Introduction
Methods
Study setting
The Democratic Republic of Congo (the DRC)
The Equatorial province
Bwamanda area
Data collection
Informants | Number of informants | Methods | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
Informants from households with malnourished children | 10 | In-depth interviews | February/March 2013 |
Participant observation | November 2013 | ||
Informants from households with well- nourished children | 10 | In-depth interviews | February/March 2013 |
Participant observation | November 2013 | ||
Village leaders | 5 | Two focus group discussions | February/March 2013 |
In-depth interviews | November 2013 | ||
Bwamanda hospital and health centre staff | 4 | In-depth interviews | February/March 2013 |
November 2013 | |||
Primary and secondary school teachers | 3 | In depth-interviews | November 2013 |
CDI Bwamanda representatives | 4 | In-depth interviews | November/February 2012 |
February/March 2013 | |||
November 2013 | |||
Total number of informants | 36 |
Field theory and data analysis
Field theory
Data analysis
Ethical issues
Findings
Case no. | Children’s nutritional status | Social fields | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Household | Gbisa | Village | Local NGO | ||
Households with malnourished children | |||||
1 | Marasmus | Nuclear family | Used male gbisa for land clearing | Rights to plots for maize and cassava cultivation. | Marasmic child treated at the hospital |
No use of female gbisa
| Land redistributed by village chief | No access to safe water | |||
2 | Marasmus | Nuclear family | No use of gbisa
| No agricultural land | Marasmic child treated at the hospital |
No access to safe water | |||||
3 | Kwashiorkor | Medium sized – extended household | No use of gbisa
| Rights to agricultural land for maize, cassava and groundnut cultivation | Kwashiorkor child treated at the hospital |
No access to safe water | |||||
4 | Kwashiorkor | Large extended household – three generations | No use of gbisa | Rights to several plots for maize, cassava and groundnut cultivation | Kwashiorkor child treated at the hospital |
No access to safe water | |||||
5 | Well-nourished | Medium sized monogamous household | Use of male and female gbisa for agricultural activities | Usufruct rights to plots for maize, cassava and groundnut cultivation | Use of health centre services including counselling for infants and toddlers |
Access to safe water provided by CDI-Bwamanda | |||||
6 | Well-nourished | Large polygamous household – three generations | Use of male and female gbisa for agricultural activities Use of “groundnut” gbisa for capital accumulation investment in bicycle | Usufruct rights to several plots for maize, cassava, groundnut and palm oil cultivation | Use of health centre services including counselling for infants and toddlers |
Access to safe water provided by CDI-Bwamanda | |||||
7 | Well-nourished | Large polygamous household | Use of gbisa for capital accumulation – investment in cattle | Usufruct rights to several plots for maize, cassava, palm oil cultivation and growing fruits | Use of health centre services including counselling for infants and toddlers |
Benefit from project combatting sleeping sickness | |||||
Benefitted from hygiene project | |||||
No access to safe water supply, but involved in planning drilling of new deep water well to be provided by CDI-Bwamanda | |||||
8 | Well-nourished | Large polygamous household | No use of gbisa
| Usufruct rights to several plots for maize, cassava, beans and palm oil cultivation | Use of health centre services including counselling for infants and toddlers |
Employ cash labourers and school children as an alternative to gbisa
| |||||
Took advantage of CDI-Bwamanda facilitating transport and sale of maize to Kinshasa | |||||
Benefitted from project combatting sleeping sickness | |||||
Benefitted from hygiene project | |||||
Access to safe water supply provided by CDI-Bwamanda |