Assessing the Socio-Economic Impact of Self Help Groups: A Case to Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Nazreth Integrated Urban Development Project
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Date
2007-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
As many years passed by, different attempts have been made to mitigate the effect of
poverty in many parts of the world. In sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries,
various development efforts have been tried to avert the miserable living conditions of the
poor; but many of them remained unsuccessful. As one of the sub-Saharan Africa countries,
different attempts had been made to improve the life of the poor in Ethiopia. The Self Help
Group (SHG) development strategy is one of those efforts; and it is a community owned and
managed poverty alleviation program designed to empower the poor in general and the poor
women in particular.
Adama, the town where this study was conducted, is one of the fast growing towns in
the country, and it has various social problems. Population influx, unemployment, lack of
housing, lack of basic facilities, etc were the salient problems from which most of the
residents are suffering from. To lessen the impact of these problems, various measures have
been undertaken by different governmental, non-governmental, and civic organizations; and
the Self Help Group development approach that the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church
Nazareth Integrated Community Development Project is undertaking in the town is one of
those attempts.
In view of the fact that the SHG is a newly introduced development model in Ethiopia, the
purpose of this study was to assess its social and economic impact on the life of the poor. In
the process of assessing the impact of SHG, seeking answer to the research questions “Has
participation in the SHG enhance the economic and social capacity of the poor women; and
thereby contribute to the national poverty alleviation effort?” was made.
Socio-economic impact of Self Help Groups …
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In order to come up with an adequate reply to the questions under the study, both
quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed. Data gathered from
various groups of respondents were then analyzed and summarized.
Improved saving habit, enhanced access to loan, wider opportunity to involve in
different kinds of individual and group IGAs, improved decision making power of SHG
members at household, group, and community level, participation in various trainings and
the resulting increase in knowledge and skills, and improved household consumption were
some of the major outcomes of involvement in SHGs. Besides, social cohesion created due
to group interaction and mutual support among SHG members were also found to be
valuable gains of involvement in SHGs.
The SHGs that the NCDP is undertaking in Adama town consisted of disempowered
poor women whom almost half of them were either divorced, separated, or widowed women
who shouldered the responsibility of earning an income for their families. Likewise, social
work is a profession that is concerned in helping underprivileged members of the society,
enhancing the well being of people within their social context and addressing the well-being
of society as a whole. Such a resemblance of the two services calls for the close working
relationship between them. Thus, self-help groups, as an empowerment approach, needs to
closely collaborate with social work service provision organizations for the better benefit of
their clients
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Social Work