Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : “Prospects and challenges of women focused income generating activities” : the case study of Ganta afeshum Woreda, Tigray, Ethiopia Integrated Women Empowerment Program (IWEP)

Auteur : Legese Mebrahtom Alemayoh

Université de soutenance : Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

Grade : Master of Development Management, Specialization in Rural Development and Food Security 2012

Résumé
In Ethiopia, particularly in the northern part, Tigray region, majority of women are illiterate and live in poverty. They have neither access to credit nor the minimum marketable skills training to earn a living. This situation is more elaborate in female headed households which constitute more than half of the rural households. To alleviate this problem among poor women, a local non-governmental organization,Women’s Association of Tigray (WAT), is implementing multifaceted poverty reduction programs in collaboration with the DVV international/IWEP, in which literacy integrated livelihood skill training that could enable poor women to engage in various income generating activities (IGA’s) is taking place in four woreda/districts of Tigray, namely : Ganta-Afeshum, Raya-Azebo, Tahtaykoraro and Were Lekhe. In line with this, the purpose of this study was to analyse the prospects and challenges of the income generating activities of the poor women in relation to access to credit, market assessment, livelihood and business skill training of the program. It focused on the livelihoods skills training and entrepreneurial support (business training and economic support via small scale credit, grants, and self-initiated savings) for empowering poor women, in IWEP project area in Tigray with specific reference to Gantafeshum Woreda, specifically Mugulat kebele/tabia. Both qualitative & quantitative survey methods were employed. As indicated in a special edition DVV international, 2008, No.1, the Integrated Women’s Empowerment Program (IWEP) is among the international development agencies in Ethiopia involved in women’s empowerment. IWEP is a bilateral agreement with the ministry of education (MoE) in particular, and a nationwide pro-poor program within Ethiopia’s overall development strategy to empower poor women and their households by combining three traditionally separate areas : Functional adult literacy education (FAL), Livelihoods skills training or non-formal vocational training, (based on the needs identified), and Economic support via small-scale credits, grants, saving and basic business training. As study samples, women beneficiaries of the project, respective sector office representatives and IWEP project personnel’s were included in the study. Of the respondents, 25 women project beneficiaries filled questionnaires, while Focus Group Discussion were held with women groups, sector office stakeholder representatives and IWEP staff. In addition to this, secondary data were collected from relevant organizations and pertinent documents. Consequently, descriptive statistics like frequencies and percentages were employed to analyze the data. The result of the study indicates that even if there are some changes in the livelihood of the poor women at the end of this project, there are some problems related to the income generating activities (IGA) of the poor women involved. Some of the problems are shortage of revolving fund (only covered 28 beneficiaries out of 250 targeted women), lack of training for the beneficiaries and the facilitators/teachers. Based on these findings, the researcher calls to find other financial sources to cater for those who are have not received for the fund, and to integrate the program activities with other stakeholders to empower the poor women.

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