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Mental health assessments in refugees and asylum seekers: evaluation of a tablet-assisted screening software

MORINA, Naser
et al
October 2017

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Mental health problems resulting from persecution and forced migration are very common among refugees and asylum seekers and evolve into a major public health challenge. Language barriers often prevent timely access to appropriate health care, leading to chronic trajectories and abortive social integration. Tools for multilingual screening and assessment could be of great benefit for this particularly vulnerable population as well as for policy makers. This study aimed at testing the reliability, feasibility and usability of the Multi-Adaptive Psychological Screening Software (MAPSS), a newly developed Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview Software (ACASI) for touchscreen devices, for screening purposes in a clinical setting. In a randomized cross-over design including both MAPSS and paper-pencil clinician-administered interviews, 30 treatment-seeking refugees completed clinical measures and a feasibility questionnaire to rate the user interface of MAPSS. Five professionals performed given tasks in MAPSS and completed usability questionnaires for the administration interface.

Conflict and Health 2017 11:18

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-017-0120-2

Programme communication for early child development

KOLUCKI, Barbara
November 2006

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"This booklet explains how principles of programme communication are part of a holistic approach to Early Child Development (ECD). It is designed for programme planners, designers, artists, and communicators to improve their ability to use programme communication for holistic early child development"
Note: This is a companion publication to ‘Programming Experiences in Early Child Development’

Mapping dialogue : a research project profiling dialogue tools and processes for social change

BOJER, Marianne Mille
MCKAY, Elaine
ROEHL, Heiko
April 2006

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This report profiles ten methods for facilitating dialogue. The approaches are diverse: some are designed for small groups, others for large numbers of people; some explore conflict while others are based on what is agreed. Part 1 looks at the foundations for, and approaches to, dialogue and offers some background on dialogue in traditional African culture. Part 2 maps out ten dialogue methods in depth and a number of others more briefly. Part 3 offers some ideas for how to assess what method to use in a given context

Perceptions and practice : an anthology of impact assessment experiences

SAYCE, Kay
NORRISH, Patricia
2006

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This book presents eleven case studies of impact assessment in information and communication projects such as CATIA, Reflect's ICT projects in India, Tearfund's Footsteps project, Bernard van Leer Foundation's Effectiveness Initiative and others. Each case study begins with a summary of the study, followed by first-hand accounts of the key people involved in each assessment. The central issues raised by the studies include learning and accountability, attribution, context, communication, donor issues, resources, and planning. The case studies are bracketted by sensitive and analytical introductory and concluding chapters, which synthesize the practitioners' voices from the case studies, contextualise them in wider debates in development impact assessment, evaluation and learning

With the support of multitudes : using strategic communication to fight poverty through PRSPs

MOZAMMEL, Masud
ODUGBEMI, Sina
Eds
2005

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This book is timely and relevant. It makes the crucial point that while building support for Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) is vital to success, such support will not happen without planned, deliberate and sustained efforts to involve the citizenry in an open and inclusive process of two-way communication. This is what is meant by strategic communication. The book gives case studies from all over the world, provides good graphical analysis to prove findings. It was produced in order to improve the chances of success of PRSs in two ways; to show policymakers how strategic communication can help them to achieve some of their objectives in formulating and executing effective PRSs; and to give those actively engaged in the execution of PRSPs guidance on best practice as well as lessons from a community of practice spread around the world

Framework for the assessment of ICT pilot projects : beyond monitoring and evaluation to applied research

BATCHELOR, S
NORRISH, P
2005

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This publication is aims to help all stakeholders in ICT pilot projects to gather the rigorous evidence needed to make forward looking judgments and decisions about ICT for development projects. It explores both the need of pilot projects to implement a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system that will ensure the pilot fulfils its developmental purpose for its clients and beneficiaries, and the need of pilot projects to put in place evidence based research for proof of concept (how the pilot could contribute to development priorities and how it might be taken to scale from a forward looking perspective). It then presents steps that a project manager should undertake to ensure an effective evaluation process

Prehospital trauma care systems

SASSER, Scott
et al
2005

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This manual provides guidance for policymakers on the issue of prehospital trauma care systems. The main areas covered include the organisation of the prehospital trauma care system, capacity development, data collection, transportation and communication, as well as ethical and legal considerations

Evaluation and utilization of traditional methods of communication in Cameroon's central, southern, eastern and extreme northern regions : case study 20

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO). Communication for Development Group
August 2003

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This study's main objectives are to evaluate traditional means of communication; to note their constraints; to select the traditional methods which can best be used for the diffusion of information and to devise a strategy for implementing the selected method of traditional communication. The methodology of this survey is based on the Active Method of Participative Research.
The study illustrates that the traditional media for communication in Cameroon are: the gong and songs accompanied by dances (in all of the surveyed provinces); the xylophone (in the center and south); griot [travelling poet] and balafon (in the east); colleagues of the traditional chiefs (Lawanes, Djaoros); and messengers of traditional chiefs or muezzins (extreme north).There are numerous constraints to using individuals in devising communications strategies: a lack of trained musicians, the lack of initiative on the part of the village elders, the disinterest of the youth, conflict among the different generations, the proliferation of modern communications technologies, the complexity of training in various methods, the possible alteration of messages, a lack of motivation and the slow speed of transmission. The study notes that the best methods for the diffusion of information in the regions surveyed in Cameroon are: the gong, the colleagues and messengers of traditional chiefs to organize village meetings in which reproductive health issues could be raised, singing and dancing, travelling poets and xylophones.
In order to devise effective strategies for conveying messages about reproductive health through these traditional methods of communication, traditional authorities must be engaged early on in the process and informed of the importance of these means of communication; qualified individuals must be identified as resources and others trained; and a training of trainers must be conducted

