Women Empowerment Programs Research Articles

Safer Sex Negotiation Among Ghanaian Women in Sexual Unions: Does Women's Household Decision-Making Capacity Matter?

Women's ability to negotiate for safer sex has been found to be dependent on their household decision making power. However, there is paucity of studies investigating the association between women's household decision making power and safer sex negotiation in Ghana. Thus, we examined the association between women's household decision making autonomy and safer sex negotiation among Ghanaian women in sexual unions using the 2014 Ghana's Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and multivariable logistic regression models were performed. Statistical significance was set at p < .05at 95% confidence interval.The results showed high prevalence of safer sex negotiation among women with high household decision-making capacity (91.6%). Compared to women with low household decision making autonomy, those with high autonomy in household decision making were more likely to negotiate for safer sex (aOR = 2.06; CI = 1.32-3.21). Women aged 25-34 were more likely to negotiate for safer sex compared to those aged 15-24 (aOR = 1.50; CI = 1.07-2.11). Higher odds of safer sex negotiation were found among women with comprehensive HIV and AIDS knowledge (aOR = 1.49; CI = 1.09-2.05), women who had tested for HIV (aOR = 1.57; CI = 1.27-1.95) and those exposed to newspaper (aOR = 1.80; CI = 1.17-2.78) compared to those who had no comprehensive knowledge on HIV and AIDS, those who had never tested for HIV and those who were not exposed to newspaper, respectively. However, women who belonged to other ethnic groups and the Islamic religion had lower odds of safer sex negotiation compared to Akans (aOR = 0.68; CI = 0.48-0.96) and Christian women (aOR = 0.63; CI = 0.46-0.85). Women empowerment programmes need to be intensified to enable Ghanaian women with low household decision making autonomy to negotiate for safer sex with their partners. Ghana could achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly, SDG 3.7 (universal access to sexual and reproductive health services), and SDG 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) when household decision-making capacity among women is further strengthened.

Participatory Development Communication for Family Food Security during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The objective of this study is to elaborate and assess participatory development communication strategies employed in women's empowerment program by an Islamic non-governmental organization, specifically Lembaga Lingkungan Hidup dan Penanggulangan Bencana (LLHPB) 'Aisyiyah (Environment and Disaster Management Institute) Probolinggo City, East Java, Indonesia in 2020 to attain family food security during the Covid-19 pandemic. The three series of activities that constitute this empowerment program include training on planting vegetables, training on vegetables and fish cultivation in buckets, and engaging the online 'Aisyiyah Market group. This study utilized a case study methodology, collecting data through documentation and interviews with six informants who were committee members and members of 'Aisyiyah who are active in the empowerment initiative. This study demonstrates that, generally, the circumstance that the committee retains complete authority during crucial decision-making phases contributes to the practice of participatory communication in empowerment program. According to this study, the three activities used monologic and dialogic communication modalities in varying methods. Because collaborative member involvement only occurs when planning the formation of the 'Aisyiyah Market group, the level of member participation in the other two activities is still at a low level and only reveals involvement at the implementation and post-implementation stages of the activity.

Administrative Management Indah Jaya Tamiang Women Farmers Group

Community service is carried out at the Indah Jaya Tamiang Farming Women's Group (KWT), Tamiang Village, Gunung Kaler District, Tangerang Regency. Farming Women's Group (KWT) is one of the women's empowerment programs in increasing the role of women towards healthy, prosperous families through the utilization of local resource potential. The purpose of this activity is to improve the administrative abilities of women farmer groups so that they can function optimally because the Indah Jaya Tamiang Farming Women Group (KWT) does not yet have good group administration and managerial skills. The method used in this activity is administrative training for the management of the Indah Jaya Tamiang Farming Women's Group (KWT).

