An assessment on the impact of poverty alleviation on women in Mukuru slum, Nairobi-Kenya
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Date
2011Author
Macharia, Peris
Type
ThesisLanguage
en_USMetadata
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The first Millennium Development Goal is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Efforts towards achieving this goal along with the other Millennium Development Goals are being carried out by governments, non-governmental organizations, International organizations, and private institutions around the world. Despite all interventions addressing poverty alleviation in the slums there is the challenge of existing gender inequalities in education and employment opportunities where the women in the slums are poorer than men. This ties with the third Millennium Development Goal which aims to promote gender equality and empower women.
This purpose of this cross sectional study was to assess the impact of poverty alleviation programs on women in Mukuru slums. The research questions aimed at answering the question on how organizations working in Mukuru slums involve women in their programs and what effect the process of poverty alleviation has on men and women. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected.
The findings indicate that poverty alleviation efforts are being hindered by gender inequalities, dependency syndrome, lack of relevant information, ignorance, self alienation, poor living conditions and insecurity. The study findings will inform organizations working in Mukuru slums to initiate community based poverty alleviation programs, the government especially the Ministry of State Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, other government departments in policy formation and review of existing ones. The findings will also be useful to individuals and research institutions to inform further studies on this subject.
This study recommends affirmative action in the distribution of education bursaries to ensure gender equality in opportunities in education advancement. The economic empowerment of women to enable them provide basic needs for their families through capacity building in entrepreneurial skills. The government needs to improve basic infrastructure in terms of proper housing, sanitation and access roads within Mukuru slums.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya