Income generating possibilities and potentials for women groups in Western Province

The Kenyan Ministry of Water Development in collaboration with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, studied three districts of Western Province in Kenya with the aim of increasing their productivity by the assistance of women's groups. The Western Province has a high rural-urban migration rate for men, but also has a high agricultural potential. Women in developing countries are often responsible for small scale agricultural production, the household, and the family welfare and finances. The Kenyan Government was formerly giving grants to women's groups that met specific registration criteria. These groups were followed in the study to determine if they had made any significant difference in social and economic status, and how they could be encouraged to assist in the development of Western Province. The report contains in-depth information over women's social status, and their participation in the health, water and sanitation sectors. It was found that these women's groups could indeed greatly influence agricultural production as long as their basic rights could be guaranteed from cultural hindrances.