Women’s self help groups : a study of their characteristics and performance in Saboti constituency, Trans-nzoia county

Abstract

Recently issues of women Self - help groups have gained grounds. Kenya like many other Sub - Saharan Africa n countries has a vibr ant history of self - help groups. Self - help groups play a major role in poverty alleviation in rural Kenya. Self - help groups are informal groups of people who come together usually for the purpose of saving and borrowing from one another in a rotational ma nner, and also sharing knowledge and ideas and helping each other in times of needs. The various self - help groups differ in nature , membership, activities they engage in and the group operations and other dynamics. This was a case study and the main objec tive was to assess the group characteristics and performance of self - help groups in Saboti Constituency , Trans - N zoia County. The specific objectives were to find out the profiles of the selected self - help groups, to examine the characteristics of individua l women participants, to assess the level of rural women participation, to find out the income generating activities undertaken, to examine member benefits and lastly to find out the level of external assistance received by the self - help groups. The study was quantitative and relied on primary and secondary data to source for information. Data was gathered through semi - structured interview schedules and observation guide from self - help group officials and members of the self - help groups. Sampling was done using both probability and non - probability sampling. The researcher found out that there was a lot of information about the diverse nature of self - help groups with a majority being formed along economic lines while a few being socially inclined. It was al so clear that a majority of the self - help groups were formed by individuals through self - effort while a few as a result of NGO motivation. The groups consisted of mostly 15 - 20 members who meet periodically at fixed intervals to discuss, reflect on and find solutions to their socio - econo mic issues. The groups had rules governing the ir operations on participation , use of savings and penalties for effective administration and management of groups The researcher also found out that self - help groups empowered w omen by undertaking income generating activities which mad e them economically independent and decision makers. The results revealed that self - help groups empower ed members by awakening self - assertiveness and confidence among them, increase d their income le vel, and help ed them acquire skills and participate in decision making at home and in their communities. The self - help groups had a variety of strategies that are geared towards the improvement of living sta ndards of members which included access to cred it, skill training and income generating activities. One recommendation was that that in order to enhance performance of the self - help groups there was need to improve the nature of the self - help groups, enhance strategies of participation, improve marketi ng fac ilities and also training should be intensified with basic orientation as well as skill development