Economic Empowerment for Pastoralist Women: A Comparative Look at Program Experience in Uganda, Somaliland and Sudan

Citation:

Livingstone, John, and Everse Ruhindi. 2011. Economic Empowerment for Pastoralist Women: A Comparative Look at Program Experience in Uganda, Somaliland and Sudan. Brighton, UK: Land Deals Politics Initiative.

Authors: John Livingstone, Everse Ruhindi

Abstract:

This paper seeks to draw lessons from program experience in the three countries. It points to the effectiveness of business skills training for women’s groups in pastoral areas, when combined with grants for rotating funds that enable women to acquire productive assets and expand their micro-enterprises. While, microcredit may be difficult to implement with partly mobile communities in which women do own land or assets that can be used as collateral, it is increasingly viable in the growing towns and trading centres in and around which pastoralists are living more settled lives. The value of support for women’s micro-enterprises is recognized, with significant social impacts through increased household spending on children’s health and education, as well as strengthened women’s groups that can support a wide variety of activities outside the home. But, the paper also points to the need for efforts at the “meso” level to promote small and medium sized enterprises that can employ significant numbers of women, as well as to work at the macro (policy) level to promote a more business-friendly environment, with supportive transport and communications infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.

Topics: Development, Economies, Gender, Women, Households, Infrastructure, Information & Communication Technologies, Transportation, Livelihoods, NGOs, Rights, Land Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Year: 2011

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