Pendampingan Wirausaha Pembuatan Hantaran dan Aneka Gift di Kelurahan Tuah Madani Pekanbaru

The training for entrepreneurial assistance in making ‘hantaran’ and various gifts was held in the Tuah Madani sub-district of Pekanbaru with 15 women and young women participating. This training aims to generate entrepreneurial interest in the creative economy sector in making ‘hantaran’ and various gifts among women, in order to support women's empowerment programs. The products produced are products that have sales value such as ‘hantaran’ for weddings, flower bouquets, and balloon bouquets for various events. This activity provides a positive value for the formation and development of an entrepreneurial spirit, especially among mothers and young women.&#x0D; Keyword: creative economy, Women and young women, wedding gifts, various gifts.&#x0D;

Pemberdayaan Perempuan Buta Huruf Melalui Program Literasi Muslimat NU Di Desa Sugihwaras

Empowerment is a development effort by giving strength to weak parties to be able to identify and build themselves. In the village of Sugihwaras itself, the weak side are women who are still illiterate. Women in Sugihwaras Village have retardation in terms of reading, even though there have been efforts from the government to overcome them. The purpose of this study was to find out about the empowerment of women who are still illiterate in Sugihwaras Village through a program from NU Muslimat. This study uses a qualitative method. The results showed that the number of illiterate women encouraged the NU Ranting Sugihwaras organization to hold women's empowerment programs such as special schools for mothers. The program is expected to improve literacy culture so that it can advance women and development in Sugihwaras Village.

Food Security and Women Case Study of Mahu Country on Saparua Island

Maintaining household food security is a way to overcome food insecurity. Women play an important role to make it happen, one of them is through household businesses. The research was conducted in Mahu Administrative Country on Saparua Island. The method used is descriptive analysis and field observation. Sampling was done purposively (purposive sample) of 24.40% (51 women) from 209 women of working age. The research objectives were (1) to find out the readiness of women to maintain household food security, (2) to find out about women's empowerment programs related to local food, (3) to find out the cooperation between the state government and the community regarding food security. The results showed: (1) household food security is still weak (2) women's empowerment programs have not been maximized, (3) coordination between the government and the community regarding food security needs to be improved.

TATA KELOLA ORGANISASI DAN DOMINASI SOSIAL

This study focuses on the governance of Kelompok Perempuan Kreatif Mandiri/Independent Creative Women Group (KPKM) which is the beneficiary of women's empowerment program from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk. The paper aims to identify and describe, how organizational structure impacts governance patterns and the outcomes. It used a persuasive case study approach, where the data collection process is carried out through in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders. Likewise, researchers conducted close observation, supported with literature review from journals, digital media and books, to enrich the study. The research findings reveal that the absence of regeneration in the organizational structure causes repetitive governance pattern since its establishment, same persons are appointed as caretakers in several bodies, depending on a central figure, and only able to innovate through the intervention of outsiders (other parties). Furthermore, there is a concern regarding potential digression, as quoted from Lord Acton's letter to the Bishop of Creighton in 1887; "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Women's Economic Empowerment Through Sharia Micro-Finance Institutions In Indonesia: A Qualitative Research

Women's empowerment has become an agenda that has recently been put forward and has become one of the essential agendas in sustainable development. One of the common problems women micro-enterprises face is the difficulty of accessing sources of capital. Islamic microfinance institutions are an alternative that can be utilized by women micro-enterprises in Indonesia to overcome the challenges in accessing business capital. This research uses a qualitative approach to study literature and in-depth interviews. The literature study was conducted by selecting relevant papers by accessing the Google Scholar database using the keywords “women empowerment” AND “Islamic microfinance” OR “Islamic microfinance”. The search time range is limited to the last 5 years, namely 2017 to 2022. The literature search results found 19 relevant papers. 4 sharia microfinance institutions are reported to run women's empowerment programs, namely sharia cooperatives, Baitul Mal Wat Tamwil, Zakat Management Organizations, and Micro Waqf Banks. The results of interviews with 20 lecturers of Islamic Economics strengthen the role of Islamic microfinance institutions in women's empowerment programs in Indonesia.

