An investigation into the participation of Women groups in poverty reduction in Emuhaya district of Western Kenya

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the participation of women groups in poverty reduction in Emuhaya District, particularly Luanda division between December 2009 and February 2010. It was designed to answer the following questions: Which activities do women groups in Emuhaya District participate in that are geared towards poverty reduction? ; To what extent do these activities raise the living standards of the people of Emuhaya? ; What constraints do these women groups face in their efforts to reduce poverty in the area? Accordingly, the overall objective of this study was: to explore the participation of women groups in poverty reduction in Emuhaya District. The specific objectives of the study were: To establish the activities women groups in Emuhaya District participate in that are geared towards poverty reduction, to determine the extent to which these activities raise the living standards of the people in the study area and to establish constraints women groups face in their efforts to reduce poverty in the study area. A List of 120 groups from the existing District's Social Department register in the . 8 locations of Luanda Division was used to construct a sampling frame. To obtain a representative sample, groups were purposively sampled based on location. Thus, two locations were conveniently selected out of the eight and a total of six women groups out of the 20. in the two locations randomly sampled with each respondent being in the groups being assigned a number. A total of 60 respondents were then selected randomly and this made the sample population. Secondary data was obtained through the review of the existing literature on the study topic while primary data was obtained through survey technique, Key informant interviews, direct observation and Focus Group Discussions. Analysis of quantitative data was done using the SPSS computer programme and findings presented in form of tables of frequencies and percentages and graphs. Qualitative data on the other hand was analyzed based on themes that revolved around the study objectives. The findings suggest that women groups in Emuhaya District, Luanda Division, are involved in a number of activities and projects that are geared towards poverty reduction. These include: livestock and poultry rearing, feeding programmes that involved taking care of orphans and widows through provision of their basic needs such as food, vegetable farming and horticulture, tree planting, fish farming, tailoring, weaving and basketry, energy conservation through making and use of energy saving stoves and jikos, small-scale businesses, education, cultural promotion through entertainment and economic empowerment through merry-goround and table-banking. However, the women groups face constraints such as inadequate finances, insecurity, embezzlement of funds, among others, in their . efforts to reduce poverty in the study area. The researcher therefore recommends that Women in rural areas should be sensitized through the District's department of Social services through seminars and workshops on the sources of funding such as the Women Enterprise Fund in order to improve on the existing-activities and projects, there is an urgent need for women to come up with modern innovative ways of increasing agricultural production which in turn could serve as a strategy in the fight against poverty and the need for the government and other agencies involved in the fight against poverty to address it from a gender perspective, through women economic empowerment and tackling the gender inequalities that exist between men and women, especially in terms of access to resources and information.