The Role of Self Help Group /SHG/ in Mother and Child Welfare Empowerment in Belay Zeleke kebele of Bahir Dar Town

Abstract

This study explored the role of self help groups to empower mothers and child welfare in model urban centers. The study considered Belay Zeleke Kebele of Bahirdar city in Amhara national Regional State (ANRS) in Ethiopia. As per the focus put forward in the study the psychosocial and emotional, educational, nutrition, health, shelter, care and livelihood perspective and changes are assessed in the study. The finding showed that in association with self help groups the non government organizations are the primary once to promote the concept and follow up the change and facilitate the essential services and provisions. The government office mostly appreciate and promote the concept in association with micro and small enterprise development strategy that focuses on credit and business start up first and saving later, than the saving and credit procedure. In most case, due to this reasons and many more others the level of cooperation between this two parties, government and Non Government Organizations, is so limited to bring mutual understanding and shared plan of action. Self help group has enable women think new on business, assist their husbands in income generation, and create confidence to themselves by contributing income for the family, increase capacity to express them and communicate with others, learn time management, budgeting and benefits of saving respect to oneself and to others and written and unwritten new contract. The SHG concept in association with economic empowerment basically have been told and established women in most of this study area but still from our evidences it is observed that children and husband`s (male family leaders) all know and like the SHG scheme for accessing loan and other wholesale commodities with lower cost. In some case for Self Help Group`s have started special savings, up to one birr for holiday expenses children`s enjoy the outcome more practical and essential to them and family as whole for self actualization and occasional expenditures. However, it is clear that greater household burden and full time employment or business practices by the members make the SHG weekly meetings short of participant for discussion and experience sharing to one another.