RURAL COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SELF-HELP GROUP: THE CASE OF LAY GAYINT WOREDA, AMHARA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to analyze the role and performance of Self-Help Groups in promoting Rural Communities Empowerment in Lay Gayint Woreda, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. The broad objective of the study is to analyze the economic, social and cultural status of Self-Help Groups as empowering rural communities. The operational system of Self-Help Groups is for mobilization of group saving, delivery of loan to the members, management of group capital, repayment of loans, in building up leadership, establishing linkage with various actors and examines the social benefits derived by the members. In order to collect and gather primary data, scheduled interviews, questionnaires and case stories were employed as methods and tools. In addition, secondary data was also collected from available documents along with the stated objectives of the paper. There are 830 Self-Help Groups with 12,000 members working in Lay Gayint Woreda particularly in the rural areas. Here the researcher has chosen 2 Self-Help Groups from each 4 sample Kebles (01, 09, 13 and 16) of the district. In total the study covers 8 Self-Help Groups with 80 (50% female) members, 16 (50% women) non-self-Help Group member respondents had been interviewed and 30 experts of the line offices had been targeted as key informants using questionnaires. The study reveals that Self-Help Groups are acting as forums for socio-economic transformations of the rural communities. By the formation of Self-Help Groups, members could be diversified their sources of incomes and create loan accesses to engage themselves in various non-farm income generating schemes. Self-Help Group members have created the habits of savings, economic independence, self confidence, social cohesion, asset ownership, freedom from debt, additional employment. Thus, Self- Help Groups have served as community organizations for economic, social and cultural empowerment of the rural communities.