Concern Worldwide

Summary box Inclusion of prevention in the 2023 WHO guideline on wasting and nutritional oedema is a significant and timely addition, aligning with the global development goal of reducing current wasting prevalence from 6.

Objective. The purpose of the study is to experimentally measure the surface energy of solids during their grinding.Method. The study is based on the use of methods for determining the surface tension of solids. At least 20-25% of all electricity produced in the world is spent on grinding materials in industry. When the resulting particles are reduced to tens of nanometers, the contribution of surface energy (st) to the grinding work becomes so large that it is difficult not to take it into account. Measuring the surface tension of liquids has long been proven. But measuring (st) of solids causes great difficulties. Currently, more than twenty methods for determining (st) are known.Result. Based on the phenomenon of spontaneous bending of thin thread-like structures, a method for determining (st) has been developed. Examples are given in which (st) at the phase interface plays an important role in obtaining samples with a microstructure using the method of severe plastic deformation (SPD). To obtain fine metal powders, one of the variants of the SPD method has been proposed. A method has been found for the physical activation of aluminum granules, which increases the reaction rate of the metal in an aqueous environment by about a thousand times. This is necessary for the development of an anaerobic power plant capable of operating at great depths.Conclusion. The new technology makes it possible to obtain high-purity, non-oxidized metal powders without toxic waste and emissions and with energy costs lower than in all known methods.

In this field note, we make a case for adapting Reach Up and Learn, an evidence-based home-visiting intervention, to the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable populations in the conflict-affected settings of Jordan, Lebanon, and northeastern Syria. We outline the implementation of the intervention in all three countries and share our observations, including successes and challenges, from the first two years (2016 and 2017) of this multiyear project. We also provide insights into the country-by-country evolution of the project. We compare and contrast the adaptation approaches in each country and highlight innovations based specifically on in-country feedback. We also touch on the measurement and costing approaches for the intervention, noting the ways the project is contributing to the limited body of evidence in this area. We offer specific recommendations for additional research to generate evidence on early childhood development in humanitarian programming, and we conclude with an overview of the next stage of the Reach Up and Learn project, which is part of a wider initiative to improve the developmental outcomes of children in the region who are affected by crisis and conflict.

University campuses contribute substantially to urban green and blue infrastructure and are habitats for biodiversity in urban environments. Higher education institutions bear responsibility to conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecological value of their green and blue spaces, thereby educating about the importance of biodiversity in a sustainable society. This paper is a retrospective formative evaluation charting Intervarsity BioBlitz (a cross-institutional biodiversity recording competition) in higher education institutes in Ireland. Intervarsity BioBlitz enabled academic institutions to form and monitor biodiversity inventories for green and blue spaces on campus, map records into GIS layers, and promote campus biodiversity with the student body and management. Intervarsity BioBlitz offered an engaging and interactive means of quantifying campus biodiversity while also educating staff, students, and the wider community about biodiversity and connecting them to nature. It became a valuable tool for sustainability reporting in the higher education institution sector contributing to national and international biodiversity monitoring. Embedding Intervarsity BioBlitz with existing sustainability initiatives further enhanced performance and informed the delivery of action plans. Higher education institutes need to teach survey and identification skills, facilitate interest, awareness, and action to protect biodiversity. Biodiversity needs to become more prominent in international higher education sustainability metrics if we are to adequately address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

National healthcare financing strategy recommends tax-based equity funds and insurance schemes for the poor and extreme poor living in urban slums and pavements as the majority of these population utilise informal providers resulting in adverse health effects and financial hardship. We assessed the effect of a health voucher scheme (HVS) and micro-health insurance (MHI) scheme on healthcare utilisation and out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and the cost of implementing such schemes. HVS and MHI schemes were implemented by Concern Worldwide through selected NGO health centres, referral hospitals, and private healthcare facilities in three City Corporations of Bangladesh from December 2016 to March 2020. A household survey with 1,294 enrolees, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions, consultative meetings, and document reviews were conducted for extracting data on healthcare utilisation, OOP payments, views of enrolees, and suggestions of implementers, and costs of services at the point of care. Healthcare utilisation including maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) services, particularly from medically trained providers, was higher and OOP payments were lower among the scheme enrolees compared to corresponding population groups in general. The beneficiaries were happy with their access to healthcare, especially for MNCH services, and their perceived quality of care was fair enough. They, however, suggested expanding the benefits package, supported by an additional workforce. The cost per beneficiary household for providing services per year was €32 in HVS and €15 in MHI scheme. HVS and MHI schemes enabled higher healthcare utilisation at lower OOP payments among the enrolees, who were happy with their access to healthcare, particularly for MNCH services. However, they suggested a larger benefits package in future. The provider's costs of the schemes were reasonable; however, there are potentials of cost containment by purchasing the health services for their beneficiaries in a competitive basis from the market. Scaling up such schemes addressing the drawback would contribute to achieving universal health coverage.

