Home Institution
Brown University
Publication Date
Fall 2009
Abstract
Rusinga Island has been on the receiving end of many non-governmental and government-run health interventions. Though ample money has been invested in disease control, malaria and HIV/AIDS transmission and death rates remain higher than in any other location in Kenya. This study employs the use of interviews, both formal and informal, focus group discussions and observation in order to discover possible factors which have confounded the success of previous disease management programs. The study seeks the community's perspective on these programs as well as ideas for community-based, bottom-up strategies which might be able to curb the high rates of malaria and HIV transmission. The findings suggest a need for sustainable ways of tackling the roots of persistently high rates of disease transmission, not just the leaves. Potential points of entry include using existing youth group networks to spread knowledge, expanding micro-finance to promote income generation and poverty alleviation, and encouraging the health-related work and advocacy efforts of community-based organizations.
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Public Health | Public Health Education and Promotion
Recommended Citation
Russell, Allyson, "Responsibility for Disease Management on Rusinga Island: Reconciling the Limitations of External Aid and the Role of Community-Based Initiatives" (2009). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 905.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/905
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
Program Name
Kenya: Development, Health and Society