Economic and social disruptions, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, heighten the vulnerability of adolescents. These disruptions exacerbate health and economic inequities, which are further compounded in informal labour settings such as the mining sector.

Therefore, strengthening adolescent resilience and coping are crucial for well-being and equitable health outcomes. However, there is a limited, comprehensive literature that synthesizes adolescent resilience interventions, especially in mining communities.

This study presents a scoping review, following Arksey & O’Malley’s (2005) framework, to map existing literature on interventions for adolescent resilience in mining communities. Relevant studies were identified from academic journals and grey literature published between 2012 and 2022. Of the 1286 studies screened, 13 were retained for final analysis.

Literature showed that common economic resilience interventions included policy-level advocacy and activism, and predominant health interventions focused on sexual and reproductive health, including HIV counselling, screening, and testing, targeting both individual and community-level change in mining communities. The findings emphasize the necessity for interventions to adopt multi-level, multi-sectoral, and multi-stakeholder approaches while mainstreaming gender.

Future research should prioritize intersectional, gender-transformative, and community-based interventions to strengthen adolescent resilience in mining communities and advance health equity and rights amongst this last-mile population.

To read the full article, visit this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214790X23001582

For more information on research at UCU, visit this link: https://grants.ucu.ac.ug/

Uganda Christian University (UCU) celebrated a significant milestone by awarding doctoral degrees to five graduates on October 13 during the second part of the 24th graduation ceremony.

Wasswa Asaph Senoga, Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Thesis Title: Financial Control Practices in the Selected Church of the Province of Uganda Dioceses of Central Buganda

Rev. Wasswa Asaph Senoga examined the subject of financial control practices in the Church of Uganda. He found out that apart from seeking the spiritual welfare of her members, the Church of the Province of Uganda has contributed significantly towards the country’s development by providing social services.

God has entrusted the Dioceses of the Church of the Province of Uganda with a lot of financial resources, but poor, or lack of proper internal control systems lead to a scarcity of funds to carry out their missionary work. Using the fraud diamond theory, the findings demonstrate that the Church of the Province of Uganda can greatly improve its internal control system with regard to establishing segregation of duties, recording of financial transactions, and authorizing the disbursement of funds.

This study provides a better understanding of the effective ways of carrying out financial controls in the dioceses. His argument is that effective Mission Dei and the Mission of the Church depend on good and stable financial practices.

Wasswa was supervised by Rev. Canon Prof. Christopher Byaruhanga and Rt. Rev. Dr. Joel Obetia.

Wankuma Abel Kibbedi, Doctor of Philosophy in Literature

Thesis Title: A Shift in Narrative Styles: Exploring the Works of Timothy Wangusa and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Rev. Wankuma Abel Kibbedi’s thesis focuses on Timothy Wangusa and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s fictive prose works. He examines how these Ugandan writers employ narrative styles to demonstrate a significant shift from traditional styles that focus on Europe to African-infused methods of storytelling.

He establishes that by weaving African Oral communication into the genre while addressing contemporary issues, the two authors transform their narrative styles.

He extends his research to inspire writers and researchers to venture into unfamiliar territories that can be found in the limitless possibilities of human creativity in the realm of narrative technique and the art of storytelling.

Wakuma was supervised by Prof. Timothy Wangusa and Prof. Danson Kahyana.

Gladys Ayot, Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration and Management

Thesis Title: Domestic Violence and Teachers’ Performance in Uganda: Interrogating Female Teachers’ Experiences in Secondary Schools in Kitgum District.

Dr. Gladys Ayot interrogated the experiences of female teachers at Secondary schools in Kitgum district and focused on how domestic violence impacts their teaching and administrative roles. She explored the coping mechanisms and the support available in schools.

Her study established that domestic violence unfavorably impacts female teachers’ delivery and interpersonal relations. Her findings indicate that female teachers who are victims of domestic violence negotiate through associated challenges using both formal and informal structures but with limited support.

She recommends a mainstreamed supportive policy framework and tools for empowering female teachers and head teachers to reduce the adverse effects of domestic violence on teachers.

Ayot was supervised by Dr. Wilson Eduan and Dr. Mary Ocheng Kagoire.

Faith Mbabazi, Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration and Management

Thesis Title: Role Conflict and Burnout of Administrators in Selected Higher Educational Institutions in Uganda.

Dr. Faith Mbabazi’s thesis examines the relationship between multiple roles and burnout for administrators in Higher Education Institution in Uganda. The study suggests a link between role conflict and burnout of administrators, particularly emotional exhaustion. She established that administrators experience various role conflicts in their day-to-day activities.

The study contributes to the growing interest in investigating influences of role conflict on burnout of employees in Higher Education Institutions. She recommends that mangers of Higher Education Institutions need to take interest in the mental health of staff and provide them with training in burnout management competencies.

She also recommends the creation of a more conducive environment and to carry out burnout tests for early detection of burnout symptoms for intervention to avoid adverse effects.

Mbabazi was supervised by Dr. Wilson Eduan and Dr. Mary Ocheng Kagoire.

