Journal of Social and Community Development

China–Eritrea Health Cooperation: Evolution, Dynamics, and Drivers

2026-08-24T02:22:00+00:00

Over the past three decades, health cooperation has emerged as one of the most significant and enduring dimensions of China–Eritrea bilateral relations. Yet despite the expansion of this engagement, it remains largely absent from the scholarly literature on both China–Africa health cooperation and Eritrea's external partnerships. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources, this paper examines the history, evolution, and drivers of China–Eritrea health cooperation since Eritrea's independence in 1993. It traces how cooperation has developed across several key domains and explores the factors that have shaped and sustained the partnership over time. In doing so, the paper provides the first systematic analysis of China–Eritrea health cooperation, contributes new empirical insight into China's health engagement in Africa at the country level, and highlights the value of moving beyond continental-level analyses to better understand the diversity and complexity of China–Africa relations.

Exploring Healthy Lifestyle Practices Among Basic Education Teachers

2026-08-24T02:21:47+00:00

A global wellness crisis among educators has intensified due to heavy administrative demands, high workload stress, and tragic systemic outcomes. Addressing this gap, this study investigated the lived experiences of educators by consolidating qualitative evidence on healthy lifestyle practices among basic education teachers. Operating within a strict five-year temporal window from 2021 to 2026, the investigation used Harzing’s "Publish or Perish" software to scan Google Scholar, Crossref, and OpenAlex databases, retrieving an initial pool of 2,100 records. These files were methodically filtered using predefined eligibility boundaries, and the remaining literature was subjected to rigorous methodological quality checks using the CASP qualitative tool, which resulted in 8 empirical papers being retained for final evaluation. Applying Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic framework, the study synthesized the data into an overarching conceptual model centered on a Holistic Ecosystem of Teacher Well-Being. The structural synthesis revealed three primary thematic clusters: Managing Multidimensional Stress and Mental Well-being; Embracing Wholistic Lifestyle Dynamics; and Valuing Health and Wellness. The analyzed data uncovered an institutional paradox: independent commitments to wellness fail when a school's operational culture forces staff to continuously overexert their physical and mental capacities without structural constraints. Ultimately, this research provides an evidence-informed foundation to guide educational policy, advocating for school wellness initiatives that transition from passive self-care recommendations to mandatory work-life boundaries and structured health-promotion programs.

Strengthening Educational Research Capacity Through Community-Based Capacity Building

2026-07-30T08:38:34+00:00

Research capacity is a critical component of educational quality improvement, particularly in developing regions where teachers, school leaders, and higher education practitioners often face limited opportunities for structured research training. This community service program aimed to strengthen the research capacity of teachers, principals, lecturers, and graduate students in the Pedagogy Master’s Program at STKIP Tamansiswa Bima through a structured capacity-building intervention titled Modern Research Mastery. The program employed workshops, mentoring, and guided research practice to enhance participants’ competencies in research design, academic writing, and publication. This study reports the implementation and outcomes of the program using a qualitative descriptive approach supported by program evaluation data. The conceptual framework integrated capacity-building theory, adult learning principles, and research competency development models. The results indicate significant improvements in participants’ research knowledge, skills, and productivity. Participants demonstrated enhanced understanding of research methodology, increased motivation for conducting research, and improved ability to develop research proposals and scholarly manuscripts. Institutional benefits included strengthened research culture and collaborative networks. The findings suggest that structured capacity-building programs with mentoring components are effective strategies for improving educational research competencies in developing educational institutions. The study contributes to the literature on community service–based professional development and provides practical implications for scaling research capacity-building initiatives in similar contexts.

Strengthening Police–Church–Community Collaboration Through the Revitalized KASIMBAYANAN Program

