This article illustrates potential ways to take account of the use of languages in international conferences and in transnational cooperation, and may be fruitful for readers delving into efforts to promote global cooperation. It communicates research notes and documents from CAAST-Net’s stakeholders’ conference, entitled “Africa-Europe Cooperation in Science and Technology: Status and Way Forward”, on the 10th to 11th November 2009. The conference was held in Mombasa, Kenya.

This paper introduces the notion of community gardens as multipurpose, technological systems with dynamic boundaries. It also strives to revise the notion of food security and health in regards to such systems. This is a cross-cultural project where twelve community gardens located in urban regions within three different countries were examined. This paper explores common tendencies rather than diversities or differences. The paper describes a behavioural chain that depends on various factors and affects various types of health. It is suggested that a community garden has the potential to serve as a link between the past and the present. While a community garden may provide food, it is suggested that it may also encourage social interactions, knowledge sharing, and relaxation. The cultivation of food occurs, but it may not always be the sole purpose.

The overall aim of this research was to enhance the understanding of what affects the social impact of ICT in lifelong learning on disadvantaged women.

In contributing to the field of social informatics, this research employs behavioural theories as strategy and analytic possibilities. This research mainly used the Kenyan digital villages as CRCs as settings but did also look beyond such establishments to provide a more solid picture. The studies were located in Kenya with complementary studies in Bolivia, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, and Sweden. The main strategies and methods used were case study, comparative education approaches, and observations and interviewing techniques.

The findings suggest that ICT and CRCs have the potential to support disadvantaged women and their lifelong learning. However, the positive social impacts are limited because the arrangement of them generally does not favour vernacular languages, illiterate users, female owners and users, or non-students. In general, the use of ICT was sometimes perceived as forced, which is both a barrier and a stressor in the use of ICT in lifelong learning. It also emerged from the comparative studies that discussions among the participants in the CRCs largely covered issues in respect to 1) family and reproduction and 2) self-esteem, i.e. what settles the matter of the social impact of ICT in lifelong learning depends on change attitude among men and women. With minimal if not zero self-esteem a change that would make the difference or break a woman’s “legendary status quo” in order for a woman to feel that she can reach her goal or ambitions in lifelong learning would be difficult. Hence the lack of self-esteem is a stressor in itself.

This research is valuable for stakeholders delving into issues of development and learning using ICTs, not only in Kenya but in a broader, global perspective.

This study takes account of the everyday-life experience of a group of women in a resource-poor environment in Kenya. They are part of a group that the Kenyan Government wants to include in their investments in order to enhance social and economic equality. The overall purpose of the study is to learn about the potential impact of such investments on women in resource-poor environments in Kenya. In fulfilling its purpose the study takes into consideration (1) experiences of everyday-life among women in Lunga-Lunga and (2) maps strategies to recognise these experiences. The results of the study are expected to be fruitful as regards planning strategies that are of use for Vision 2030 and the development of Kenyan society. The study was carried out in two steps: the first consisted in participatory action research and the second was a follow-up study. To guide the study the notion of ‘experience’ is critical. During sessions and in letters to their pen-pals, the women express feelings regarding cultural, family, and health issues. For instance, some of the feelings experienced have arisen because the women are isolated from the larger world outside their own immediate environment and lack literacy skills. The study will be useful in planning governmental actions that strive to better recognise and educate citizens–especially women–in resource-poor environments.

It is believed that major account on language diversity must be taken in learning, and especially in learning using ICT. This paper's objective is to exhibit language and communication barriers in learning, to approach the topic from socioculture and cognitivist perspectives, and to give exploratory solutions of handling such barriers. The review is mainly conducted by approaching the journal Computers & Education, but also an initially broad search was conducted. The results show that not much attention is paid on language and communication barriers in an immediate relation to learning using ICT. The results shows, inter alia, that language and communication barriers are caused because of not enough account is taken on both the individual's background and the technology.

A telecentre provides communities with limited resources the opportunity to acquire electronic information that is useful for learning and education, societal information, or be it business. The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of the users of telecentres - especially the women - to ensure socially sustainable telecentres. As the main method, we rely on ethnographic field. Findings suggest that most users are students and women. Carrying out further field work will allow monitoring of these women to see if they can motivate other women to start going to the telecentres, and if this behavior of women reflects changes in the traditional model of gender.

This reflective paper sheds light on the Kenyan Government’s Digital Villages Project. The project strives to decrease the disparities between urban and rural environments across the country using information and communications technologies. The structure of the project is inspired by the Capability Maturity Model. This paper proposes the use of behavioural archaeology instead. The use of behavioural archaeology enables important aspects and results of the project to be illuminated and captured. In addition a specific focus is placed upon the political implications of the project and their effect on rural Kenya.

Throughout the last decade, telecentres have provided access to electronic communications as supporting information and communications technology infrastructure for community, economic, educational and social development. While the origins of telecentres can be traced to Europe's tele-cottage and Community Technology Centers in the United States in the 1980s, telecentres have taken on a number of varying forms and approaches. This article illuminates approaches used by telecentre projects in Kenya and Cameroon using behavioural archaeology. Literature stresses that behavioural archaeology refers to understanding the artefact as a tool in human activity and technology as the embodiment of human activity in the artefact. Application of the concept to understanding telecentres sheds light on the nature of the use of technology that leads to the existence of particular results or societal outcomes. Using a qualitative methodology, managers, local contractors, and technicians at local telecentres were interviewed. The results show differing approaches to telecentres purpose and design. In Kenya, the focus is on e-government services, whilst in Cameroon it is on conflict solving among different tribes. In its use of behavioural archaeology, this article adds a new perspective to the challenges of making information and communications technology and electronic media available in resource-poor environments.

This paper draws attention to the urgency of taking into consideration women’s gender-specific needs and interests in the implementation of community-based ICT projects in lifelong learning. We set out this research to understand the constraints of information and communications technology (ICT) in lifelong learning on disadvantaged women. National statistics and data from field studies were used. The constraints and their consequences at national level are often a result of national policies and regulations – or lack thereof – while the constraints and their consequences at local/regional level involve everyday-life occurrences that are present in women's immediate surroundings. Hence, an understanding of both levels is critical. This research is valuable for stakeholders delving into issues of development intervention using ICTs, not only in Kenya but in a broader, global perspective.

This paper explores the reasoning and use of information and communications technology (ICT) in lifelong learning by immigrant women. Data were collected from semi-structured and unstructured interviews. The study was carried out primarily in a school environment, which also makes it possible to draw conclusions about the connection between learning in and outside school environments. Most participants experienced major differences in the use of and access to ICT after moving to their new country. Most women use and access ICT, even if not of their own volition. Providing a summary of some of the benefits and barriers that emerged, our study has shown that it is important to distinguish the way someone reasons about ICT and their actual use of it. No account was taken of cultural differences between the participants’ countries of origin. This study made it possible for the immigrant women to voice their experiences, knowledge, and feelings about their situations in school and in everyday life.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major concern globally and locally. Married couples and those in stable relationships account for the highest percentage of new HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) infections. The rate of HIV disclosure among couples is low and affected by both known and unknown factors. The aim of this study was to describe the reasons for HIV status (non)disclosure among partners in Morongo. Methods: A sampling containing two stages was used in this quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive study to select the 100 participants. The location was a Care and Treatment Clinic in the Morogoro municipality. Results: The participants had a moderate level of knowledge about the importance of HIV serostatus disclosure. Female genital mutilation was the most mentioned (44%) custom affecting disclosure. The participants’ level of knowledge about their partner's HIV status was also moderate (28%). Nitty-six percent had not disclosed due to fear of divorce and 98% due to fear of loss of financial support. Cultural factors such as traditional practices (95%) were also a major reason that hindered disclosure. Conclusions: Interventions to address the negative attitudes are necessary to promote HIV disclosure and, in turn, better adherence to psychological adjustment therapy and reduction in the risk of HIV transmission among couples.

The present article refers to a case study on the Kenyan Government’s Digital Villages Project (DVP). The Kenyan Government, together with external stakeholders and private contractors, is increasing their ICT investments to provide the entire population with information and communication regardless of demographic factors. In the Kenyan context, digital villages are what normally other countries refer to as telecentres, i.e. a centre that provides services with regard to Internet and telecommunication. In this case, the digital villages also offer education, learning, and e-Government. The present study wants to learn whether DVP is accessible, and appropriate to women and girls in resource-poor environments and, thus, successful. The following questions guided the study: 1. Who are the users of Pasha Centres? 2. How and for what purposes are Pasha Centres used? 3. In what way do Pasha Centres consider local needs (e.g. education, literacy, job, and diversity)? 4. What do users and managers do to encourage female users? The study is built upon observations and interviews. The results show that male users generally believe that women have a lack of knowledge and understanding of ICT. The results also show that what is said by the government is not fully implemented at the local levels. The authors believe, despite this, that DVP has the potential to serve the population in vulnerable areas and that the government should continue focusing on similar projects.

The aim of this study was to find answers to how self-regulated learning (SRL) and cooperation learning orientation correlate with study success. At DSV, a department of Stockholm University, a web based support system for students’ thesis writing referred to as SciPro was implemented. The system also allowed for statistics of thesis process. Through the SciPro system, we were able to retrieve students and supervisors; data were retrieved from 45 supervisors and 47 students with regard to their respective responsibilities in the thesis writing process. Vermunt’s instrument, Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS), was employed to measure students’ SRL. Overall, the relation between SRL and completed thesis was not as strong as expected.

The overall aim of the group is to examine how shortages of food and water lead to vulnerability to ill-health, abuse, and exploitation at the local level.

In its political structural reform, the Japanese government presents the urgency to consider an increase in labor mobility that includes the issue of immigration to Japan. Women from Southeast Asia represent a large proportion of this immigration. The aim of this case study was to identify factors associated with subjective well-being (SWB) among Filipino women migrant workers in Tokyo, Japan. The study used an analytic journalistic approach. A focus group interview was conducted with three women and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Communication, support network, faith, and sense of identity were identified as the main factors contributing to SWB among these women. In conclusion, the feminization of migration will continue; therefore, better understanding about the factors associated to SWB is needed to ease the impact of migration on home and host countries.