PhD research has also led to a number of articles in international peer-reviewed journals . Christina Shitima ( PhD student , assistant lecturer at Mzumbe ), who is preparing a PhD on household development strategies and river basin management and degradation , finalised household surveys and focus group discussions in four villages along the Simiyu River and the Kilombero valley floodplain . From September to December , she spent time at IOB cleaning and analysing her data . During an internal workshop with some IOB staff working on similar topics , she presented the initial findings of her field research . In addition to PhD student / staff mobility , and based on successful experiences in 2014 and 2015 , a student from the Advanced Master programme in Environmental Sciences ( IMDO , University of Antwerp ) conducted field research in the context of his Master ’ s dissertation . To increase research and outreach capacity among Mzumbe staff project members , workshops were organised on research methodology , Nvivo and drafting of research and policy briefs . Additionally , a small research / outreach fund was set up to stimulate research / outreach activities . A competitive call for field research proposals and related outreach activities has resulted in the funding of field research / outreach activities on various topics , including local participatory public expenditure tracking surveys ( PETS ), user fees in water service delivery , livelihood capital assets and wetlands degradation , and gender in natural resource management among the Maasai .
Ecuador
Institutional cooperation with the Universidad de Cuenca ( UC ) entered its last year of VLIR-UOS supported activities . The Migration Project has generated relevant research capacity at the UC . Firstly , the multidisciplinary approach of the project has created space for the involvement of professionals from different fields ( anthropology , economics , education , psychology , philosophy and sociology ), consolidating multidisciplinary research practices . Indeed , the current team involves teachers-researchers related to the Faculties of Economics and Business Science , Psychology and Philosophy . Secondly , VLIR MigDev has become a point of reference for students , teachers and researchers at the UC who are looking to study the international migration phenomena in the region . Students who are preparing their final graduation work , and other researchers wishing to investigate migration issues consider VLIR MigDev as an opportunity to work with researchers in the project , make use of the existing databases and learn about tools and methodologies suitable for the study of migration events . This consolidated research capacity ensures the sustainability of the research activities and will now allow the participation of IOB Master ’ s students willing to undertake fieldwork activities for dissertations as part of the new Going Global initiative at IOB . Finally , at the national level , the Vice Ministry of Human Mobility of Ecuador has adopted and applied instruments developed by the project and recognised its relevance at the national level as a solid reference for policymakers . The Observatory of Human Mobility at the UC – with the financial support of the Vice Ministry – is now in place and undertaking ongoing negotiations with the Municipality of Cuenca for the implementation of a migration census in the city . Among other research activities , a research project on Colombian refugee immigration , ‘ Situación laboral de los refugiados colombianos en Cuenca ’ ( Labour situation of Colombian refugees in Cuenca ), a joint initiative of VLIR MigDev and the UNHCR ( United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ) was completed and further extended , also involving the participation of IOB staff . Feedback meetings were held to analyse the conclusions of the study and were applied by the UNHCR . Additionally , the publication and presentation of results are being planned , to share information that aims to support policies and intervention evaluations .
VLIR-UOS research platforms in Uganda
The ongoing partnership activities with Uganda continued . Firstly , the VLIR-UOS TEAM project collaboration on post-conflict reconstruction and governance with Gulu University and Uganda Martyrs University went on in 2016 . The following activities took place within this framework : a number of research projects by senior staff of the universities involved on ethnicity , land and conflict in northern Uganda , and a PhD project on land conflict in northern Uganda . Two senior researchers conducted field research for these projects , and spent research time at IOB . The supervisor of the project , Kristof Titeca , taught the course ‘ Violent Environments ’ at Gulu University . The VLIR-UOS TEAM project ‘ Towards more effective and equitable service delivery for local communities : comparing the impact of different accountability mechanisms and analysing the politics of service delivery ’ continued in 2016 . The most important activities relate to the continuation of the PhD project . Extensive fieldwork was carried out in Uganda , looking into the rationale of new district creation . The PhD student subsequently spent some time at IOB to process the data . Another South initiative , ‘ The need to find durable solutions for old case-load refugees in Nakivale settlement in Mbarara district ’ – coordinated by Bert Ingelaere , as the Flemish supervisor , and Tom Ogwang ( MUST ), as the Ugandan supervisor – continued its research throughout 2016 .
32 • Annual Report 2016