Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Politics of Participation: Hydropolicy, HIV/AIDS and Women's Health in Lesotho

博士候选人Cassandra Workman-Whaler（南佛罗里达大学）将在Nancy Y. Romero-Daza博士的指导下，对多重危机如何联合起来影响人类生活进行研究。这个项目的特别重点将放在水不安全和艾滋病毒/艾滋病这两大流行病上。这些表面上独立的危机产生了协同作用，因为安全可靠的水是预防艾滋病毒感染者感染、种植家庭菜园以保持足够营养和确保坚持服用抗逆转录病毒药物所必需的。由于妇女是主要负责采购水的人，水的不安全影响了她们有效照顾健康和生病的家庭成员的能力，因此造成了额外的工作和压力。目前，整个南部非洲正在将性别考虑写入政策和方案。研究人员和政策分析人士对这些方法的有效性提出了质疑，并指出有必要对其影响进行有根据的了解。这个项目将满足这一需求。这项研究将在莱索托进行。该研究人员将记录和分析水不安全和艾滋病毒/艾滋病对妇女的综合影响，以及妇女的应对策略。研究人员将采用混合方法，使用公共卫生领域的定量方法和人类学领域的定性方法。该研究人员将测量水不安全以及诸如粮食不安全和贫困等促成因素。将通过调查、访谈、观察和焦点小组来评估水不安全和艾滋病毒等疾病的影响。最后，与发展领域的工作人员和当地妇女的访谈将探讨旨在改善水不安全和艾滋病毒/艾滋病影响的项目的效果。这项研究至关重要，因为相互强化的危机很常见，但社会科学家的理论研究不足。本项目采用的方法为这一未被充分研究的现象提供了一种全面的方法。这项研究将对政策产生影响，因为获得安全可靠的水源对受艾滋病毒/艾滋病影响的个人和家庭至关重要。资助这项研究也支持了社会科学家的教育。

Doctoral candidate Cassandra Workman-Whaler (University of South Florida), with the guidance of Dr. Nancy Y. Romero-Daza, will conduct research on how multiple crises may combine to affect human lives. The particular focus of this project will be on the combined epidemics of water insecurity and HIV/AIDS. These apparently separate crises develop synergy because safe and reliable water is necessary to prevent infections among people with HIV, to grow household gardens to maintain adequate nutrition, and to ensure anti-retroviral drug adherence. Since women are the ones primarily responsible for the procurement of water, water insecurity impacts their ability to effectively provide care for both healthy and ill family members and, as a result, creates additional work and stress. Presently, gender considerations are being written into policy and programs throughout southern Africa. Researchers and policy analysts question the efficacy of these approaches and note the need for a grounded understanding of their impact. This project will address that need.The research will be carried out in Lesotho. The researcher will document and analyze the combined impacts of water insecurity and HIV/AIDS on women, as well as women's coping strategies. The researcher will employ a mixed methods approach using both quantitative methods from the field of public health and qualitative methods from the field of anthropology. The researcher will measure water insecurity and contributing factors such as food insecurity and poverty. The effects of water insecurity and illness such as HIV will be assessed through surveys, interviews, observations and focus groups. Finally interviews with people working in development and with local women will explore the efficacy of programs targeted at ameliorating both water insecurity and the effects of HIV/AIDS.The research is critically important because mutually reinforcing crises are common but are under-theorized by social scientists. The methodology employed in this project offers a holistic approach to this understudied phenomenon. The research will have policy impacts because access to safe and reliable sources of water is crucial for individuals and families affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Funding this research also supports the education of a social scientist.