DOCSLIB.ORG

The Foot Soldiers of Change: an Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western Cultures Through the Agency of Photography

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Foot Soldiers of Change: an Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western Cultures Through the Agency of Photography The Foot Soldiers of Change: An Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western cultures through the Agency of Photography Author McIlvenny, Kelly Published 2016 Thesis Type Thesis (Professional Doctorate) School Queensland College of Art DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/745 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367607 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au The Foot Soldiers of Change: An Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western cultures through the Agency of Photography Kelly McIlvenny BDigitalMedia(Hons) Queensland College of Art Griffith University Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Visual Arts July 2015 ABSTRACT This research investigates and engages with the layers of intervention involved in Nepali women seeking biomedical care during pregnancy and childbirth, through the agency of photography, interviews and participant observation. Documenting the layers of medical intervention in this manner allows for a cultural critique of how such immense social change, visible in the statistical analysis of maternal health indicators, is playing out on a micro level. This research engages with the women who have gained enough social capital to influence birthing practices both in biomedical intervention and social practice. This research is based on photographic documentation and participant observation conducted with women either in the process of birth or afterwards whose survival is due to the assistance they have received. This exegesis outlines the contextual elements surrounding my photographic work, discussing the challenges and opportunities of cross-cultural visual documentation. Placing the research within the political and historical environment of Nepal, the paper outlines the narratives that Nepali women become entrapped in. The particular history of the state of Nepal’s maternal healthcare, and how women have played an integral role in its changing state will be discussed. Considering the visual portrayal of maternal health worldwide, both in photojournalistic photographic essays and more commercial outputs, there seems to be a growing voice for the plight of women during childbirth and pregnancy. This paper will shape where this visual research may sit within that expanding chorus of ideas and voices. It will discuss the employment of both traditional and new media documentary methodologies to create novel ways of engaging with the topic of maternal mortality; in particular, looking at ways of creating a visual representation of women in Nepal that neither glazes over their challenges nor ignores their abilities. Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. Kelly McIlvenny Date 18 February 2016 Table of Contents Page List of Figures 1 Acknowledgements 4 Foreword 6 Introduction 8 Chapter 1: Background Investigation 10 Chapter 2: Visual Methodologies 17 Chapter 3: Fieldwork 33 Chapter 4: Creative Outcomes 77 Chapter 5: Conclusion 81 Reference List 83 Ethical Approval 88 List of Figures Page Figure 1 Kelly McIlvenny, Babita (left) and midwife Manju (right) holding 6 Babita’s two-month-old child, delivered safely at home under the care of Manju, February 2011. Figure 2 Kelly McIlvenny, Sadikshya Regmi and Surya Bhatta's wedding 14 day, February 2013. Figure 3 Google Maps, Map of Nepal, 2015. 34 Figure 4 Kelly McIlvenny, One Heart World-Wide's Foot Soldiers of 37 Change, 2012. Figure 5 Kelly McIlvenny, Welcome Labour Room: The Story of Maternal 38 Health in Nepal, Images from the exhibition of Welcome Labour Room: The Story of Maternal Health in Nepal at the Airport Gallery North in Sydney and the Gallery on the Lane, Gold Coast, 2012. Figure 6 The International Museum of Women, MAMA: Motherhood 39 Around the Globe. Welcome Labour Room was presented as a feature story in the MAMA exhibition curating stories on motherhood from around the globe, 2011. Figure 7 Kelly McIlvenny, View from the Baglung Highway, 2013. 43 Figure 8 Kelly McIlvenny, The Narayansthan Health Post, February 2011. 