The North Kalimantan Aisyiyah’s Contribution to Empowering Women for the Fulfilment of Political Rights

The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the Regional Leader of North Kalimantan Aisyiyah in contributing to the fulfillment of political rights through women's empowerment. The research employed a descriptive qualitative method with a narrative approach. This study focuses on the contribution of North Kalimantan Aisyiyah Regional Leaders in Empowering women to fulfill their political rights. Data analysis involved data collection, reduction, presentation, and conclusion. The results of the study indicatedthat the contribution of the Regional Leader of North Kalimantan Aisyiyah led to effective and responsive steps towards women's empowerment. Aisyiyah, a large organization, offers various programs of social activities including the involvement of women in politics, among them are political education activities. Although 'Aisyiyah is not a political party, it strongly supports its members who want to enter politics. The supporting factor is that government policies are not gender-biased. The women's empowerment programs to fulfill their political rights were good, but the public response to political awareness was low. It was a challenge to deal with.

Profit inefficiency of goat farming in Malawi: A Bayesian approach

Goat farms located in villages constitute an important sub-sector to buffer household livelihoods against climate shocks in absence of insurance markets, and thus the need to intensify production to meet the growing goat meat demand. There has been little attempt to quantify the efficiency of goat farms and the associated drivers. Potential initiatives to bolster goat farm incomes have not gone beyond production. Using the Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Approach and Malawi's national Integrated Household Panel Survey data from 2010 to 2019, we analyze the profit efficiency of goat farming and the priority drivers that influence inefficiencies across production plants. The findings reveal that farmers are operating below the profit frontier and 71% of the profit-loss is influenced by farm characteristics. The results further suggest that policies involving stirring commercializing and specialization are key to closing the efficiency gap. Finally, the study proposes new policy directions, namely, government provision of livestock extension services to farmers, incorporating goat farming into women's empowerment programs, and provision of access to tailor-made livestock microfinance loans.

Peran pemerintah desa dalam pemberdayaan perempuan dibidang kesejahteraan keluarga (PKK)

This study aims to determine the role of the village government in empowering women in the field of family welfare empowerment (PKK) in Air Balui Village, Musi Banyuasin Regency. The type of research used in this study is a descriptive qualitative method. Data collection is primary data. The subjects of the study were the village head, women in the field of family welfare empowerment chairman, women in the field of family welfare empowerment members and the community. Data analysis using Miles and Huberman consists of three stages, namely: data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this study can be concluded that the village head has done his role by empowering women through women in the field of family welfare empowerment happiness. The program has been carried out well, and the head of Balui Water Village supports the planned program. For the women in the field of family welfare empowerment chairman and village head, they can succeed in programs, especially increasing handicraft output. The village head has carried out planning and implemented improvement programs in improving creative ideas through the form of training, the training carried out is expected to improve the economy of the residents of Air Balui village. The assessment of the village head can be analyzed that the village head has been good in implementing women's empowerment programs through women in the field of family welfare empowerment activities, in this training program that has been implemented as a form of the village head's seriousness in empowering women so as to improve the community economy in Air Balui Village

Collaborative Governance in Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) Women's Empowerment Programs to Realize Food Security in Cilegon City

This study describe the process and implementation of the Collaborative governance program in the Kelompok Wanita Tani program is one of the main breakthroughs in providing family food security through yardland in Cilegon City. This is because the increase in food prices has experienced a spike. After all, the world's food reserves are experiencing a crisis, especially during the pandemic. This research aims to analyze the concept of Collaborative governance in the KWT program, understand the pattern of collaboration actors in the KWT program's implementation, and know the inhibiting and driving factors in the Collaborative governance process. By using the theory of Collaborative governance, Ansell and Gash, with the Collaborative governance Model, which includes: face-to-face dialogue, building trust, shared commitment, shared understanding, achievement of results, obtained the theoretical analysis which shows that the Collaborative governance process has not been distributed equally on KWT program in Cilegon City. It can be proved by the fact that there is no monitoring and evaluation schedule for KWT capital assistance that is given to all KWT in Cilegon City to execute the programs to actualize family food security, the lack of maintenance carried out by the government in increasing the participation of each member of the Kelompok Wanita Tani, there is still a lack of support from the sub-district government due to lack of understanding of the role in the KWT program, there are still KWT programs that did not make in a long-term collaboration between collaborating actors which caused the program only runs at the beginning of the program. Also, there is no harvest innovation product from all KWT in Cilegon City. This research hopes that it can be used as an evaluation material and tighten monitoring of the KWT program to actualize food security.

