Influence of social entrepreneurship strategies on community empowerment among faith-based organizations in Kajiado county, Keny

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship is a variation of entrepreneurship with the social mission explicit and central to its objective. The impact on society, rather than wealth creation is the primary aspiration. Social enterprises are emerging to be the most ideal avenues for community development and empowerment. These organizations address a myriad of issues ranging from physical needs to social development. As the Non Profit Organizations’ inclination changes from ‘hand-outs’ to ‘self- sustenance’, the social enterprises have emerged as ideal means of facilitating this shift, being dominated by Faith-Based Organizations. In Kenya, as reflected in the African continent, 40 to 50% of all the health and education services are provided by Faith Based Organizations (FBO). The scenario is truer in Kajiado County, the area of study, where numerous FBOs are partnering and addressing a myriad of social issues. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of social entrepreneurship strategies used by the faith based organizations on community empowerment. The study adopted descriptive survey approach where the target populations comprised of 85 key faith based organizations registered in Kajiado County. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 42, half of the population. Questionnaires were dropped and later collected from these organizations. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings were discussed and presented using tables and models. Study findings indicated a significant relationship between the social entrepreneurship strategies; community organization, community development and community service provision, and community empowerment. From the study finding the following recommendations were made; the social enterprises need to develop business growth strategies and governance structures that will reinforce the underlying goal of community empowerment. The government to create a framework that will facilitate effectiveness of social enterprises while mitigating potential costs and problems of formation and regulations. KEY WORDS: Empowerment, Social Entrepreneurship, Community Organizing, Community-based Development