44 Figure 9 Kelly McIlvenny, The suspension bridge over the Kali Gandaki 44 River that connects Narayansthan to Baglung when the steep dirt road becomes impossible to travel on due to weather or damage. Figure 10 Kelly McIlvenny, Standing in front of the Narayansthan health 44 post, you can look across the valley to Baglung Bazaar. Later in this research, the geographical challenges become more apparent as the field research penetrates deeper into the district. Figure 11 Kelly McIlvenny, Tilkumari Kolpata, 58, has been volunteering as 45 a Female Community Health Worker in Narayansthan for over 15 years, February 2011. Figure 12 Kelly McIlvenny, Bina Kumari B.K., 31, has been volunteering in 47 Narayansthan S. Namunagow for seven years, February 2011. Figure 13 Kelly McIlvenny, Janaki K.C. proudly shows me the sole operating 51 theatre in the district, fortunately for the mothers of this district the operating theatre is located just meters away from the delivery room in case of an emergency, July 2011. Figure 14 Google Maps, Map of Baglung District, 2015. 53 Figure 15 Kelly McIlvenny, The Female Community Health Workers of the 53–54 villages of Resha, Lekhani, and Batakachur during a week long course, training them in newborn care and emergency resuscitation techniques, 2013. Figure 16 Kelly McIlvenny, Maya Devi Gautam (top left), 31, has been 55 working as an FCHV for eleven years in Resha, Bainthan. Dhanmaya Shrish (top right) has been serving as a Female Community Health Volunteer for 17 years in the village of Lekhani. She is the mother of three healthy daughters, and here tells the story of her second child who would not live to see their 1 first day. Luxmi Kunwar (bottom left), 21, has been serving as a FCHV for one year in Resha – 8, Anchusmuni. Bhumi Devi Hiure (bottom right), 38, has been working as an FCHV for eleven years in Lekhani, 1 January 2013. Figure 17 Kelly McIlvenny, Skilled Birth Attendant, Devi Korki, 30, checks 56 on 36 weeks pregnant Sita Khadka, 20, who recently became a female community health worker. January 2013. Figure 18 Kelly McIlvenny, when I first met Taulkmaripun, the silence was 57 almost intrusive, as she lay almost motionless while the nursing staff and students surrounded her to check her drips, 2011. Figure 19 Kelly McIlvenny, Janaki K.C., a staff nurse at the Baglung District 58 Hospital, checks the newborn girl’s skin and damaged hands. She explains the blue around the mouth and limbs is not normal, indicating the new life is not obtaining enough oxygen, 2011 Figure 20 Kelly McIlvenny, The mother’s sister gathers up layers of fabric 59 for the nursing students to wrap the newborn girl in preparation for taking her to Pokhara, where she can receive further treatment, 2011. Figure 21 Kelly McIlvenny, Heema Shiris, the Skilled Birth Attendant for 61 Pandav Khani, November 2014. Figure 22 Kelly McIlvenny, Pictured above, the top photo shows the village 64 nestled into the side of a 4,000-metre peak taken from the road leading into town. In the second image you can see the health post, the white building on the right hand side located near the bottom of the village in the densely populated centre of town, November 2014. Figure 23 Kelly McIlvenny, Rupa and Dammar Shrees pictured above 24 66 days after the birth of their baby boy. Heema Shiris checking on both mother and child. Likewise Rupa Pun, 19 pictured below with her 14-month-old daughter, Qurina Pun, faced a similar fate with Heema negotiating unborn Qurina’s legs first from in her mother’s birth canal, November 2014. Figure 24 Kelly McIlvenny, Chandika Sapkota, Skilled Birth Attendant of 67 Hatiya, November 2014. Figure 25 Kelly McIlvenny, Chandika Sapkota, Skilled Birth Attendant of 68 Hatiya, completing her daily duties at home, November 2014. Figure 26 Kelly McIlvenny, Chandika Sapkota, Skilled Birth Attendant of 68 Hatiya enjoying a quiet moment at the Hatiya health post. November 2014. Figure 27 Kelly McIlvenny, Kalpana Sapkota Acharya, Gwalichaur’s Skilled 69 Birth Attendant, feels the skull of 28 day old Ritesh Kharel, Gita Kharel, 19, child. November 2014. Figure 28 Kelly McIlvenny, (From left to right) Bishnu Pariyar, 30, with 70 eight-month-old Skikha, Kopila G.C., 22, with two-and-a-half- year-old Jibika, Shanta Ghimire, 24, with one-year-old Shiru, and Bashanti Acharya, 29, with five-month-old Shanti, November 2014. Figure 29 Kelly McIlvenny, Kamala Karki, Baglung District Hospital, 72 February 2014. Figure 30 Kelly McIlvenny, Kamala Karki is taken into the operating room 73 2 undergo a caesarean section at the Baglung District Hospital, February 2014. Figure 31 Kelly McIlvenny, Kamala Karki’s husband Dipak holds their 74 newborn child for the first time while his wife is still in surgery at the Baglung District Hospital, February 2014. Figure 32 Kelly McIlvenny, Kamala Karki rests with her two-day-old 75 wrapped in layers of blankets to protect them from the winter chill inside the post-operation room. February 2014. Figure 33 Kelly McIlvenny, Jalmaya Sunar, 17, and her husband travelled 76 one and a half days from their home in Bongadoban, in order for Jalmaya to have a caesarean due to an arrested labour. February 2014. 