Effects of International Non-Governmental Organizations development Programmes on the Socio- Economic Empowerment of Women in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to assess the effects of International Non-Governmental Organization development programme on the social and economic lives of the rural women in Makueni county.The research employed mixed Approach (qualitative and quantitative method) and descriptive research design in data collection. The study targeted women beneficiaries in Self Help Groups (SHGs) of World Vision and ActionAid programmes and key informants such as project and government officials in Makueni County. A total sample size of 162 members were selected using various sampling techniques which included multistage, purposive, snowball and random sampling. Open and closed headed questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guides and interview schedules were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Chi square tests were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21) software. The study revealed that INGOs development contribution to socio-economicempowerment of women in Makueni depended on the specific program. The effect was more on some programs such as provision of water and sanitation, women awareness ontheir rights and Gender BasedViolence. However, there was low contributionto access to and control over productive resources, training on entrepreneurship and involvement of women in development projects. Generally, beneficiaries felt that the INGOs intervention programmes were inadequate in empowering women and the programs seemed to be creating more dependency among women beneficiaries hence high levels of poverty.