Economic Empowerment of the Poor: Myths and Facts about Microfinance Institutions in Africa

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Poverty remains a stubborn menace that has defied time the world over, with the relatively less
developed economies suffering its brunt the most. Consequently, various stakeholders have explored
and implemented all possible strategies to alleviate poverty. It is no wonder, therefore, that the
prospect of microfinance solving this challenge led to aggressive embracing of microcredit by both
local communities and other stakeholders alike. Through microfinance, stakeholders anticipated that
affordable access to finance for the marginalized populations would see them start up or expand their
businesses, hire more labor, grow family incomes and improve their living standards. Moreover, it
was assumed that the business owners and their communities would cross over the poverty line and
ultimately microfinance would alleviate poverty from the communities and empower them
economically. However, microfinance is now proving to be yet another mirage in the elusive journey
towards a poverty free world. Almost two decades since the United Nation’s declaration of the year
2005 as the International Year of microfinance, it is an opportune time to take stock of the impact of
microfinance; what has worked well, what needs tweaking and what needs to be decelerated for the
desired outcome to be achieved. The study used a desktop design where secondary data was reviewed
extensively. There were mix findings where there was evidence that there were facts about
microfinance institutions alleviating poverty and empowering the poor in Africa. However, there
were also myths about microfinance institutions where the lenders were taking advantage of the poor
and exploiting them through predatory lending, thus making the poor even poorer and with debts;
thus, demonstrating that microfinance has been shrouded by myths rather than facts. Therefore, there
is need for civic education and entrepreneurial education on microfinance. Additionally,
governments should initiate clear regulations in order to protect the very poor Africa citizens. Future
research should incorporate primary data to corroborate findings of this study

Laduni Science According to Muhammad Luthfi Ghozali’s Thoughts

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This research is motivated by an assumption in the community, especially among Islamic boarding
schools, that laduni is a science that is imported directly without any prior process. It has become a
common assumption when laduni science is associated with supernatural, mystical, superstitious
things and a person’s ability to do something beyond reason or, more popularly, with the term
“yukhariq al-‘adah.” This research is devoted to the thoughts of Muhammad Lutfi Ghozali. As an
observer, expert, and practitioner of Sufism, he has a different understanding from the views of other
Muslim scientists in terms of laduni science. He considers that laduni is the science of direct giving
or knowledge inherited by the person who first got it from his heir. According to him, everyone can
get it as long as they want to build because they get it, namely grace before knowledge, the results of
taqwa, nubuwwah, or walayah, and inherited knowledge. The benefits of this research are divided
into two, namely theoretical and practical. Theoretically, this research is expected to contribute to the
development of the treasures of Sufism, especially those related to laduni science, how to obtain it
and understood by Luthfi Ghozali as the caliph of the earth. Practically, this research is helpful for
academics as a reference, material for Sufism and Islamic studies majors as a reference in curriculum
development and the field of study of concentration, as well as reflection for Sufism practitioners in
their spiritual odyssey, as well as a foothold for researchers to conduct further research. This research
is library research, which focuses on efforts to explore and conduct an in-depth study of books and
literature. The data collection methods used are documentation and interviews, while the researchers’
data analysis is content analysis. The findings of this study are: 1) Laduni science, according to
Muhammad Luthfi Ghozali, is the science of giving or inheriting directly from the heirs who first
received an inheritance from their predecessors, in the form of spontaneous inspiration that radiates
from the heart and then radiates out again in the form of behavior, both words, and deeds. Through
reason and thought. 2) Laduni science can be obtained by the building because it is obtained from
laduni knowledge, namely grace before knowledge, the fruit of piety, the process of nubuwwah or
walayah, and inherited knowledge.