3 Acknowledgements In dedication to all of the women who participated in this research: This would not be possible without you. In memory of Margret and James McIlvenny For the man who introduced me to the intimacy and power of the photograph, and the woman who unconditionally supported us.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aurore Belkin Photographer Aurore Belkin Is a French and Canadian
    Aurore Belkin Photographer Aurore Belkin is a French and Canadian photographer based in Dubai and Rome. Her career as a photojournalist is focused on the Middle East where she is represented by leading agency Arabianeye. She was trained by veteran war photojournalists Jack Picone and Philip Jones Griffiths with whom she developed a strength for reportage and portrait photography. She has shot reportage and features in UAE, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Lebanon, North Korea, China, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, India, Paris and Germany. In 2008, along with renowned Art publisher Prestel, she has initiated and produced “In Their Hands, 21st Century Embroidery in India” and co-authored “Dubai Speed” by leading German book publisher DTV in 2009 (3rd edition Jan 2010, ( http://www.dubai-speed.de/index.php/lights-of-dubai/lights-of-dubai/2441/ ). The book is now available in English under the title “Dubai High” Her work has been awarded First Prize all categories at the GPP Middle East Photo Competition in 2007 and that same year she also has been exhibited in Nooderlicht Photofestival with her work on Bangkok Fortune Tellers (http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/slideshow/8710 ). While in Dubai, she has been regularly portraying international political figures and royals such as Benazir Buttho, Monica Belluci, HH Sheikha Mayassa of Qatar. Her clients include Time, Business Week, NYT, Vanity Fair,Vogue, Der Spiegel, Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Zeitung, Basler Zeitung, Weltwoche (Zurich), Cicero (Berlin), Welthungerhilfe, Business Weekly, Total, Abu Dhabi Formula One, Better Digital Australia, Al Shawati, Gulf Air Magazine, Oman Board of Tourism, Jumeirah Beach Magazine, Abn Amro.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand White Paper
    THE BANGKOK MASSACRES: A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY ―A White Paper by Amsterdam & Peroff LLP EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For four years, the people of Thailand have been the victims of a systematic and unrelenting assault on their most fundamental right — the right to self-determination through genuine elections based on the will of the people. The assault against democracy was launched with the planning and execution of a military coup d’état in 2006. In collaboration with members of the Privy Council, Thai military generals overthrew the popularly elected, democratic government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose Thai Rak Thai party had won three consecutive national elections in 2001, 2005 and 2006. The 2006 military coup marked the beginning of an attempt to restore the hegemony of Thailand’s old moneyed elites, military generals, high-ranking civil servants, and royal advisors (the “Establishment”) through the annihilation of an electoral force that had come to present a major, historical challenge to their power. The regime put in place by the coup hijacked the institutions of government, dissolved Thai Rak Thai and banned its leaders from political participation for five years. When the successor to Thai Rak Thai managed to win the next national election in late 2007, an ad hoc court consisting of judges hand-picked by the coup-makers dissolved that party as well, allowing Abhisit Vejjajiva’s rise to the Prime Minister’s office. Abhisit’s administration, however, has since been forced to impose an array of repressive measures to maintain its illegitimate grip and quash the democratic movement that sprung up as a reaction to the 2006 military coup as well as the 2008 “judicial coups.” Among other things, the government blocked some 50,000 web sites, shut down the opposition’s satellite television station, and incarcerated a record number of people under Thailand’s infamous lèse-majesté legislation and the equally draconian Computer Crimes Act.