BackgroundNational healthcare financing strategy recommends tax-based equity funds and insurance schemes for the poor and extreme poor living in urban slums and pavements as the majority of these population utilise informal providers resulting in adverse health effects and financial hardship. We assessed the effect of a health voucher scheme (HVS) and micro-health insurance (MHI) scheme on healthcare utilisation and out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and the cost of implementing such schemes.MethodsHVS and MHI schemes were implemented by Concern Worldwide through selected NGO health centres, referral hospitals, and private healthcare facilities in three City Corporations of Bangladesh from December 2016 to March 2020. A household survey with 1,294 enrolees, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions, consultative meetings, and document reviews were conducted for extracting data on healthcare utilisation, OOP payments, views of enrolees, and suggestions of implementers, and costs of services at the point of care.ResultsHealthcare utilisation including maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) services, particularly from medically trained providers, was higher and OOP payments were lower among the scheme enrolees compared to corresponding population groups in general. The beneficiaries were happy with their access to healthcare, especially for MNCH services, and their perceived quality of care was fair enough. They, however, suggested expanding the benefits package, supported by an additional workforce. The cost per beneficiary household for providing services per year was €32 in HVS and €15 in MHI scheme.ConclusionHVS and MHI schemes enabled higher healthcare utilisation at lower OOP payments among the enrolees, who were happy with their access to healthcare, particularly for MNCH services. However, they suggested a larger benefits package in future. The provider’s costs of the schemes were reasonable; however, there are potentials of cost containment by purchasing the health services for their beneficiaries in a competitive basis from the market. Scaling up such schemes addressing the drawback would contribute to achieving universal health coverage.

The innovation process is central to effective adaption to climate change and development challenges, but models from business and management tend to dominate innovation theory, which sits outside the adaption-development paradigm. This paper presents an alternative conceptual framework to visualize innovations as pathways across the adaption-development landscape for humanitarian and development goals. This useful tool can reveal, map and coordinate innovation strategy. To demonstrate and validate this approach, we analyze a case study of innovation in aftershock forecasting for humanitarian decision-making and show that the most effective strategy is for multiple innovation strands and hubs to move concurrently and cumulatively towards transformative humanitarian and development goals.

Defining the core activity of psychiatric nursing is helpful if the discipline seeks professionalization. A definition offers a sense of stability within the current culture of change in care provision. However, core activity may be incongruent with postmodern ideas and practice. The paper attempts to square this circle. It addresses the complexity of describing core activity when this is based on implicit knowledge of practice, based in art rather than science. Using a phenomenological research approach, the research involved encouraging psychiatric nurses within residential schemes to consider the meaning of their concrete activity. Initial findings suggest that the core activity is working with extraordinary people within 'ordinary' relationships, and in 'ordinary' contexts.

Current conventional therapies in the treatment of neoplastic disease include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, in many instances, there is relapse with the development of metastases and highly resistant tumor cells. A major challenge remains in the development of new therapeutic modalities that can treat widespread metastases and drug resistant tumors.

This article describes the key features of the evaluation of a welfare reform program, the Employment Support Initiatives Projects (ESIP), designed to improve employment for mothers receiving social assistance. The first section describes the scope of the initiatives, and the dilemmas posed for its evaluation by the variety of program models, caseload turnover, and confounds between policy initiatives. The second section outlines the major evaluation strategies, including the use of evaluability assessment and a developmental approach to ensure participation from the diverse groups involved in the evaluation. The third section briefly describes the results of the evaluation, and the major lessons for evaluation practice that emerged from this evaluation project.