Exploring the Fundraising Role in the Value Creation Process of Public Universities

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Literature about fundraising in the higher education context is quite rich and investigates the topic
from several perspectives, but, unfortunately, it has not given enough importance to the relationship
between the fundraising tools, chosen by the university to get funds, and objectives, in terms of output
and outcome, that they want to support by those fundraising means. The aim of this study is to
understand if there is a relationship between fundraising characteristics and university’s output and
outcome, in terms of three university’s function. Results refer to the alternative fundraising tools’
dissemination and features throughout the Italian public universities. The fundraising tools’ features
are considered in relation to their effect on university’s output and outcome, always considering the
university’s functions. In order to reach the research objectives, a questionnaire was sent to a group
of universities and, then, some university’s fundraisers were interviews. Besides, the data gathered
have been processed and analyzed considering the grounded theory. Results allows to better
understand the fundraising phenomenon within the Italian public higher education context

Proposed Strategies for Improving the Performance of Conflict Management Committees (CMCs) in the Management of Electoral Conflicts in Zambia

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The purpose of this study was to proposed strategies of improving the performance of CMCs in the
management of electoral conflicts in Zambia. This study employed a qualitative descriptive research
design. A purposive sampling technique was used which targeted twelve key electoral stakeholders.
Data was collected using interviews and observations. Data was analysed using inductive thematic
analysis because emerging themes were strongly linked to data. The main findings were that there was
need to introduce electoral fast track courts, increasing educational awareness activities on electoral
conflict, increasing access to CMCs and importantly, strengthen the legal mandate. Based on the
findings, the study recommends to ECZ to attach a legal framework to the mandate of the CMCs and
to make wider consultations on the best way to resolve electoral conflicts. There is need in future to
assess the measures individual political parties have put in place to address electoral violence.

A Secondary Program Evaluation of Arkansas’ Cooking Matters Program

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Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of Cooking Matters for Adults in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the differential impact of the program for SNAP participants. Design: Secondary program evaluation Setting: This study aggregates data from over 100 implementations of Cooking Matters in Arkansas. Participants: Participants were predominantly female (79.42%), Caucasian (51.33%), and aged 60 or older (28.82%) with an average of 2.89 household members. Intervention: Cooking Matters helps families to shop for and cook healthy meals on a budget, as part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign Main Outcome Measure(s): Cooking Matters Survey scale scores Analysis: Repeated measures ANOVA Results: Participant perceptions of cooking confidence, dietary choices, dietary patterns, healthy food preparation, and food resource management significantly increased from pre- to post- Cooking Matters program. Perceptions of cooking barriers decreased from pre- to post- Cooking Matters program. SNAP participants had differential changes in perception of cooking barriers when compared to non-SNAP participants. Conclusions and Implications: Arkansas’ findings reflect the national impact evaluation. All Cooking Matters participants benefited from the program regardless of sex, race, and educational status. Cooking Matters transcends across multiple demographic groups and is an effective program for addressing food insecurity and hunger.

Effect of Audio-visual Materials on Students’ Achievement in Biological Concepts in College of Education, Oyo

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Students’ achievement in Biological Concept is not encouraging over the years in Nigeria Colleges of Education. This may be due to Biology lecturers’ failure to make use of audio-visual materials in their classes, which could be due to lack of audio-visual materials and lack of knowledge of how to use the materials where they are available, lack of enthusiasm and inventiveness on the part of lecturers. This study was conducted on the “Effect of Audio-visual Materials on Students Achievement in Biological Concepts in College of Education in Oyo. A quasi-experimental design which involves pre-test, post-test and non-equivalent intact group was used for the study. One hundred and ninety-six (196) 200 Level NCE students’ were randomly selected from the College of Education in Oyo. Two (2) research questions were asked and answered using mean and standard deviation while ANCOVA was used to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The Biological Concept Achievement Test (BCAT) was the tool used for data collection. A reliability index of 0.80 using Kudder-Richardson formular (Kr 20). The findings revealed that students taught with audio-visual material have a higher achievement score of 2.03 and 2.15 in Biological Concept than their counterpart while p=0,000 . It was recommended that lecturers of colleges of education should practice the use of Audio-visual materials in teaching Biological concept for better achievement.

