The impact of adult education in women empowerment: a case study of PCEA woman's guild in Kikuyu District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of adult education in women empowerment in Kikuyu District. The study had five objectives; to examine the impact of adult Education in empowering women in P.C.E.A church in kikuyu District; To establish forms of Adult Education used by P.C.E.A woman's guild to empower women in kikuyu district; to determine the effectiveness of the methods woman's guild use in empowering women in P .C.E.A church and to establish the attitude of the women in P.C.E.A church towards adult education in kikuyu district, Kenya.

The P.C .E.A Woman's Guild is a fellowship of women and girls in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, whose main objective is to bring together women and girls for Christian fellowship, worship and service. Descriptive survey research design was used hence it was appropriate in collecting information about respondents' attitudes, opinions, habits and variables of Educational and social issues in the current status of phenomena. Simple random method of sampling was used to select 16 P.C.E.A churches out of 48 in kikuyu District. Data was collected using questionnaires for the women and interview schedule for the leaders.

To establish whether the instruments were valid and reliable, a pilot study was carried out. The results of the pilot study were used in making modifications for the instruments. The findings of this research reveal that adult education programmes supported by woman's guild in kikuyu district has continuously empowered women in socio-economic as well as spiritual development. However, in order to realize all the goals, younger women and men of all ages should be incorporated in the programme .