The Assessment of Community Self-Help Saving Groups In Improving The Livelihoods of Vulnerable Households: The Case of Children’s Hopechest Addis Ababa Program
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Date
2023-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Poverty with its multifaced have negatively impacted the urban populations who have been resided in the city like Addis Ababa. Because of the prevailing challenges, people have been struggling to alleviate vulnerabilities in one or another way. These vulnerabilities caused by not only financial limitations but also impeded the households’ active social role which pave the way for social marginalization. That is why its saying poverty is multifaced. To alleviative and minimize the vulnerability, there are a number of organizations, which are working on. One of is Children’s HopeChest.In doing so, the organization launched the Community Self-Help Saving Groups Economic Empowerment Program as a means of ensuring community economic sustainability with the goal of establishing Income Generating Activities (IGA). These initiatives each have their own favorable effects on the areas where the Children's HopeChest Program is active. At this time, 32 program areas have more than 204 Community Self-Help Saving Groups (SHG)with around 3140 participants each. However, the determinates of the SHG in improvements of the livelihoods of the vulnerable households has not been that much impacted the financial assets the given members of SHG which are challenged by poor time management, lack of motivations for saving of SHG members and lack of accountability among groups leader and lack of clear and Measurable follow-up structures. Data which is required for the study it can be primary and secondary sources. The research has employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The data questionnaires, interview and focused groups discussion, were collected from the members of SHG of Children’s HopeChest Addis Ababa program. The final analysis of this study demonstrated that the women SHG initiative has indeed changed the beneficiaries' livelihood assets in particular by enhancing the women's attitudes and skills, expanding their social networks, enabling access to finances and IGAs, improving housing, and encouraging local decision-making. SHGs are not a panacea, though, and in the study area they have run against all listed challenges, such as the high cost of living and unpredictable inflation, negligent leadership of SHG, poor time management among SHG members and low levels of dedication and literacy as well as the lack of a formal or legal registration option.