area, Lilongwe District
- Authors: Alufandika, Dina
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Tribal government -- Malawi , Child welfare -- Malawi , Child development -- Malawi , Child care services -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Rural development -- Malawi , Malawi -- Social policy , Lilongwe (Malawi)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11945 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005968 , Tribal government -- Malawi , Child welfare -- Malawi , Child development -- Malawi , Child care services -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Rural development -- Malawi , Malawi -- Social policy , Lilongwe (Malawi)
- Description: The government of Malawi established the community based childcare (CBCC) programme with the aim of addressing early childhood problems and achieve national development in the long run. The CBCC programme, as one of the approaches to early childhood development (ECD), is guided by the national early childhood development policy. It promotes some practices that somehow deviate from the traditional childcare ways that communities have always known. Experience has shown that programmes that have elements of conflict with commonly held beliefs are bound to meet with resistance in society. The study employed a mini survey, focus group discussion, observation and document review to understand how the CBCC childcare practices in Malili intersect with commonly held beliefs about childcare as well as how they reflect on the national ECD policy. The study also focused on understanding the perceptions of community members on the CBCC programme. The study revealed that while some aspects of CBCC delivery conform to commonly held beliefs about childcare in the area under study, others diverge from such beliefs. Such convergence and divergence appear to be in line with the propositions of transformalist globalisation theory- one of the perspectives adopted for the study. The study also found that care practices at CBCC are not a true reflection of the national ECD policy as community members’ perceptions, poor community participation, poverty and lack of caregiver training in ECD contribute towards poor quality of care in CBCC, contrary to what is defined in the national ECD policy. The study also found that while both CBCC caregivers and sampled community members perceived the quality of care at the centers as poor, caregivers had a more positive perception towards the CBCC than community members. The study indicated that CBCC are centres of desperation for low economic status communities. Findings from the research have revealed that cultural values and commonly held beliefs, and exposure to new knowledge through globalisation play a role in determining childcare practices as well as perceptions towards them. In this sense the study has indicated that meanings that communities attach to development interventions influence their actions and perceptions towards it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Alufandika, Dina
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Tribal government -- Malawi , Child welfare -- Malawi , Child development -- Malawi , Child care services -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Rural development -- Malawi , Malawi -- Social policy , Lilongwe (Malawi)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11945 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005968 , Tribal government -- Malawi , Child welfare -- Malawi , Child development -- Malawi , Child care services -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Rural development -- Malawi , Malawi -- Social policy , Lilongwe (Malawi)
- Description: The government of Malawi established the community based childcare (CBCC) programme with the aim of addressing early childhood problems and achieve national development in the long run. The CBCC programme, as one of the approaches to early childhood development (ECD), is guided by the national early childhood development policy. It promotes some practices that somehow deviate from the traditional childcare ways that communities have always known. Experience has shown that programmes that have elements of conflict with commonly held beliefs are bound to meet with resistance in society. The study employed a mini survey, focus group discussion, observation and document review to understand how the CBCC childcare practices in Malili intersect with commonly held beliefs about childcare as well as how they reflect on the national ECD policy. The study also focused on understanding the perceptions of community members on the CBCC programme. The study revealed that while some aspects of CBCC delivery conform to commonly held beliefs about childcare in the area under study, others diverge from such beliefs. Such convergence and divergence appear to be in line with the propositions of transformalist globalisation theory- one of the perspectives adopted for the study. The study also found that care practices at CBCC are not a true reflection of the national ECD policy as community members’ perceptions, poor community participation, poverty and lack of caregiver training in ECD contribute towards poor quality of care in CBCC, contrary to what is defined in the national ECD policy. The study also found that while both CBCC caregivers and sampled community members perceived the quality of care at the centers as poor, caregivers had a more positive perception towards the CBCC than community members. The study indicated that CBCC are centres of desperation for low economic status communities. Findings from the research have revealed that cultural values and commonly held beliefs, and exposure to new knowledge through globalisation play a role in determining childcare practices as well as perceptions towards them. In this sense the study has indicated that meanings that communities attach to development interventions influence their actions and perceptions towards it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Assessment of the role of traditional leadership in facilitating community development in rural Malaw
- Chinkonda, Sosten Sylvester Joseph
- Authors: Chinkonda, Sosten Sylvester Joseph
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Rural development -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Tribal government -- Malawi , Land use, Rural -- Malawi , Traditional leaders , Development project , Power , Participation , Social capital , Neo-liberalism , Debt crisis , Structural Adjustment Programme , Rational choice
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11943 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1004907 , Rural development -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Tribal government -- Malawi , Land use, Rural -- Malawi , Traditional leaders , Development project , Power , Participation , Social capital , Neo-liberalism , Debt crisis , Structural Adjustment Programme , Rational choice
- Description: The study was carried out to assess the extent to which the intervention of traditional leaders is effective in mobilising support for community development projects and to examine the perceptions that communities have about the role of the traditional leaders in development projects. The study has been guided by the critique of neoliberalism which exposes the negative effects of implementing the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) in Third World countries. The literature that has been reviewed has looked at the historical and political background of the role of chiefs and other traditional leaders in order to assess the nature of participation that is promoted through their involvement in development projects. An overview of the neo-liberal prescription and its critique has been made in order to expose the effects of the oil embargo of 1973 and the debt crisis of the 1980s on the economies of Third World countries in general and Malawi in particular. On the basis of evidence which has been gathered through a survey and focus group discussion, the study has found that the intervention of traditional leaders is very effective in mobilising communities for development projects. It has further been established that communities have high regard for their traditional leaders and that they perceive them as crucial role players in the conception and implementation of development projects. The study has however established that traditional leaders use unorthodox means such as threats of punishment to solicit the cooperation of the community members which in essence is counterproductive to the participatory approach to development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Chinkonda, Sosten Sylvester Joseph
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Rural development -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Tribal government -- Malawi , Land use, Rural -- Malawi , Traditional leaders , Development project , Power , Participation , Social capital , Neo-liberalism , Debt crisis , Structural Adjustment Programme , Rational choice
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: vital:11943 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1004907 , Rural development -- Malawi , Community development -- Malawi , Tribal government -- Malawi , Land use, Rural -- Malawi , Traditional leaders , Development project , Power , Participation , Social capital , Neo-liberalism , Debt crisis , Structural Adjustment Programme , Rational choice
- Description: The study was carried out to assess the extent to which the intervention of traditional leaders is effective in mobilising support for community development projects and to examine the perceptions that communities have about the role of the traditional leaders in development projects. The study has been guided by the critique of neoliberalism which exposes the negative effects of implementing the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) in Third World countries. The literature that has been reviewed has looked at the historical and political background of the role of chiefs and other traditional leaders in order to assess the nature of participation that is promoted through their involvement in development projects. An overview of the neo-liberal prescription and its critique has been made in order to expose the effects of the oil embargo of 1973 and the debt crisis of the 1980s on the economies of Third World countries in general and Malawi in particular. On the basis of evidence which has been gathered through a survey and focus group discussion, the study has found that the intervention of traditional leaders is very effective in mobilising communities for development projects. It has further been established that communities have high regard for their traditional leaders and that they perceive them as crucial role players in the conception and implementation of development projects. The study has however established that traditional leaders use unorthodox means such as threats of punishment to solicit the cooperation of the community members which in essence is counterproductive to the participatory approach to development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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