Gweru Women AIDS Prevention Association （GWAPA） is an organization that works with commercial sex-workers in the Midlands Province to try and stymie the tide of HIV/AIDS. The organization premises its activities upo...Gweru Women AIDS Prevention Association （GWAPA） is an organization that works with commercial sex-workers in the Midlands Province to try and stymie the tide of HIV/AIDS. The organization premises its activities upon the belief that sex workers are forced into prostitution by poverty and thus offers them alternative livelihood strategies such as piggery projects, chicken rearing, and vegetable vending projects as well as seed money with which to start flea market projects. The organization also runs a condom promotion project, a legal literacy project, and an advocacy project, all in a bid to empower the sex workers cognitively. The study was carried out between April and October 2008, using bar-based observations, interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary evidence. The study found participation to have been more of a fallacy in as far as programming depended more on the whims of donor funders than the actual needs of programme beneficiaries. In the top-down manner that is typical of development communication, the organization would engage donors and secure funding for certain projects which they would then try to convince the sex workers to take up, with mixed results. The research also found limited evidence of real empowerment of beneficiaries in the long run, with the sex workers themselves insisting that the ＂piece-meal＂ efforts of the organization were not sustainable enough to induce them to abandon sex work altogether. The study did, however, find that the organization and its programming had actually managed to score notable success in promoting safer sex within the context of prostitution, albeit without eradicating sex work altogether.展开更多
Since the year 2000, the city of Gweru has had an unprecedented proliferation of unattended potholes on most of its roads. These potholes have caused discomfort to the motoring public, caused death to others and damag...Since the year 2000, the city of Gweru has had an unprecedented proliferation of unattended potholes on most of its roads. These potholes have caused discomfort to the motoring public, caused death to others and damaged vehicles. This paper presents the results of a study that sought to establish the spatial distribution of potholes and determine their socio-economic impacts in Gweru＇s residential areas. Pothole location and dimensions were measured in the field whilst interviews and questionnaires were administered to vehicle owners, motor mechanic experts, drivers and the travelling public to determine their socio-economic and mechanical impacts. Stratified, convenience and purposive sampling methods were used in the selection of study streets and respondents to questionnaires and interviews. Results revealed that potholes are more concentrated in high density residential areas compared to low density areas. This is primarily due to the substandard construction of roads done in high density residential areas. Other causes of pothole formation identified during this study are poor drainage on the roads, rainfall impact, advanced age of roads, poor or lack of maintenance, type and volume of traffic as well as the effect of tree-root prying on paved surfaces. It is recommended that Gweru City Council enters into partnerships in road construction. The city should also establish fundraising projects to augment its budget. This would help ease problems of service delivery including road maintenance. Signposts can be erected to warn drivers about these hazards in the most affected streets and suburbs. It is also important that council set aside a toll-free telephone line link with road users so that areas where new potholes have been detected are quickly reported and attended to. This will not only save lives but also reduce road maintenance costs and vehicle damage.展开更多
Along the rapid urbanization, the housing problem of medium and low-income residents in cities has been one of social problems, which is drawing the attention of government in the world for a long time. In present Chi...Along the rapid urbanization, the housing problem of medium and low-income residents in cities has been one of social problems, which is drawing the attention of government in the world for a long time. In present China, both the national policy and market of housing system are in the process of perfecting, which pay more attention to the low-income residents and rural residents. This paper chooses Tianjin, the third pole of China development as the example for research. Tianjin public housing residential district planning explored a mode of ＂large-scale mix and small-scale pure＂ for the whole homeland development. It confirms that regional coordination, ecological concepts, green transport, space characteristics and appropriate technology is important in planning.展开更多
文摘Gweru Women AIDS Prevention Association （GWAPA） is an organization that works with commercial sex-workers in the Midlands Province to try and stymie the tide of HIV/AIDS. The organization premises its activities upon the belief that sex workers are forced into prostitution by poverty and thus offers them alternative livelihood strategies such as piggery projects, chicken rearing, and vegetable vending projects as well as seed money with which to start flea market projects. The organization also runs a condom promotion project, a legal literacy project, and an advocacy project, all in a bid to empower the sex workers cognitively. The study was carried out between April and October 2008, using bar-based observations, interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary evidence. The study found participation to have been more of a fallacy in as far as programming depended more on the whims of donor funders than the actual needs of programme beneficiaries. In the top-down manner that is typical of development communication, the organization would engage donors and secure funding for certain projects which they would then try to convince the sex workers to take up, with mixed results. The research also found limited evidence of real empowerment of beneficiaries in the long run, with the sex workers themselves insisting that the ＂piece-meal＂ efforts of the organization were not sustainable enough to induce them to abandon sex work altogether. The study did, however, find that the organization and its programming had actually managed to score notable success in promoting safer sex within the context of prostitution, albeit without eradicating sex work altogether.
文摘Since the year 2000, the city of Gweru has had an unprecedented proliferation of unattended potholes on most of its roads. These potholes have caused discomfort to the motoring public, caused death to others and damaged vehicles. This paper presents the results of a study that sought to establish the spatial distribution of potholes and determine their socio-economic impacts in Gweru＇s residential areas. Pothole location and dimensions were measured in the field whilst interviews and questionnaires were administered to vehicle owners, motor mechanic experts, drivers and the travelling public to determine their socio-economic and mechanical impacts. Stratified, convenience and purposive sampling methods were used in the selection of study streets and respondents to questionnaires and interviews. Results revealed that potholes are more concentrated in high density residential areas compared to low density areas. This is primarily due to the substandard construction of roads done in high density residential areas. Other causes of pothole formation identified during this study are poor drainage on the roads, rainfall impact, advanced age of roads, poor or lack of maintenance, type and volume of traffic as well as the effect of tree-root prying on paved surfaces. It is recommended that Gweru City Council enters into partnerships in road construction. The city should also establish fundraising projects to augment its budget. This would help ease problems of service delivery including road maintenance. Signposts can be erected to warn drivers about these hazards in the most affected streets and suburbs. It is also important that council set aside a toll-free telephone line link with road users so that areas where new potholes have been detected are quickly reported and attended to. This will not only save lives but also reduce road maintenance costs and vehicle damage.
文摘Along the rapid urbanization, the housing problem of medium and low-income residents in cities has been one of social problems, which is drawing the attention of government in the world for a long time. In present China, both the national policy and market of housing system are in the process of perfecting, which pay more attention to the low-income residents and rural residents. This paper chooses Tianjin, the third pole of China development as the example for research. Tianjin public housing residential district planning explored a mode of ＂large-scale mix and small-scale pure＂ for the whole homeland development. It confirms that regional coordination, ecological concepts, green transport, space characteristics and appropriate technology is important in planning.
