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|  | | Glossary of Terms |
The following is an outline of phrases and terms used in this web-site, and a definition of each as it relates to the ongoing development work of Self Help in Africa.
Absolute and relative poverty
Refers to some absolute standard of minimum requirement, while relative poverty refers to falling behind most others in the community. With respect to income, a person is absolutely poor if their income is less than the defined income poverty line, while they are relatively poor if they belong to a bottom income group (e.g. the poorest 10%)
Agri Business
Includes petty trade, poultry farm, bee keeping, vegetable production, small retail shops and various craft making and trading. This is a very important area for supporting income generating activities for the poorer section of the population in the communities. The project supports this activity through its credit and saving scheme.
Agro Processing
Under the agri business section, the projects demonstrate agro processing techniques aimed at perishable farm produce such as fruits, tomatoes, Irish potato etc..
APIP (Agricultural Productivity Investment Programme)
EU supported initiative through which agricultural inputs are distributed by Self Help to improve productivity of maize crops in Malawi.
Area enclosures
Tracts of overgrazed and degraded land that are cordoned off and enclosed for soil conservation purposes. ‘Cut and carry’ trees are planted to ensure that forage grazing can still be produced for livestock, but animals themselves are prevented from direct grazing while the area enclosure regenerates.
Animal Health
The provision of basic veterinary services to local communities.
Beekeeping
The promotion, introduction and support of beekeeping as an income generating activity.
Biodiversity
The natural diversity present in nature
Birth attendants
Self Help supports the training of locally based ‘traditional birth attendants’, who act as midwives in remote local communities where expectant mothers would not travel to hospital to deliver their children. | |
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Boreholes & Hand dug Wells
Wells which are dug for the purpose of supplying the water needs of local communities.
Capacity Building
Building the capacity of the local communities to help themselves – by providing training, supporting the establishment of co-operatives – to manage irrigation schemes, to market produce, and improve the ability of local communities to be self sustaining.
Co-operative Development
The objective of Self Help’s co-operative development activity is to support the establishment, training and management efforts of co-operatives by providing expertise, training and material resources at local level.
Rural Youth
A key sector who are economically vulnerable in rural Africa because of land sub-division resulting from inheritance, and because of population increases in rural areas. Efforts to create employment opportunities which might discourage rural youth from migrating to bigger towns and cities are amongst the key objectives of Self Help.
Conservation Forestry
The promotion of tree planting activities specifically for conservation purposes.
Crop Production
The production of cereal crops as part of Self Help’s integrated rural development activities.
Deforestation
The permanent clearing of forest lands for all agricultural uses and for settlements. It does not include other alterations such as selective logging.
Developing countries
Countries in which most people have a low economic standard of living. Also know as the “Third World”, the “South” and the “less developed countries”.
Economic development
Raising the productive capacities of societies, in terms of their technologies (more efficient tools and machines), technical cultures (knowledge of nature, research and capacity to develop improved technologies), and the physical technical and organisational capacities and skills of those engaged in production. This can also be expressed in terms of raising the productivity of labour, using the labour available to society in more productive and efficient ways to produce a greater quantity and a more diverse range of goods and services.
Education Development
Self Help has built schools, provided school upgrades, and other supports for existing educational facilities in its project countries.
Famine
A situation of extreme scarcity of food, potentially leading to widespread starvation.
Flour Mills
Have been developed at community level to time and effort of rural women who have to spend long and backbreaking hours hand-milling grain.
Food security
Assured access for every person by either production or ability to purchase, to enough nutritious food to sustain productive human life.
Forage Production
The production of crops necessary for livestock grazing. This can be done by under-sowing around existing crops, as part of homestead woodlots, or in area enclosures.
Gender Mainstreaming
An approach to development that always considers the different roles, relationships and needs of women and men and which seeks to address the inequalities between women and men. SHDI is committed to gender mainstreaming in its projects.
Gender Related Development Index (GDI)
This index is similar to the Human Development Index with account taken of gender inequalities. The greater the disparity in basic human development, the lower will be a country’s GDI compared with its HDI.
Globalisation
In economic terms, a process whereby an increased portion of economic activity is carried out across national borders.
