Abstract:
This study examined ―The Role of Rural Women Informal Groups (Ibimina) on their Socio Economic Empowerment in Rwanda: The case study of Muhanga District.‖ The key purpose was to highlight the role of rural women informal groups in promoting their socio economic empowerment. The specific objectives of the study were to explain the socio economic problems faced by rural women in Muhanga District before they join informal groups; to analyze the role of rural women informal groups in promoting their socio economic empowerment and to formulate recommendations so that women informal groups may be effective for the rural households.
The study used qualitative and quantitative approaches. Self-administered questionnaires were used as the main methods of data collection. Nevertheless, interview, observation, focus group discussion and content analysis were used to compliment, supplement and validate data collected through the questionnaire.The researcher considered 96 women from informal groups in Muhanga Sector from Muhanga District. The study revealed that rural informal groups play a role on rural Rwandan women for their socio economic empowerment. The findings revealed that by saving and accessing microloans through informal groups, women are able to increase their income, able to save and have access to credit, improve their nutrition, health, education and housing, acquire households assets, improve their farming and livestock, invest in small businesses and farming. Women also gained knowledge on non-business issues like health, family and conflict management from their interactions.
Nevertheless, the study further revealed that women are still facing challenges even though they are benefiting from being in Ibimina. Those challenges are: lack of management skills, husband‘s behavior, misallocation of funds, members not paying regularly their contribution, drop out from the group, poor administration, lack of regular meetings, etc. In order to make the rural informal groups effective in Muhanga, the researcher recommended the following: increasing trainings and workshop for rural women in informal groups in communication skills, leadership, management skills, increase researchers on women informal groups to know their challenges they are facing; forming an umbrella association for all rural informal groups operating in the same sector; sensitizing the women no members of informal groups about the benefit of informal groups so that they may join the groups.