    [Show full text]
  • Telling Stories to a Different Beat: Photojournalism As a “Way of Life”
    Bond University DOCTORAL THESIS Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Busst, Naomi Award date: 2012 Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Naomi Verity Busst, BPhoto, MJ A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Media and Communication Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Bond University February 2012 Abstract This thesis presents a grounded theory of how photojournalism is a way of life. Some photojournalists dedicate themselves to telling other people's stories, documenting history and finding alternative ways to disseminate their work to audiences. Many self-fund their projects, not just for the love of the tradition, but also because they feel a sense of responsibility to tell stories that are at times outside the mainstream media’s focus. Some do this through necessity. While most photojournalism research has focused on photographers who are employed by media organisations, little, if any, has been undertaken concerning photojournalists who are freelancers.
    [Show full text]
  • Dossier Presse IMAGINE EN.Indd
    Imagine. Reflections on peace musée international avenue de la paix 17 de la croix-rouge ch-1202 Genève et du croissant-rouge +41 22 748 95 11 2. From 16 September 2020 to 10 January 2021, the In- ternational Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum will be running Imagine. Reflections on Peace, a photo exhibition that looks at peace-building and how it is experienced in everyday life. What does peace look like, apart from the images we make of it? VII Foundation The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the , invites us to imagine an ideal peace that exists outside the headlines. What form – or forms – does peace take in everyday life in places where combatants have laid down arms after years of conflict? Some of the world’s leading photojournalists set out to explore this question by returning to the places where they carried outDon their McCullin first assignments, sometimesBeirut more than 20 years ago. Nichole Sobecki • gives us a glimpse of in the grip of civil war, while takes us back to the city’s streetsRoland as Neveuit attempts to heal despite the scars left by conflictPhnom – a journey Penh made all the more relevant byGary recent Knight events. • witnessed the Khmer Rouge takeover of in 1975. Forty-five years later, ’s photographsRon Haviv show Cambodians still grapplingBosnia-Herzegovina with the conflict’s aftermath. • coveredGilles thePeress civil warStephen in Ferry and later returned to reportNorthern on the situation Ireland there today. Colombia • Reporting by and sheds light on the peace process in two decades after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and in , where the 2016 peace deal remains little more than a promise.