Health
Self Help supports the establishment of small rural clinics in many of it’s project areas, and contributes to the upgrading of existing health care services.
HIV/AIDS
According to the UN Programme on HIV/Aids, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is the most devastating disease humankind has faced. More than 60m people have been infected with the virus and it is now the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, it is the fourth biggest killer
Homestead Plantations
The promotion of woodlot developments at each farmers home. Trees are an essential source of fuel for cooking, and are also valuable for the shade and wind break they provide, to combat erosion and soil degradation, and, in the case of fruit trees, as a source of food.
Human Development Index (HDI)
A measure of human development using three equally weighted dimensions of human development – life expectancy at birth, adult literacy rate and purchasing power.
Informal sector
A term which is commonly used to encompass petty trading, self-employment, casual and irregular waged work, employment in personal services or in very small ‘micro’ enterprises in manufacturing and services.
Malnutrition
Condition resulting from inadequate consumption (undernutrition) or excessive consumption of a nutriens can impair physical and mental health, and can contribute to or result from infectious diseases.
Maternal mortality rates
The annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy related causes per 100,000 live births.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set targets for reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education, and protection of the environment. They build on the commitments agreed at United Nations conferences throughout the 1990s. The goals have been adopted by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the members of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD, and many other agencies. They were formally approved by the General Assembly in September 2000.
Multilateral aid
Aid from institutions with an international membership, such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, etc.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Voluntary, charitable or community-based organisations formally outside the government system.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
A method of involving rural communities in describing and measuring their own understanding and knowledge of development.
Partnership
Self Help carries out it’s project work in partnership – with it’s beneficiary communities, and with the government ministries in the regions where it is working.
Poultry Production
Poultry rearing at homestead level – usually as an income generating and food production activity.
Pond Construction
Ponds are constructed to harvest water for irrigation purposes. Harvesting is usually by way of surface run off or road run off.
Revolving Drug Fund
A system whereby Self Help has supplied existing health clinics with essential drugs which are then sold to patients at fractionally above cost price, to ensure the sustainability of a ‘revolving’ drug supply system. In many instances clinics run out of state supplies within weeks of receiving their allocations, leaving patients to buy drugs at high cost from other sources.
Revolving Seed Fund
System where recipients of seed return a percentage to a central ‘bank’ at the end of each harvest, ensuring that the community Seed Fund has supplies to distribute to farmers the following year.
Seed Distribution
The distribution of improved quality and seeds which are suited to the climatic and soil conditions in an area project. Seeds are also distributed in an effort to encourage crop diversification by farmers.
Seed Bank
The system whereby farmers return a proportion of their seed each year to a central ‘bank’, from where a community committee dispurse it to farmers the following year.
An approach which ensures the sustainability of the seed distribution programme initiated by Self Help.
Seed Nurseries
The nurseries where seedlings are reared for sale and distribution.
Social Capital
The ability of people to work together for common purposes in groups and organisations. If capital in general is thought of in terms of accumulated resources which allow for productive activity, then social capital is an aspect of human capital; that is, capital which is embodied less in land’ factories and buildings and more in human beings, their knowledge and skills. Out of shared values comes trust, which has ‘a large and measurable economic value’
Sustainable development
The reduction of hunger and poverty in environmentally sound ways. It includes the meeting of basic needs, expanding economic opportunities, protecting and improving the environment and promoting pluralism and democratic participation.
Women’s Development
Activities designed to improve the quality of life for women in rural Africa. A range of labour saving initiatives (homestead woodlots, fuel efficient stoves, rainwater harvesting) are being introduced to save time, while savings and credit schemes have been established to provide women with the chance to develop income generating activities of their own.
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| | | | | Self Help Africa is a limited liability company. Company number: 105601 Charity No. 6663 (Ireland)
The organisation has offices in Ireland at: Annefield House, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois Tel: 00 353 (0)57 8694034 - Fax: 00 353 (0)57 8694038, and in the United Kingdom at : Second Floor Suite, Westgate House, Dickens Court, Off Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1QU. Tel : 0044-(0)1743 277170
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