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Background: Assets-based approaches are well-suited to youth living in majority world contexts, such as East Africa. However, positive psychology research with African adolescents is rare. One hindering factor is the lack of translated measures for conducting research. Objective: This study builds capacity for positive youth development research in East Africa and beyond by examining a Swahili measure of youth development that assess both internal and external strengths. Methods: We translated a well-researched and internationally used measure of assets, [Developmental Assets Profile (DAP), along with measures of self-efficacy, ethnic identity, sense of community, and community participation] into Swahili. Psychometric results for 1241 diverse Tanzanian young people were evaluated. Open-ended asset listing and focus groups provide complementary data and identify areas for further investigation. Results: Most scales displayed promising internal consistencies and were related to each other and to socio-demographics. Moreover, the DAP predicted self-efficacy and vulnerability status. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure of the DAP. Test-retest reliability and language equivalency scores yielded less satisfactory results. Qualitative data support the assets approach and suggests areas for consideration based on culture and context. Conclusions: The developmental assets framework and Swahili measure may be used to advance research in this understudied, yet important region. Adolescents in Africa should be included in international efforts to develop PYD theory and to understand the diverse contexts in which youth develop and contribute.

Street-connected adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have been neglected in scholarly research. Extant literature is largely problem focused. This study describes strengths and assets among street-connected youth in Tanzania, using a participatory, mixed methods approach. Adolescents (N = 38, 13-17 years) in a rehabilitation center for street youth in Northern Tanzania completed a Swahili version of the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP). They engaged in participatory activities designed to capture multiple perspectives and promote maximal engagement. A subsample of youth (n = 8) took part in photovoice to elucidate contextual details. Although exploratory, we expected (a) participants would have lower scores on the external versus internal domain of the DAP; (b) qualitative methods would support the DAP and provide complementary, contextual information; and (c) participatory methods would be important for providing varied perspectives and engaging youth in the research process. Results revealed a moderately high level of assets, with strengths in constructive use of time and commitment to school. External assets were higher than internal assets; however, different assets were emphasized across different methods. Overall, results supported the DAP framework. The participatory approaches effectively engaged youth and illuminated the culture and context of their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnicity is an important factor in the configuration of societies as a whole as well as of the shaping of individual livelihoods. Agriculture remains one of the main livelihood strategies in Africa not only in rural areas, but also in an urban context. However, little is known about the role ethnicity plays in urban and periurban agriculture. The ability to formulate appropriate support policies and intervention strategies depends on the knowledge of the interactions between ethnicity and agriculture in an urban context. In this study, a household survey was conducted ( n = 404) in urban and periurban Moshi, a town of about 200,000 inhabitants located at the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. The guiding research question was: to what extent is belonging to a specific ethnic group a significant determinant of a household’s agricultural activities. The study shows that there are significant differences amongst the various ethnic groups in the overall involvement in agriculture, access to productive resources such as land, and the role of agricultural activities for the households subsistence and income generation. The Wachagga as the traditionally dominant group of the Kilimanjaro area had the most arable land at their disposal, were much more likely to own the land they cultivate, and showed higher levels of subsistence than any other ethnic group. Similar trends could be identified in the involvement in livestock production, marketing, and the degree of social embeddedness. We therefore argue that ethnicity remains a strong factor in agricultural production and marketing, despite the increasing social and ethnic levelling in the course of urbanisation and social transformation of African societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyses local communities'' involvement in land use planning to regulate land use change and customary land tenure challenges in a rapidly expanding city in Tanzania. It takes Himo settlement in Kilimanjaro in Sub-Saharan Africa as a case study. It analyses, on the one hand, how those excluded from the land use planning process articulated their interests in the planning system, and what strategies, resources and powers they used. On the other hand it looks at how planners and others operators of the planning system responded to such initiatives of the stakeholders, and what were the implications for the subsequent processes of land use change. Further, it looks at pre-occupations of the planning system over time, the extent to which the system adapted to prevailing pressures resulting from social, economic, spatial and political changes, and how such pressures shape the type of planning interventions. The study shows that land development resulting from the existence of customary land tenure has little recognition in the formal land development system in urban development. Existing customary land rights are presumed not existent anymore according to planning authorities in urban settings. Likely, no legal procedures are instituted to formally consider the customary land rights before the land is relocated for urban development. Consequently disputes and protest arise due to the conflicts between statutory tenure and the still in place customary land rights during urban expansion. The conflicts and protests which characterized land development suggest what the planning system was up against, and the seemingly poor performance of urban planning practice given the changes envisaged in Land Policy of 1995 in recognizing land value among other land rights in Tanzania. This was an important dimension in land management, around which most land disputes revolved, and which was strongly upheld by landholders. The paper highlights possible intervention options, which can be applied to resolve these conflicts, and meeting community centred interests for sustaining their livelihood within decentralized governance in urban planning practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Half of the population of Africa will soon live in towns and cities where it can be protected from malaria by controlling aquatic stages of mosquitoes. Rigorous but affordable and scaleable methods for mapping and managing mosquito habitats are required to enable effective larval control in urban Africa. Methods: A simple community-based mapping procedure that requires no electronic devices in the field was developed to facilitate routine larval surveillance in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The mapping procedure included (1) community-based development of sketch maps and (2) verification of sketch maps through technical teams using laminated aerial photographs in the field which were later digitized and analysed using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Results: Three urban wards of Dar es Salaam were comprehensively mapped, covering an area of 16.8 km2. Over thirty percent of this area were not included in preliminary community-based sketch mapping, mostly because they were areas that do not appear on local government residential lists. The use of aerial photographs and basic GIS allowed rapid identification and inclusion of these key areas, as well as more equal distribution of the workload of malaria control field staff. Conclusion: The procedure developed enables complete coverage of targeted areas with larval control through comprehensive spatial coverage with community-derived sketch maps. The procedure is practical, affordable, and requires minimal technical skills. This approach can be readily integrated into malaria vector control programmes, scaled up to towns and cities all over Tanzania and adapted to urban settings elsewhere in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]