Document is current

Article History

Received: 31 December 2024

Accepted: 11 May 2026

First Online: 26 May 2026

Ethics approval

: The authors confirmed that the research was conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration, as applicable when human participants are involved. The ethical review has been approved by the ethical review committee of the College of Social Science and Humanities, University of Gondar, with a letter issued on March 09, 2026, Ref. No. C/S/S/H/R/P/001010/1946/2026. The fundamental reason we did not obtain ethical approval before data collection from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Gondar is that this research is not a clinical trial, and ethical approval was mandatory for conducting clinical human and animal research. If the research is not a human and animal clinical trial, we can obtain approval from the department at our local institution. In this case, at the initial stage, we received approval from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies to collect data and conduct research. Given the dynamics of research ethics, our institution now believes that ethical approval is necessary for any research involving human or animal subjects. Accordingly, we received ethical clearance from the College of Social Science and Humanities on the specified date and reference number. Besides, the collected data were secured and stored confidentially, and anonymized in any reports and publications.

: This study did not involve any clinical trial. Prior to participation, all participants were informed about the purpose, procedures, and objectives of the study by the researcher. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in their preferred language during the data collection period in March, 2020. The consent scope covered the use of data to publish the findings. Participation was voluntary, and participants were informed of their right to decline or withdraw from the study at any stage without any penalty or consequences. The researchers assured the participants that their responses would remain confidential and that all data would be anonymized and used solely for research purposes. No foreseeable risks or harm were associated with participation in the study, except for the time required to respond to the study questions.

: All authors confirm that this paper has not been published before and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and therefore, we agreed to publish and approved the manuscript.

: The authors declare no competing interests.