The influence of community based organizations on the achievement of the millennium development goals: a case of Lugari sub-county in Kakamega county

Abstract

Since the millennium declaration eleven years ago, Africa and the world in general has improved. The world is remaining with only two years set to meet the millennium goals and the signs of poverty, conflicts and wars, environmental degradation and diseases are still prominent in various countries including Kenya. It‟s obvious that a strategy to accelerate this process is required. This study pointed out the various Millennium Development Goals and revealed to what extent they had been achieved through the influence of community based organizations as well as the issues surrounding them. Since from the review of literature, sub national areas were lagging compared to the national status on the MDGs, this project sought to find out how Community Based Organizations were influencing the achievement of the Millennium goals at the community level. The objectives aimed at assessing how the inherent features of CBOs of community participation, resource mobilization, governance and their various projects can be used in the achievement of the millennium goals. The study area was in the Lugari sub-county which highly depends on food crops farming other than cash crops thus promoting idleness during the dry periods of the year. A descriptive research design was used gather both qualitative and quantitative data through the use of questionnaires, interviews and observation. The stratified random, random and systematic sampling techniques were used appropriately to achieve the sample size. It was determined that not only that the CBO‟s projects emphasized on some MDGs while others had been ignored, but also these projects were sporadically began as there was no trend laid out by any concerned organization to allow continuous enhancement of the these goals which led to duplication. In addition, the CBOs concentrated on training programs more than putting up physical projects. It will be of greater benefit if the training would be accompanied with real capital to enable implementation of the skills learnt and also, if the government would lay down a framework to guide other organizations on the projects required achieving the MDGs to enable teamwork and objectivity in the process. The results of the study will be invaluable to all government institutions and to the Community organizations too.