Rural Women Access to Information: A Case Study of Women Enterprise Fund

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the rural women access to development Information with a focus on the Women Enterprise Fund. The specific objectives was to investigate the level of Rural Women Access to Development Information with a focus on the Women Enterprise Fund, to examine the impact of communication packaging on rural women access to development information with a focus on the Women Enterprise Fund, and to determine the timeliness of Rural Women Access to Development Information with a focus on the Women Enterprise Fund. The study applied descriptive survey design to assess the Rural Women Access to Development Information. The research targeted women in rural areas of Kenya specifically Kajiado Sub County. The total number of registered businesses was 3,811 with 1019 solely owned by women. These businesses were grouped according to their types. Stratified random sampling was used to obtain a 10% sample from each category to ensure fair representation. Therefore, a total of 105 women entrepreneurs formed the sample of the study. The study concluded that there was a high level of awareness of the women enterprise fund and that, a high percentage of rural women access development information. The rural women access information of various issues with the most outstanding being business, farming and religion welfare respectively among others. In relation to the communication packaging, the study concluded that communication media was the point of access of information on the women enterprise fund by respondents such as newspapers, radio and television. On the other hand, gatherings such as community groups and the church were also common points of access of information on the women enterprise fund by respondents. The study also concluded that communication packaging influences access to information by women especially the radio and television broadcasts which reach most people in the rural areas. The study concluded that rural women access development information is timely. Moreover, there exists a positive influence of timeliness on access to information by women.