Browsing by Author "Chinsembu, Kazhila C."
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Item Bioprospecting for ‘green diamonds’: Medicinal plants used in the management of HIV/AIDS-related conditions(University of Namibia Press, 2015) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.I believe that while scientific research is necessary to improve the way in which our natural resources are exploited … our people must not be completely disowned … of resources that they have possessed for generations. It will be a sad day when the medicinal formulas of devil’s claw are patented by big pharmaceutical companies and thereby become depleted and unavailable to the natural owners of the resource. (His Excellency Dr Sam Nujoma, Founding President of Namibia at a symposium on devil’s claw, as reported by Wickham, 2001.)Item The evolution of science and technology policy dialogue in post-colonial Africa([s.l], 2012) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.; Kasanda, Choshi D.This paper describes the dialogue around Science and Technology (S and T) policy in post-colonial African countries with a special emphasis on Southern Africa. It traces the evolution of S and T policy dialogue from several global and African conferences held in the 1960s. In post-colonial Africa, S and T policy dialogue was founded on the Monrovia declaration of 1979 and the Lagos Plan of Action of 1980. In the new millennium, African S and T policy dialogue has been driven by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). In Southern Africa, the S and T policy environment is guided by several treaties of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Although African S and T policies are well discussed and articulated, implementation of the S and T agenda has been poor, hence the authors recommend that NEPAD institutes an S and T peer-review mechanism to monitor performance of S and T indicators in member states.Item HIV/AIDS and science educatiohn in Namibian secondary schools(2010) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.; ; ;Item Indigenous knowledge and antimicrobial properties of plants used in ethnoveterinary medicine(University of Namibia Press, 2015) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.The use of chemical pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs to manage livestock pests and diseases is anathema to the environment and leads to the development of resistance. Most resource-poor farmers also face problems, such as inaccessibility, unaffordability and inappropriate use of chemical pesticides and drugs. Faced with these constraints, livestock farmers in Namibia and other African countries turn to indigenous knowledge as an alternative option and as a key to unlock the power of plants to control various vectors and diseases of livestock. Utilization of plant extracts as ethnoveterinary medicines (EVMs) is perhaps one of the most sustainable methods readily adaptable to rural livestock-farming communities. Plants identified as herbal remedies in the management of livestock diseases, especially those with antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties, present considerable potential for further scientific research which may lead to the discovery of new and safer drugs. Although many rural communal farmers use plants to treat livestock diseases, the current status of information on the use of plants in EVM Namibia, and the biological activities and toxicities of this flora, is still inadequate. For example, a complete systematic ethnobotanical list has not yet been compiled, creating an urgent need to record EVM knowledge in Namibia.Item Indigenous knowledge of HIV/AIDS among High School students in Namibia(BioMed Central The Open Access Publisher, 2011) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.; Shimwooshili-Shaimemanya, Cornelia N.; Kasanda, Choshi D.; Zealand, DonovanThe use of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can help students to form schemas for interpreting local phenomena through the prism of what they already know. The formation of schemas related to HIV/AIDS risk perception and prevention is important for individuals to form local meanings of the HIV /AIDS epidemic. The objective of this study was to explore the indigenous names and symptoms of HIY/AIDS among High School students in NamibiaItem Indigenous knowledge of Namibia(University of Namibia Press, 2015) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.; Cheikhyoussef, Ahmad; Mumbengegwi, Davis R.; Kandawa-Schulz, M.; Kasanda, Choshi D.; Kazembe, Lawrence N.Why this book, Indigenous Knowledge of Namibia? Nowadays, indigenous knowledge has gained prominence and attracted public interest due to its numerous applications in science and innovation: biotechnology, health, bioprospecting, pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants, agriculture, food preparation, mathematics, natural resource management, climate change and astronomy. There are many niche players in the field of indigenous knowledge in Namibia and many studies being carried out. Thus, although not all aspects of Namibia's indigenous knowledge are covered in this book, most readers from various walks of life - laypersons, scholars and policy makers - will find this book a very useful companion. The content of this book serves as a good starting point, because 'we cannot go further into the future without looking deeper into the past' (anonymous). Through their laboratory and scientific studies, the authors of this book server as guides through the journey to discover and record the indigenous knowledge of Namibia society. More importantly, their individual and collective works endevour to add value to Namibia's indigenous knowledge. The voyage and value addition are aimed at bringing greater clarity to some of the most perplexing aspects of indigenous knowledge in Namibia. Authors are aware of local communities need to benefit from their indigenous knowledge. That being said, the aim of this book is not to appropriate the indigenous knowledge of local communities, as most indigenous knowledge is already in the public domain.Item Prevalence, distribution and behavioral determinants of coital activity among high school students in Namibia(University of Namibia, 2011) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.; Kasanda, Choshi D.; Shimwooshili-Shaimemanya, Cornelia N.Although HIV transmission among Namibian in-school adolescents is mainly heterosexual, previous data on sexual activity are not disaggregated, making It difficult to target interventions. This study conducted a disaggregated analysis of coital activity and explored various factors associated with coital activity among Namibian High School students. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 18 schools located in six education regions. Data were collected from 829 students through a structured questionnaire. Pearson i analysis was used to determine the distribution of coital activity for students from different regions, rural-urban areas, ethnic groups, and gender. Factors associated with coital activity were established by the use of odds ratios and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Overall, 50.2% of the students never had sex before and 29.2% were sexually active. Pearson i analysis showed that coital activity was significantly high among students In the Caprivl region, urban areas, Lozl, Herero and Damara-Nama ethnic groups, and male gender. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the only significant factors positively associated with coital activity were Herero ethnlcity, male gender, testing for HIV, thinking one could not get HIV if they were faithful to a single sexual partner, having a boyfriend of girlfriend, and drinking beer. These disaggregated results will help design targeted HIV/AIDS preventive programmes for High School students In Namibia. This can be done by targeting messages that reduce students' coital activity by way of altering personal, peer, and social behaviours.Item Science and technology: A call for action(University of Namibia, 2014) Chinsembu, Kazhila C.Item Science: An all encompassing field(University of Namibia, 2013) Kazembe, Lawrence N.; Archibong, Edet F.; Chimwamurombe, Percy M.; Singh, Shyam; Chinsembu, Kazhila C.What unites science, as Sir David Cox mentioned, is not the subject matter we all work in, but the methodology and the thought process that help solve the problems that arise [1]. Put differently, it is the replicability of its methods, the validity of its findings and reliability of its instruments and techniques. The diversity in science now emphasizes that not a single subject matter will work alone in isolation - especially if you are working in applied sciences, but has to learn from others. Even so, contemporary applied sciences have extended this collaboration to the social sciences [2]. For instance, in implementation science they have learnt to involve social sciences to inform human behaviour if scaling-up of interventions is to be a success.