Factors influencing sustainability of children homes programmes managed by Non-Governmental Organizations in Kenya; a case of Mbeere South; Embu County.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing sustainability of children homes programmes. The study was guided by the following objectives; To establish how stakeholder engagement, influence sustainability of children homes programmes managed by Ngos in Embu county; To find out how resource mobilization for Donor, influence sustainability of children homes programmes managed by Ngos in Embu county. To determine how Capacity Development of NGO Management influence sustainability of children homes programmes managed by Ngos in Embu county and finally to determine how self-income generating projects influence sustainability of children homes programmes managed by Ngos in Embu county. The study employed descriptive survey design. This design is appropriate because it portrays an accurate profile of persons, events or situations and allows the collection of large amounts of data from a sizeable population in a highly economical way. The study targeted a population of 52 respondents which included 44 management staff in children homes, 5 county officials under the department of children service in Embu county and 3 sub county officials under the department of children services in Mbeere south sub county. Since the target population was small the researcher did not sample hence a complete census of target population was carried out to 52 respondents. Data was collected through use of questionnaires which consisted of open ended, structured and unstructured questions. The data was then coded to enable the responses to be grouped into various categories. As such quantitative data was analysed by descriptive analysis techniques in form of tables to show frequencies and percentages using SPSS, while qualitative data was analysed through content analysis. The study found out that resource mobilization influenced sustainability of children homes programmes most with 49(98%), followed by Stakeholder Engagement 48(96%), then self-income generating project 47(94%) and finally Capacity Development 45(90%). This implies that resource mobilization plays a very key role in ensuring there is sustainability of programmes management by Ngo. NGOs can indeed serve as effective agents of sustainable development. For them to remain valid in this developmental discourse participatory development with other development partners, government included must necessarily be the structure and operational focus to enhance the design and implementation of interventions at all levels. They should increasingly make their organizational structures flat to ensure flexibility and innovations to address the growing developmental changes in the study area. NGOs should continue to focus on the delivery of interventions that helps improve the lives of the vulnerable by rehabilitating street children and also increasing access to water, healthcare, agriculture extension, employable skills, and credit due to the inadequate delivery of these services by the local authorities. To enhance the sustainability of these services, there should be Government-Community-NGO-Donor network during the design and implementation of interventions. This should be done by adopting participatory management approaches at the organizational and beneficiary levels to ensure greater local community participation such that these development interventions programs widely reflect the needs of beneficiaries to make them sustainable enough to bring about the needed benefits and to make beneficiaries non-dependent.