UCU David Sengendo, Doctor of Philosophy in Education Administration and Management

Thesis Title: Transformational Leadership and Academic Performance of Secondary Schools in Uganda

Dr. David Sengendo’s research explored the influence of transformational leadership on the academic performance of Head teachers in Ugandan Secondary Schools. His study found out that transformational leadership attributes play a crucial role in determining Head teachers’ performance in Secondary schools.

The findings of this study will benefit education policymakers and implementers at all levels because it provides insights into the leadership attributes that effective leaders in secondary schools can employ and how these attributes impact academic performance therein.

He recommends training service frameworks that offer effective leadership and management skills to especially Secondary School leaders in Uganda.

Sengendo was supervised by Dr. Wilson Eduan and Dr. Benon Musinguzi.

With support from the SG-NAPI ‘Scientist after Child’ scheme, Ugandan agronomist Rosemary Bulyaba may now both look after her children and conduct research that helps her community.

Ugandan agronomist Rosemary Bulyaba is exploring how to find varieties of cowpea that are more resilient to adverse climatic conditions, can thrive in various soils types and environments, and whose leaves can be utilized as vegetables and are rich in vital nutrients such as iron and folate. Bulyaba is the dean of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Agriculture Sciences. However must also balance her research work with her role as a mother of two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.

However, her second maternity leave has been much easier than the first one, because, while working at the Uganda Christian University (UCU), in Mukono, Uganda, she received a special grant that TWAS established in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Called the Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI), it offers an unprecedented mother-friendly component called ‘Scientist after Child’ scheme. This scheme allows pregnant scientists and new mothers to receive extra funding to hire a lab assistant, thus obtaining reliable maternity leave support.

“Receiving the SG-NAPI was a huge help for my scientific career. I could continue my research with the aid of an assistant while staying at home and breastfeeding,” she explained. “This grant has strengthened my reputation and increased my value at UCU. My career was uplifted: I was head of the department and now I am the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.”

The SG-NAPI grant meets the needs of early-career scientists from developing countries, and, in particular, from the least developed countries (LDCs). With funding entirely from BMBF, it allows young scientists to purchase the research facilities they need to enhance their productivity. Its ‘Scientists after Child’ scheme seeks to enhance the productivity of female scientists returning to academia after maternity leave. Another component of the programme, the ‘Master of Science training grant’, allows scientists to train master’s students within their research group. Bulyaba benefitted from both these components.

A mother-friendly scheme

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an annual herbaceous legume originally used to feed animals, especially by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa – hence the name cowpea.  However, it is becoming increasingly relevant in human nutrition, as it is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and fiber, and low in fat content.

Bulyaba’s interest in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and agronomic management practices is not recent. Her early step in science led her to study grain legumes such as cowpeas, common beans, lablab beans, and soybeans. In 2019, she earned a PhD in crop production, physiology, and sustainable agriculture from Iowa State University, US, and then moved back to Uganda. Shortly thereafter, she discovered that she was expecting, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was about to begin.

“I was afraid that I would have to halt my scientific career for a while, because my husband and I already had a young daughter, who was only 1 year old at the time, to take care of. However, field and lab work are often quite demanding,” she recalled.

An agronomist’s life is physically intense. The fieldworkbegins with land preparation and the planting of the seeds. Then weekly monitoring activity requires extra work to ensure that the plants have germinated and are growing well—otherwise a new round of sowing is needed. Sometimes insects ruin the crop, and scientists need to use pesticides to keep those at bay.

When Bulyaba was still a new staff member and a mother for the second time, she learned about a programme that would preserve her work. The former Dean of Bulyaba’s faculty mentioned the SG-NAPI grant and the mother-friendly scheme. Bulyaba applied, and her maternity leave improved. With a two-year long grant covering 2022 and 2023, she could hire an assistant who supports in supervising the research activities while she is at home with her kids. This also ensures that her master’s students have the support they need and prevents a gap in her scientific work.

“I have three sites to check on periodically, in Eastern Uganda, Central Uganda, and in greenhouses,” Bulyaba explained. “With my students, we are now testing over 100 different genotypes, across these sites, to see which ones best adapt to these environments, under those specific conditions. It is interesting to see how plants behave under conditions that are apparently similar, but in practice different.” Some of the cowpea genotypes are from Ghana, others from Makerere University, and from UCU where Bulyaba is employed.

A mother’s impact on child wellbeing

The grant’s impact was enormous, not only on her career. In a more relaxed mood at home, Bulyaba offered her newborn, Shaun, quality time, and the difference from the first pregnancy was evident.

“My presence at home brought several benefits to my son, who is more self-confident, assertive, and prompt from a cognitive point of view,” she observed. He was breastfed for 18 months, while his sister stopped after four. In addition, Shaun, not yet 3, can count one-to-ten, recite the alphabet, identify shapes and colours, and has started speaking both his native language, Luganda, and English without having attended kindergarten yet.

The SG-NAPI grant put Bulyaba in the position to make a difference also for young scientists in her community. She hired two master’s students, Naome Aryatwijuka and Norah Akaba, whose role in this cowpea research is crucial.