2026-08-24T02:21:49+00:00

Community-based partnerships have become increasingly important in promoting public safety, social cohesion, and sustainable peace. The Revitalized KASIMBAYANAN Program of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was established to strengthen collaboration among the police, religious institutions, and local communities through participatory and values-based approaches. This community service report describes the implementation of a community engagement initiative designed to support and strengthen the objectives of the Revitalized KASIMBAYANAN Program in Naga City, Philippines. The program adopted a participatory approach involving needs assessment, stakeholder consultation, capacity-building activities, community dialogues, information campaigns, and collaborative action initiatives. Key stakeholders included police personnel, religious leaders, barangay officials, community members, and partner organizations. Results indicated a high level of implementation across the major program components, including community organizing, community empowerment and mobilization, and community information and education. The initiative successfully enhanced intersectoral collaboration, strengthened communication among stakeholders, increased community participation, and promoted values-based approaches to public safety and peacebuilding. Activities such as the Squad Weekly Interactive Meeting (SWIM), Kasimbayanan Weekly Interactive Meeting (KWIM), and community awareness campaigns served as effective platforms for trust-building and civic engagement. Despite challenges related to scheduling, resource limitations, and sustainability, stakeholders demonstrated strong commitment to continued collaboration. The experience highlights the importance of integrating law enforcement, faith-based leadership, and community participation in addressing local concerns and fostering resilient communities. The initiative provides a practical model for strengthening collaborative governance and advancing community-centered approaches to peace and development.

Readiness and Mentoring Needs of Islamic Religious Education Teachers for Academic Competency Test

2026-08-24T02:21:54+00:00

This study aims to improve the readiness of Islamic Religious Education teachers in facing the Academic Competency Test through a mentoring program based on the Teacher Working Group and the integration of Al-Islam, Muhammadiyah Studies, and Arabic Language values. The method used is a quantitative descriptive approach supported by qualitative data through a needs assessment questionnaire. The instrument employed a Likert scale with variables including knowledge, teacher readiness, utilization of working group, value integration, mentoring needs, and open-ended questions. The study involved teachers at the elementary school level from 12 Muhammadiyah schools in Yogyakarta City. The analysis results indicate that teachers’ level of understanding of test is in the moderate category (mean ≈ 3.00), while their level of readiness remains moderate but tends toward low (mean=2.57), particularly in the aspects of developing question banks (mean=2.08) and conducting competency test-based practice exercises (mean=2.25). Meanwhile, the utilization of working group is also in the moderate category and has not yet been optimized as a platform for competency development based on the academic competency. These findings reveal a gap between teachers’ conceptual understanding and their practical readiness, indicating the need for a systematic, collaborative, and needs-based mentoring program. Programs that can be developed include workshops on constructing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions, mentoring in developing question banks, and strengthening working group as a professional learning community.

Assessing the Role of NGOs in Economic Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement in Idenau, Southwest Region, Cameroon

2026-08-24T02:21:52+00:00

The growing need to address persistent socio-economic challenges affecting vulnerable populations has contributed to the expansion of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) globally. NGOs have become key development actors, particularly in providing humanitarian assistance, financial support, capacity building, and livelihood improvement interventions. However, their grassroots-level contributions remain under-researched, especially in developing countries such as Cameroon. This study examined the role of NGOs in promoting economic empowerment in Idenau, Bibunde, Southwest Region of Cameroon. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative data collected through questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. A total of 394 respondents were selected using stratified random and systematic sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Findings revealed that NGO interventions significantly contribute to entrepreneurship development, employment creation, financial support, scholarship provision, and infrastructural development. The study recommends strengthened public–private partnerships and improved government collaboration with NGOs to enhance funding, coordination, and data sharing for more effective programme implementation.

Cross-Sectoral Synergy Measurement Framework for Multimodal NGOs in Public Health, Agriculture, and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

2026-08-24T02:21:39+00:00

Multimodal non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating simultaneously across health, education, and agriculture represent an increasingly important vehicle for integrated development programming in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, these organisations face a persistent challenge: the absence of standardised metrics capable of capturing the complex cross-sectoral synergies that emerge when interventions in one domain interact with and amplify outcomes in another. This paper addresses this gap by proposing the Cross-Sectoral Synergy Measurement Framework (CSSMF), a three-tiered evaluation architecture comprising sector-specific indicators, cross-sectoral bridge indicators, and synergy indicators. Drawing on systems thinking, complexity theory, and integrated development theory, the CSSMF provides a structured yet flexible approach for practitioners and evaluators to measure not only direct programme outcomes but the emergent, non-linear interactions between health, education, and agriculture interventions. The framework is operationalised through a mixed-method evaluation design combining quasi-experimental quantitative approaches with participatory qualitative methods. Through an illustrative case application situated in the peri-urban communities of Lagos State, Nigeria, this paper demonstrates the practical applicability of the CSSMF and shows how integrated programming can produce measurable synergy gains of approximately 18 per cent above the summed effects of siloed delivery at 12 per cent lower cost per composite outcome unit. The paper concludes with recommendations for institutionalising cross-sectoral evaluation within the development sector and identifies priority areas for future research and empirical validation.