MeToo and Sexual Violence Among Women in Zambia.

By using a qualitative study involving 80 participants, the aim of this study is to investigate the relevance of the MeToo movement as a tool for responding to sexual violence among women in Zambia. Our findings suggest that rather than definitively establishing the MeToo movement as an incontestable good or as useless because it ignores cultural realities as argued by its critics, our findings demonstrate the diversity of how this movement is locally viewed and also illustrates the complexity and multidimensionality of how it is characterized in Zambia. Our findings thus question the folly of a "one-size-fits-all" understanding and characterization of the MeToo movement.

Local characterization of the COVID-19 response: the case of a lockdown in Lusaka, Zambia.

Background: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked heated debate among scholars on the relevance of lockdowns. There are those in favor of the lockdown and others who are critical of it. However, despite the increased interest in understanding the relevance of lockdowns, there still has not been much focus on its relevance in countries like Zambia.

Lockdowns aimed at fighting COVID-19 causing more harm than good in sub-Saharan Africa.

The emergency of COVID-19 has forced many sub-Saharan African (SSA) governments to lockdown countries. This meant minimizing interaction between individuals through actions such as closure of schools, restaurants, bars, and imposing restrictions on movements and events. Supporters of lockdowns argue that lockdowns are useful for slowing down the spread of the disease, preventing the health care systems from potential collapse and preventing deaths.

Exploring health workers' experiences of mental health challenges during care of patients with COVID-19 in Uganda: a qualitative study.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the lived experiences of mental health among frontline health workers providing COVID-19-realted care in Uganda. This study provides insights into the contextual realities of the mental health of health workers facing greater challenges given the lack of adequate resources, facilities and health workers to meet the demand brought about by COVID-19.

Results: All in all, our findings suggest that healthcare workers are under enormous stress during this pandemic, however, in order to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, it is important to understand their challenges and sources of these challenges.

Has the social justice approach become pervasive as a tool for fighting HIV in women? The case of Zambia.

Objective: Research has constantly shown how gender-based social inequality in countries like Zambia leads to disproportionately higher HIV prevalence rates among women aged 15 to 45 years old. As a response to this, the social justice approach in HIV response has become gold standard. Despite its continued application, little is known about how this approach is received and experienced by the people it is meant to serve.

Local people's views on the evidence-based skilled-maternal-care in Mfuwe, Zambia: a qualitative study.

Background: There is growing demand for high quality evidence-based practice in the fight against negative maternal health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Zambia is one of the countries that has transposed this evidence-based approach by outlawing Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and recommending exclusive skilled-care. There is division among scholars regarding the usefulness of this approach to maternal health in SSA in general.

Factors associated with choice of antenatal, delivery and postnatal services between HIV positive and HIV negative women in Zambia.

Background: Previous research has shown that developing countries account for the majority of maternal deaths around the world. Relatively high maternal mortality in developing countries has been linked to high HIV prevalence rates in these countries. Several studies have shown that women living with HIV are more vulnerable and are thus more likely to die during maternity than those who are not.

"This conflict has turned me into a Doctor, Nurse and Nutritionist at the same time": how peer support among HIV-positive IDPs created opportunities for care in conflict-stricken Kabaré, Congo DR.

Objective: While HIV research remains priority in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), most of the studies have traditionally been conducted in secure locations with little focus on internally displaced person (IDPs) and how they rely on locally available strategies for care and survival. Thus the aim of this study is to fill this gap by investigating the role of indigenous social relations (particularly, peer support) in the promotion of care among IDPs living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a conflict region known as Kabaré in the south Kivu province of Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Results: Through a qualitative study, we show that despite having some limitations (e.

Community mobilization and maternal Care of Women Living with HIV in poor settings: the case of Mfuwe, Zambia.

Background: Research has shown that community mobilization is a useful strategy in promoting maternal care of HIV negative women in resource poor settings; however, similar evidence for women living with HIV is missing. Therefore, in this study we provide this evidence by exploring the relevance of community mobilization in the promotion of maternal health care among women living with HIV in resource-poor settings by using Mfuwe, a rural district in Zambia as a case study.

Methods: By relying on Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), qualitative data were collected from Mfuwe, Zambia.

The usefulness of traditional birth attendants to women living with HIV in resource-poor settings: the case of Mfuwe, Zambia.

Background: Although there is increased attention on the role of trained traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in maternal care, most of the research has mainly focused on providing evidence of the relevance of trained TBAs to women in general without a specific focus on women who are HIV positive, despite them being most vulnerable. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill this gap by assessing the relevance of trained TBAs to women living with HIV in resource-poor settings by using Zambia as a case study.

Methods: Our data collection consisted of two focus group discussions, one involving HIV-positive women utilizing trained TBAs and the other with women not utilizing TBAs.

The role of Community Mobilization in maternal care provision for women in sub-Saharan Africa- A systematic review of studies using an experimental design.

Background: While the role of community mobilization in improving maternal health outcomes of HIV positive women in sub-Saharan Africa is continuously emphasized, little is known about how legitimate these claims are. The aim of this study is to systematically review the empirical evidence on this issue.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PuBMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, COCHRANE, Allied Health Literature, and Cumulative Index to Nursing.

"You cannot eat rights": a qualitative study of views by Zambian HIV-vulnerable women, youth and MSM on human rights as public health tools.

Background: Human rights approaches now dominate the HIV prevention landscape across sub-Saharan Africa, yet little is known about how they are viewed by the populations they are designed to serve. Health interventions are most effective when they resonate with the worldviews and interests of target groups. This study examined local Zambian understandings of human rights approaches to HIV-prevention among three highly HIV-vulnerable groups: women, youth, and men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM).