Browsing by Author "Omukunyi, Bernard"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Bamasaaba people's response to the safe medical male circumcision policy in Uganda
    (University of the Western Cape, 2021) Omukunyi, Bernard; Nadasen, Krishnavelli Kathleen
    The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV (UNAIDS) strongly recommends that developing countries regard medical male circumcision as a biomedical intervention. This recommendation has caused developing countries seeking a radical solution to the prevailing and persistent social problem of HIV to reform their health policies. Most now discourage traditional male circumcision and promote safe medical male circumcision (SMMC) as a strong contributor to reductions in HIV transmission. This has introduced conflicts in traditional African societies such as the Bugisu, where male circumcision is culturally motivated, symbolising a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. In the Bugisu sub-region, the local Bamasaaba regard their cultural practice of traditional male circumcision (TMC) as prestigious.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Bamasaaba people�s response to the implementation of the Safe Male Circumcision Policy in the Bugisu sub-region in Uganda
    (Cogent OA, 2022) Omukunyi, Bernard
    Male circumcision is culturally motivated with a symbolic meaning of the rite-of-passage from boyhood to manhood in some African countries such as Uganda, particularly by the Bamasaaba local people from the Bugisu sub-region. This study aimed at investigating the local Bamasaaba people�s response to the implementation of the reformed health policies on male circumcision in the Bugisu sub-region in Uganda. The qualitative research approach adopted masculinity and Bourdieu�s theory of practice, presented through the lens of Habitus, which involved in-depth interviews with selected individuals and numerous Focus Group Discussion with the participants. Data analysis involved transcribing, interpretation, coding, categorising and generating the themes using the qualitative computer application known as Atlas. The results suggest that the Bamasaaba people have not accepted implementing the reformed health policies on male circumcision. However, these people are conditioned to rethink their traditional Imbalu (traditional male circumcision) practices due to the prevailing and persisting HIV/AIDS infections in their society.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    How South African families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study
    (MDPI, 2022) Donga, Gift T; Omukunyi, Bernard; Adebiyi, Babatope O
    The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’— ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19)—in Wuhan City, the People’s Republic of China on 31 December 2019. To curb the spread of the virus, various containment measures were introduced. However, no study has explored how families protected themselves during the pandemic. Therefore, this study explored how families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative exploratory design. Thirty-one adult participants, representing families in the Western Cape province of South Africa, were virtually interviewed. The sampling approach was both convenient and snowball. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that families followed and adapted to the mainstream protection measures as implemented by the South African government but in addition believed that adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions would protect them from contracting the virus. Therefore, the government and other stakeholders should support families in making it easier to protect themselves during the current and future pandemic(s).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigating the family-like roles displayed by caregivers and experienced by children within three selected children's homes in Cape Town, South Africa
    (University of the Western Cape, 2015) Omukunyi, Bernard; Nadasen, Krishnavelli K.
    Dawes (2011) claims that there are more than 5.2 million children who were in both institutional and foster care in South Africa by 2011, which was increasing by 6.2% every year due to the HIV epidemic and high levels of poverty affecting the community. In the light of the large number of children in foster care, this study investigates the family-like roles displayed by caregivers and experienced by children within three selected Children's homes in Cape Town, South Africa. In this study, the term "family-like roles" was used interchangeably with "family values" displayed or instilled by caregivers within the children's home. Relatively a number of studies in child care have advocated for the benefit of family-like roles in children?s homes. The study established the importance of family-like roles, and it is evident that children's homes with a large group of children often prevent the creation of a nurturing environment with the characteristics of a family. The study employed interviews and observations to collect data, which were analysed according to the research questions by making codes and themes. The study involved the caregivers, children and managers of the three selected children's homes from Khayelitsha Township, Sothern and Northern suburbs of Cape Town. Furthermore, data were examined from both structural functionalism and eco cultural perspective, which helped to understand that caregivers display or instill the family values in a formal rather than in an informal way. This is because of the structure and functioning of the institutions of care, which makes the caregivers not to act naturally when taking care or displaying the family-like roles for vulnerable children to experience. Despite the negative declarations made in various scholars' studies about children?s homes, this study confirms the opinion of the caregivers that if the children living in the children's homes are shown respect, love, care, trust and kind treatment, they are able to extend these values to other people around them. Yet, this is not realised should the houses-units/cluster or cottages be overcrowded. In addition, the family-like roles displayed by caregivers in these particular children's homes may lead the children to develop a certain kind of phobia. This is a situation where the vulnerable children may develop a total fear and anxiety of certain social conditions in the communities