    [Show full text]
  • Gemma Andreone Editor Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual
    Gemma Andreone Editor The Future of the Law of the Sea Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual and Common Interests The Future of the Law of the Sea Gemma Andreone Editor The Future of the Law of the Sea Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual and Common Interests Editor Gemma Andreone Institute for International Legal Studies Italian National Research Council Rome, Italy ISBN 978-3-319-51273-0 ISBN 978-3-319-51274-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-51274-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017936385 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017. This book is an open access publication Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. This work is subject to copyright. All commercial rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
    [Show full text]
  • ACP Exhibition Records
    Appendix!A! ! Exhibition!Records!(197472007)! Appendix!A!–!Exhibition!Records!(1973<2007)! ! ! ! Aspects of Ian!Dodd,!Ken!Middleton,!Grant!Mudford,!Max! ! Australian Jan Pam,!Phillip!Quirk,!John!Walsh! Nov 7 7 1974 Photography 18 21 !! ! ! ! !1975% !! ! ! A Statement of Henry!King! ! Fact - Henry Jan Feb 7 7 1975 King 1955- 22 15 !! 1923 ! ! Graham Graham!McCarter! ! McCarter Jan Feb 7 7 1975 22 15 !! ! ! A Question of Richard!Harris,!John!Williams! ! Attitude Feb Mar 7 7 1975 18 15 !! ! ! Selected Robert!Capa,!Werner!Bischof,!August!Sander,! ! Masters Apr Edward!Steichen,!F.M.!Sutcliffe! Mar 7 7 1975 10 18 !! ! ! Work in Various! ! Progress Apr Mar 7 7 1975 10 18 !! ! ! Time and Greg!Weight!and!Roger!Scott! ! Space Apr May 7 7 1975 15 10 !! ! ! Elliott Erwitt - Elliott!Erwitt! ! Photographs Jun May 7 7 1975 and Anti- 14 13 !! photographs ! Instant Images ! Various! ! Jul - Polaroid Jun 7 7 1975 progress 12 17 !! ! !!!!! a! ! ! ! ! 1976! 1976! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! Appendix!A 167Mar! 177Feb! ! 27Dec! 27Dec! 217Oct! 237Sep! 197Aug! 167Jul! 167Jul! June! 107Apr! 137Mar! ! 177Jan! 177Jan! 297Nov! 187Oct! 207Sep! 167Aug! 167Aug! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Sidetripping From theLand Viewpoints '75 Melbourne Gundagai 1930 Retrospective Max Dupain Aesthetic Californian The Snapshots Time series The Road Viewpoints - 1975 Charles!Gatewood!(USA) John!Cato!and!Laurie!Wilson ! ! Dr!Charles!Gabriel Max!Dupain Ed!Douglas ! Sue!Ford Wesley!Stacey Olivieru!Juscan,!Minor!White!and!others [Jeanloup!Sieff?],!Josef!Surlek![Josef!Sudek?],!
    [Show full text]
  • Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950S Political Rhetoric As a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide
    Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 5-8-2020 Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950s Political Rhetoric as a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide Amanda E. Rollinson Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the African History Commons Recommended Citation Rollinson, A. E. (2020). Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950s Political Rhetoric as a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide (Master's thesis, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/ 1889 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE A Thesis Submitted to the McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By Amanda E. Rollinson May 2020 Copyright by Amanda E. Rollinson 2020 AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE By Amanda E. Rollinson Approved on 31 March 2020 ___________________________ ___________________________ Robin P. Chapdelaine, PhD Andrew T. Simpson, PhD Assistant Professor of History Assistant Professor of History (Thesis Director) (Thesis Reader) ___________________________ ___________________________ Kristine L. Blair, Dean John C. Mitcham, PhD Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate Chair, Department of History School of Liberal Arts (Committee Member) iii ABSTRACT AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE By Amanda E.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Disasters and Changing Climate Children in Southeast Asia Telling Their Stories About Disaster and Climate Change First Published 2010