Aryatwijuka, who conducts agronomic field work and experimentation, is a master’s student in agriculture research. She handles tasks such as planting the seeds, collecting the leaves, and correlating the quality and yield of the harvested crops with specific genotypes and field locations. Then Akaba steps in.

Thanks to the SG-NAPI grant, Akaba can pursue her master’s degree in human nutrition. She uses Aryatwijuka’s information to select the most potentially nutritious leaves, which are naturally rich in micronutrients that are especially important for reproductive-age women. She is also involved in the preparation and development of a nutritionally dense cowpea soup for the local communities. Additionally, she is working on gathering feedback from community members regarding the quality and acceptability of the meal.

“I feel quite privileged because the SG-NAPI grant gave me the chance to hire two young women and have an impact on their education and career,” Bulyaba said. “Women often face more challenges and have fewer privileges compared to men, and having a child can often so easily lead to the end of their scientific career. I do hope that both Akaba and Aryatwijuka will also pursue a PhD after this master’s experience.”

“Receiving this grant was not only for me but for my students as well,” she concluded.

This article, written by By Cristina Serra was published on The World Academy of Sciences.

New Book: Dralega, C.A., and Napakol, A. (eds). Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham.

A Review

This is an open-access book that brings together leading scholars and critical discourses on political, economic, legal, technological, socio-cultural and systemic changes and continuities intersecting media and health crises in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The volume extensively discusses COVID-19 but it also covers other epidemics, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS as well as “silent” health crises such as mental health—simmering across the subcontinent.

The chapters fill knowledge gaps, highlight innovations, and unpack the complexities surrounding the media ecosystem in times of health crises. They explore, among other issues, the politics of public health communication; infodemics; existential threats to media viability; draconian legislations; threats to journalists/journalism; COVID-related entrepreneurship, marginalization, and more.

This is a timely resource for academics, advocacy groups, media practitioners and policymakers working on crises and media reporting, not just in Africa but anywhere in the global South.

Foreword

…Some African responses on media and health issues are examined in this book by a whole new generation of public health communicators who are homegrown, African graduates, sometimes of international research and training collaborations, who are responding to their own particular national environments. Just as African scholarship and health campaign strategy can positively inform global approaches, the support of the big Northern publishers—in this case, Springer—is just as important. Where the earlier generation cut their teeth on HIV/AIDS, the new generation seems destined to deal with successive and increasingly intense and interrelated crises: health, climate change and environmental degradation. Thus this is one book that can speak intelligently to these issues from the perspective of the Global South. And, the task that they are taking on is herculean.Foreword by Keyan Gray Tomaselli– University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

The book cover and contents can be accessed here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-95100-9

About the Editors

Dr. Carol Azungi Dralega is an Associate Professor and Head of Research at the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, NLA University College, Kristiansand, Norway. She holds a Ph.D. in Media and Communication Studies from the University of Oslo, Norway.

Dr. Angella Napakol is a researcher and Senior Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Uganda Christian University. She holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication/Media Studies, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

By Jimmy Siyasa

“Renewables are by far the cheapest form of power today,” once remarked Francesco La Camera, the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This is a fact. Not only that, but they are also the most eco-friendly forms of energy humanity can have today.

We live in a time where the ecosystem is under daily attack; being sacrificed on the altar of development/industrialization, and needs a “saviour”.

An April 2022 study this year by the World Economic Forum found that by 2020, only a slight “9% of all energy generated in Africa came from renewable sources,” yet the continent has massive potential to be a leading player in the global renewable energy sector.

In response to this challenge, Uganda Christian University (UCU) has embarked on the pursuit of partnerships, especially with various institutions of higher learning in big-player countries regarding renewables. The latest are German-based universities.

Early this week, the UCU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, met with the President of Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), Prof. Uta Feser, and the Vice President for Internationalization, Prof. Elmar Steurer, in Germany. They discussed the possibility of joint projects, among other mutual pursuits.

Prof. Mushengyezi and Prof. Feser also agreed to renew the partnership agreement focusing on research and student exchange.

UCU and HNU have been implementing a project on renewable energy (solar project) in the Koome Islands, led by Dr. Miria Agunyo, Assoc. Prof. Elizabeth Kizito, Dr. Stephen Kyakulumbye and Dr. Jeremy Waiswa; who are all UCU researchers and some senior academic administrators.

The solar power project named the “Implementation of Solar Mini-Grids for Digital Learning Models in the Rural Areas of Uganda,” seeks to provide access to reliable electricity and clean energy for the islanders who have known darkness for years.

The UCU team also visited Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences in Munich. It specializes in agriculture-related disciplines and renewable energy. Discussions with the university management focused on the possibilities of partnerships in agricultural, food science, and renewable energy areas. Thereafter, the UCU toured the KTN Factory, based in Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the industry partners of HNU.

• Prof. Mushengyezi exchanges a gift with Prof. UFeser,
• UCU team visiting KTN Factory, one of the industry partners with HNU.