Background: Education is a fundamental human right, yet many children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries remain deprived of educational opportunities. The movement towards quality inclusive education (IE) aims to support all children at school. Although gender and disability are key factors influencing IE, limited research…

Self-interview methods such as audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) are used to improve the accuracy of interview data on sensitive topics in large trials. Small field studies on sensitive topics would benefit from methodological alternatives. In a study on male involvement in antenatal HIV testing in a largely illiterate population…

Gender differences in achievement have been widely documented and a number of feminists, particularly from the West, have used the concept of identity to explain them. This paper draws on constructions on gender and achievement generated through surveying 59 boys and 103 girls from four secondary schools, as well as interviewing 40 of the girls in…

We explore how marital aspirations are related to the sexual behaviors of adolescents and young adults in Malawi, where HIV/AIDS prevalence among adults exceeds 10%. We also consider whether the specter of AIDS is shaping ideals about marriage. By combining survey data (N = 1,087) and in-depth interviews (N = 133) with young Malawians from the…

There is limited research addressing the beliefs of adolescents related to Voluntary Counseling and HIV-Testing (VCT). This paper analyzes qualitative data on such beliefs elicited from male youth in Uganda and Malawi. Although study participants understood the mainstream public health rhetoric on VCT, much of their narratives framed going for HIV…

A seminar on family life education provided an opportunity for 51 participants, the majority of whom were women, from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, the Republic of South Africa, and Swaziland, to meet and discuss professional problems with colleagues involved in family life education (FLE). The objectives of the seminar were to: (1) develop a family…

Increased awareness of the importance of girls' education within Malawi and internationally resulted in the implementation of many changes in girls' education during the 1990s. By 1997, the number of girls enrolled in primary school was twice the level in 1990, and girls' share of enrollment increased from 45 to 48 percent. Malawi improved girls'…