    Children in Southeast Asia telling their stories about disaster and climate change Save the Children fights for children’s rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide. Save the Children works for: • A world which respects and values each child. • A world which listens to children and learns. • A world where all children have hope and opportunity. Title: Living with disasters and changing climate Children in Southeast Asia telling their stories about disaster and climate change First published 2010 © Save the Children Publication Project Coordinator: Sophapan Ratanachena Author: Wannachan Apple Chaimontree Editor: Terry Durnnian Design and Layout: Karakade Sriparinyasin Front cover photograph : Athit Perawongmetha Copies of this pubication can be obtained from: Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Office 14th fl., Maneeya Centre 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan Bangkok 10330 Thailand Tel +66 (0) 2 684 1046-7 Fax +66 (0) 2 684 1048 Email: [email protected] http://seap.savethechildren.se www.savethechildren.net Acknowledgements Stories in this book were compiled from both field visits and secondary source from Uttaradith, Phayao, Nakon Srithammarat, Table of Content Ranong, and Tak Province in Thailand; Jakarta and Langkat in Indonesia; Yen Bai Province in Vietnam; and Manila in the About this book 4 Philippines. Special thanks go to all children and adults who shared their stories to be Part 1: Introduction 4 featured in this book. Recognition to Save The world of increasing disasters and climate change 6 the Children country programmes and local partners who are working with children What Save the Children does to save children’s lives in disasters? 8 and their communities on DRR and climate Impacts of disasters on children’s lives – from their perspective 13 change in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Toponym Disambiguation in Information Retrieval
    Toponym Disambiguation in Information Retrieval Davide Buscaldi Dpto. Sistemas Inform´aticosy Computaci´on Universidad Polit´ecnicade Valencia A thesis submitted for the degree of PhilosophiæDoctor (PhD) Under the supervision of Dr. Paolo Rosso 2010 October ii Abstract In recent years, geography has acquired a great importance in the context of Information Retrieval (IR) and, in general, of the automated processing of information in text. Mobile devices that are able to surf the web and at the same time inform about their position are now a common reality, together with applications that can exploit these data to provide users with locally customised information, such as directions or advertisements. Therefore, it is important to deal properly with the geographic information that is included in electronic texts. The majority of such kind of information is contained as place names, or toponyms. Toponym ambiguity represents an important issue in Geographical Infor- mation Retrieval (GIR), due to the fact that queries are geographically con- strained. There has been a struggle to find specific geographical IR methods that actually outperform traditional IR techniques. Toponym ambiguity may constitute a relevant factor in the inability of current GIR systems to take advantage from geographical knowledge. Recently, some Ph.D. theses have dealt with Toponym Disambiguation (TD) from different perspectives, from the development of resources for the evaluation of Toponym Disam- biguation (Leidner (2007)) to the use of TD to improve geographical scope resolution (Andogah (2010)). The Ph.D. thesis presented here introduces a TD method based on WordNet and carries out a detailed study of the relationship of Toponym Disambiguation to some IR applications, such as GIR, Question Answering (QA) and Web retrieval.
    [Show full text]
  • Writing the Wrongs International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy
    Writing the Wrongs International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy BASED ON RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE EDUCATION FOR ALL GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2006 & UNESCO NOVEMBER 2005 David Archer [email protected] ActionAid International Hamlyn House MacDonald Road Archway London N19 5PG UK Lucia Fry [email protected] Global Campaign for Education PO Box 521733 Saxonwold Johannesburg 2132 South Africa www.actionaid.org www.campaignforeducation.org CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Acknowledgements This report has been compiled by David Archer of ActionAid WHY WE MUST INVEST IN Illiteracy is a violation of the ✱ Adult literacy is critical for the International based on a major survey and research project developed ADULT LITERACY NOW fundamental human right to healthy development and education by the Global Campaign for Education. The research was led by David Executive Summary 1 There are nearly one billion adults education. But if that is not argument of children, especially girls. Each Archer