The Utilization, Commitment, and Productivity of School Heads in the Adoption of Performance Commitment and Review form During Distance Learning in the Division of City Schools of San Pedro for SY 2021-2022

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The study aimed to determining the school heads level of utilization, commitment, and productivity in the adoption of Performance Commitment and Review Form during distance learning. Utilizing a measuring tool that is suitable in the present environment is imperative. With the shift in the delivery of learning caused by pandemic, quality programs, projects, and services is a non-negotiable endeavor among school leaders. Descriptive-correlational design was employed. The study revealed that the higher the level of utilization of the adoption of PCRF during distance learning, the higher the level of commitment in its adoption.The higher the level of utilization of the adoption of PCRF during distance learning, the higher is the level of productivity in its adoption. The higher the level of commitment in the adoption of PCRF during distance learning, the higher is the level of productivity in its adoption. There is a need to implement an action plan to maintain the high level of utilization, commitment and level of productivity of school heads in the adoption of PCRF during distance learning.

Master Teachers’ Leadership Practices, Instructional Competence and Performance of Senior High Teachers in the City Divisions of Laguna

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Every educational institution’s goal is to provide quality education to the learners to be globally competitive. This could be made possible by providing these learners with highly proficient teachers who are well-equipped with instructional competence and 21st century skills on mastery of the subject matter, pedagogy, classroom management and evaluation and with instructional leaders who strive to deliver effective and efficient learning to both students and colleagues. This paper aimed in determining the master teachers’ leadership practices, instructional competence, and performance of Senior High School teachers in the five city divisions of Laguna, Philippines. Descriptive correlational research design was employed. The study revealed that the master teachers have very good instructional leadership practices in terms of curriculum content and pedagogy, planning, assessment and reporting, and personal growth and personal development. Moreover, Senior High School teachers’ instructional competence skills showed “Highly Proficient” in terms of their mastery of the subject matter, teaching strategies, classroom management, and evaluation. Significant relationship existed between master teachers’ instructional leadership practices and Senior High School teachers’ instructional competence. Furthermore, the IPRCRF rating of the Senior High School teachers had nothing to do with their instructional competence and master teachers’ instructional leadership practices. It is then beneficial for the master teachers and Senior High School teachers to attend seminars, workshops, and enhancement trainings to improve and sustain their instructional leadership practices and competence skills.

Towards a Favourable Legal Climate: Educating Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

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The world has slowly awoken to the importance of women in the economy and polity of a growing economy. Women, often seen and openly referred to as “the weaker vessel” in different cultural climes, have eventually, out of the need to survive, stepped up their game in entrepreneurship. Women now sit at the head of business conglomerates all over the world. In Nigeria, the fog of women marginalization is just beginning to clear and policies which hitherto impeded their advancement are now being addressed to create a level playing field. Among policies being addressed are women inheritance rights and the right to obtain facilities to run their own legitimate business. The research, however, reveals continuous discrepancies between the female and their male counterparts in the limited available resources or opportunities. This paper will be relevant to women in business, policy makers and stakeholders in the Nigerian economy as a whole. In conclusion, women in business should have the support of their male counterparts, policy makers and all involved in business enterprises.

Description of Depression Levels in the Elderly at the Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia 3 Margaguna, South Jakarta

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Background: Depression is a type of disturbance in emotional feelings accompanied by psychological components, such as feeling sad, sad, hopeless, unhappy. Depression in the elderly can have a devastating effect if it persists. In addition, there are no appropriate interventions given to the elderly, the condition of the occurrence of further conditions such as physical illness, abuse of drugs, alcohol and nicotine. It could even be suicide. 

Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the level of depression in the elderly who live at the Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia Social Home. 3. 

Methods: The design of this study was descriptive with a cross sectional approach. The instrument used was the Geriatric depression Scale (GDS). Sample: Total sampling technique was done using non-probablity sampling technique and the sample size calculation in this study using the Slovin formula with the results of 155 respondents. 

Results: The level of depression in the elderly at the Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia 3 Maraguna Social Institution was mild depression of 50 respondents (32.2%) and severe depression of 13 respondents (8.4%). 

Conclusion: The level of depression in the elderly at the Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia 3 Maraguna Social Institution with the old characteristics of the institution.