Challenges and Contributions of Self Help Groups in Empowering Poor Women: The Case of Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, Addis Ababa Integrated Urban Development Project
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The concept of SHG (Self Help Group) did not get enough attention in Ethiopia
especially in governmental development policies, strategies and activities. There are few nongovernmental
institutions which work on the concept especially in urban areas of the country
but, there is no enough research conducted on the issue in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, SHG
development strategy have a number of significant contributions for the holistic development of
the poor community particularly women. In Ethiopia, women are disproportionately impacted by
extreme poverty, unemployment, drained living environment, social injustice, discrimination and
other insecurities of life. So, to bring sustainable development in the country it is vital to
empower this section of the society who needs empowerment and inspiration to change their life
and contribute for the development of their country. The concept of SHG stress on the existing
assets of the poor community and bringing community mobilized development by empowering
the poor how they can utilize their economic, social and other kinds of resources among them. It
inspires poor women to get out of poverty by using their natural potential and gift through
regular weakly saving, access to internal and external loan and intensive capacity building
training so as to begin and expand small business and income generating activities. Therefore
SHGs can serve as the best development strategy to empower and enable destitute people to
utilize the existing assets and bring real change in their life and among the community. The
purpose of this study is to explore the challenges of SHGs and to investigate the contribution of
self-help groups on the life of poor women within the selected sites of Addis Ababa, in which the
EKHC integrated urban development program, is engaged and to identify further or alternative
ways that the program will operate more efficiently for the future. The research is conducted in
four sites namely, Gottera, Qeranio-Bethel, Sar Betoch and Qore, Mikael and Mekanisa area of
the project. Data collection methods used in this study includes in-depth Interview, observation,
focus group discussion and document review. Two FGDs were held with 12 participants, 16
SHG members and leaders and 4 project coordinating staff members participated in the in-depth
interview. The study identified four major contributions of SHGs namely social empowerment,
economic empowerment, leadership empowerment and ethical improvement. SHG played a great
role in improving saving culture, social life, emotional intelligence and leadership skill of the
poor women. On the other hand, SHGs encountered critical challenges in the process of
implementing the concept among the community such as financial and material aid expectations
from the project, lack of market place and illiteracy of some members of the group. The study
concluded that through participating in SHGs, it is possible to bring sustainable development and
change in the economic life of the members such as level of income, health care, education and
housing condition
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Social Work