and conducted by Yaikah Jeng under the guidance of a research coordination team made up of Maria Nandago (Pamoja, who cannot read and write, according enough, the Global Campaign for extra year of education for mothers is 1. The Global Context 7 Uganda), Gorgui Sow (ANCEFA, Senegal), Julie Adu Gyamfi (ActionAid to UNESCO statistics. The real figure Education believes that there are five associated with a significant decline in Ghana), Vera Ribeiro (Acao Educativa, Brazil), Menaka Roy (ASPBAE is probably nearer to two billion 1 and compelling practical reasons for infant mortality and improved child- 2. Overview of the Process 11 India) , Nitya Rao (UEA / India) and Anne Jellema (Global Campaign still more if numeracy and the actual governments and donors to invest health 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Technology Transforming Aid the View from Lloyd's Careless
    ININTERNATIONAL INSURANCE INSIGHTS Technology Transforming Aid The View From Lloyd's Careless Tweeting Costs Lives Rats Sniffing Out Danger 04 Technology Transforming Aid I always find it fascinating to learn more about our clients, Why data is at the heart of modern development planning. many of whom do truly amazing things. In this issue, we feature Charlie Goldsmith Associates, who are helping girls in Africa get the education they 06 Careless Tweeting Costs Lives deserve. You can read about Refugee Rescue, a group Are you managing your digital bubble? of musicians and artists who decided to save lives at sea. And read how PBi2 salvaged the US Black Hawk helicopter wreckage from Bakara Market in Mogadishu. 09 The Four Pillars of Safety We also spotlight the incredible charity APOPO, who use How to keep your people safe. trained rats to sniff out landmines, with 100% success rate. And we bring you advice about managing the digital activity 10 of your people abroad, from SEPAR International. The View From Lloyd’s Why international renewals and premiums are on the rise. Closer to home, we report on how a changing attitude at Lloyd’s may affect your international insurance premiums (see page 10). Plus we identify riskier countries, according 11 Re-insurance Explained to the case load at NGS (page 18), the firm who provide emergency response around the world. Why hurricanes in Miami might affect your premiums elsewhere. Editorial I would like to thank all our contributors, for sharing the rich and varied work they do. I hope you enjoy the read.
    [Show full text]
  • REFLECTIONS on PEACE the VII Foundation
    FALL: 6 OCTOBER 2020 IMAGINE: REFLECTIONS ON PEACE The VII Foundation Photographers : Sir Don McCullin, Nichole Sobecki, Roland Neveu, Gary Knight, Jack Picone, Ron Haviv, Gilles Peress, Stephen Ferry, Nicole Tung. Essays : Padraig O’Malley, Marie O’Reilly, Pedrag Peđa Kojović, Elizabeth D. Herman, Richard Gold one, Samantha Power, Jonathan Powell. Journali s : Gary Knight, Jon Swain, Robin Wright, Philip Gourevitch, Anthony Loyd, Monica McWilliams, Avila Kilmurray, Jon Lee Anderson, Margerita Martinez, Fiona Turner. Personal Stories : Mira Sidawi, Dydine Umunyana, Sophary Sophin, Elvis Garibovic. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION B&W and color photos Bound book, limp cover English version 17 x 24 cm, portrait Printed on high-quality uncoated 408 pages fi n e p a p e r s Price VAT included : 45 €/39 £ 200 photos ISBN : 978-2-490952-09-0 EXHIBITIONS - September 15th - Opening event International Red Cross Museum, Geneva - Exhibit from September 16th - January 10th 2021 - September 17th: Hemeria event, Paris - O ober 5th - November 1 : Bayeux fe ival with Imagine Exhibition The Authors Imagine: Refl ections on Peace is a beautifully Founded in 2001 by Gary Knight and Ron Haviv, designed and bound book of 408 pages, with the VII Foundation is an independent nonprofi t accompanying exhibitions, published in both media and education organization. It was English and French, Fall 2020. established to secure support for documentary practice that addresses complex social, economic, and human rights issues, as well as for vocational • 6 civil wars that have marked Hist ory: media and journalism education. Lebanon, Cambodia, Rwanda, Colombia, North Ireland, Bosnia The Book • Gathered for the fi rst time, contributions from internationally renowned personalities In 2018, the VII Foundation asked more than a on the theme of peace dozen renowned reporters and photojournalists • An overview of peace processes: what PRINTING to revisit countries with which they had become worked, or not Hemeria is associated with achingly familiar during times of brutal confl ict.
    [Show full text]