Fifty years of development communication : what works

WAISBORD, Silvio
July 2003

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This presentation gives an overview of what works in participatory communication based on the experience of the past 50 years. It looks at an 'alphabet soup' of approaches in development communication, provides some definitions and discusses some common misconceptions about communication in development. There have been some changes in the practice of development communication which are noted. There are then some case studies looking at different interventions, followed by five key ideas on what works in development communication

The gender guide for health communication programs

ZAMAN, Faria
UNDERWOOD, Carol
2003

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A simple step-by step guide to designing health communication programmes that take gender into account at the strategic design, materials development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages. Includes a short glossary and a number of short case-examples of gender-sensitive 'good practice' programmes from around the world

Tied up in a rope of sand. TFD : cultural action or development utility?

MAVROCORDATOS, Alex
2003

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Discusses the tension and synergy of culture and participatory development through examples of theatre for development experiences in Mali and Namibia. The author describes performances and processes for setting up performance activities in villages, some of which had their own forms of narrative drama, and others which developed these with external support. The article discusses the implications of importing and imposing cultural forms to achieve project goals, and contrasts this with the ethos of theatre for development, which seeks to engage community members in a dialogue with development workers in order to foster participation in and ownership of development activities

Communication and natural resource management : experience/theory

FEEK, Warren
MORRIS, Chris
et al
2003

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This book has been written as a tool for people involved or interested in communication and natural resource management who seek a better understanding of how different theories and strategic change principles relate to actual practise. It relates a variety of theories and change principles in simplified, almost schematic form, to a series of real initiatives in the field through interactive 'experiences'. Each 'experience' is organised around a theme, a learning objective, a description of an actual natural resource management and communication initiative, and one or two theoretical lenses through which to analyse the initiative. The idea is not to 'discover' the right approach but rather to create an interactive space that enables you to reflect on what might work in your own context and also on how different contexts may require different approaches, principles and theoretical frameworks. People working in development fields other than natural resource management will also find this book very useful

Revisiting the "magic box" : case studies in local appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICTs)

BATCHELOR, Simon
O’FARRELL, Clare
2003

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This book looks at the way communities and groups in developing countries are appropriating information and communication technologies (ICTs) to address their needs. It finds that ICTs are being integrated into wider community-based activities and adapted to fit different contexts. It follows on from the paper "Discovering the Magic Box". It finds that there are still few examples of community-driven and locally appropriated ICT initiatives and an absence of standards or guidelines to evaluate ICT-based projects. The book includes some analytical frameworks and indicators to identify good practice and evidence of impact A significant development has been in the growth of telecommunications, in particular mobile phones, that are relatively cheap and powerful tools for poor communities, even in remote areas. The book concludes that the power of oral communication through telephones and radio cannot be underestimated. The book proposes that the main challenge is to adapt the new, usually computer-based ICTs to the needs of poor, predominantly oral-based communities so that they can be appropriated effectively and quickly

Children, HIV/AIDS and communication in South Africa : a literature review

FOX Susan
OYOSI Salome
PARKER Warren
May 2002

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This literature review covers key issues relating to children aged 3-12 and HIV/AIDS, including discrimination, grief, children's rights, and knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS. The impact on the child, family and community is discussed in detail, particularly in terms of the psycho-social impact of bereavement and how this impacts on the child at different stages in its development. Various community programmes within southern Africa are highlighted, which support children to develop life skills. The influence, role and practice of the media in working with and reaching children is addressed, and case studies of South African media projects such as Soul Buddyz and Takalani Sesame are provided

Strengthening the knowledge and information systems of the urban poor

SCHILDERMAN, Theo
March 2002

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Presents the findings of a research project that focused on the information needs of the urban poor, and the information sources they access. The study found that the main sources of information were social networks, key informants, and infomediaries. It considers the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and impact assessment methods. It ends with suggestions for development agencies seeking to share their knowledge and information with the urban poor

Communication for development roundtable report : focus on HIV/AIDS communication and evaluation

UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
2002

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This CD-ROM is a complete record of presentions from the 2001 Communication for Development Roundtable in Nicaragua in audio and video formats. The question examined at the Roundtable was what role communicators have to play in the future and whether current strategies, experience and knowledge are appropriate to slow the epidemic, and in which conditions they need to be expanded. Special reference was made to the social change, behaviour change, and advocacy models in HIV communications, and the emerging convergence of theories and practice

ICTs and poverty : a literature review

ADEYA, Catherine Nyaki
2002

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This literature review explores the concepts of ICTs and poverty, and their implications on development. It is divided into the following sections: Section 2 examines the concepts of poverty and ICTs, as well as some related issues, while the next section evaluates the relationship between ICTs and poverty in some detail; Section 4 then presents some case study literature on ICTs and poverty. This section is followed by an assessment of literature on ICTs and poverty reduction from the perspective of development in Section 5. The focus of Section 6 is ICTs and a selection of thematic areas that include agriculture, culture, education, health and gender. Section 7 has some concluding remarks and the last section gives recommendations for further research

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