Intricacies for Gender Equality in Formal and Informal Structures through Governance Enhancement; a Kenyan Perspective

The misconceptions and ideology misconstrue of gender equality as constituting women empowerment programs have hampered the accurate intent that gender equality stands for in formal and informal governance structures. The resistance to gender equality elucidates the gaps that exist in governance instruments over the last decades. The governance instruments’ deficiencies in supporting gender equality in all sectors highlight the intricacies that could be addressed when these instruments are enhanced. The study aimed at focusing on the governance instruments of policy and regulations, organization structures, and feedback mechanisms that capture the inadequacies in upholding gender equality. Much focus has been placed on the obstacles to gender equality but few studies have been undertaken on the scope of governance enhancement whose impacts are highlighted by the formal and informal structures. The study was conducted through a systematic literature review of relevant articles on governance instruments and gender equality and adopting the Prisma model of systematic literature review. Through the reviewed literature, data indicated the gaps that exist in knowledge, attitude, and practice in top management office holders in implementing gender equality policies. Further findings indicate the misconception of gender equality for women empowerment programs as opposed to it being a key tenet in enhancing governance. Governance structure imbalances further impacted gender equality and equity aimed at enhancing equilibrium in various national and county policies and laws. Governance instruments when structured to support gender equality can bring sustainable development noted in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5. The intricacies between governance enhancement and gender equality serve a symbiotic relationship and the outcomes adopt a sustainable outlook. Investment in governance enhancement will provide a basis for change in knowledge, attitude, and practice across the board and further increase ownership and cohesion for gender equality.

COVID-19 and Microcredit: Dissecting an NGO’s Training, Financial Support, and Women Empowerment Programmes

This paper reports the findings from a microcredit (financial inclusion) scheme that has been operated by a non-governmental organization since 2012 in a local community in Ghana, and sustained through the COVID-19 pandemic. It first examines microfinance, women’s empowerment and third-sector organizational dynamics. It then provides an overview of microfinance in Ghana within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by dissecting the organization’s microcredit, training and women’s empowerment programmes. The following part documents the findings, with brief concluding thoughts and policy implications appearing in the last section. It is argued here that financial schemes, particularly those operated by third-sector organizations, can play a significant role in helping women in particular to deal with the secondary effects of COVID-19 by providing improved non-financial services and easy access to microfinance at low, sustainable interest rates. These findings have implications for policy formulation and sustainable development.

Pemberdayaan Ekonomi bagi Ibu-Ibu Rusun Penjaringan Sari Surabaya

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the country's economy to experience a negative trend. This is indicated by the decline in the number of people's income, especially MSMEs and small traders. For economic efforts, the Government is trying to move MSMEs back, among others, through Economic Empowerment for Flat Women, especially in the city of Surabaya. The condominium women empowerment program is based on Surabaya Mayor Regulation No. 55/2016 on the regulation, control, empowerment of women and child protection in the city of Surabaya, which provides various kinds of knowledge and knowledge in exploring self-potential that can be used to increase the income of women in flats. The women of flats are vying to increase their income in the midst of the covid pandemic. The women in the flats do not give up and continue to work, producing something useful and generating selling points for their lives and for others. The movement of their small business is not in line with a good production strategy. Therefore, STIESIA Surabaya Lecturers share their knowledge by providing production strategy and business ethics training, which is expected to provide useful values ??that can be used to develop the business of the women in the flats

An intensification of sustainable eco-friendly sisal fiber crafts in healthcare industry

India’s rich cultural diversity and heritage provide a unique and huge resource for developing craft products. India is one of the important suppliers of handicrafts to the world market. The industry is mostly spread in rural and urban areas, highly labor-intensive, and cottage-based decentralized industry. Many artisans, on a part-time basis, are involved in the crafts work. In addition, many Governmental and non-governmental organizations are engaged creating income opportunities for these artisans. Few of them are engaged in women empowerment programs, developing training programs for women to make them self-reliant and independent learners. In today’s world, all are talking about sustainability. Many artisans are engaged in making eco-friendly and sustainable crafts from various natural materials when it comes to handicrafts. Natural fibers play a very important role in the production of the handicraft industry in India. The crafts like baskets, carpets, wall hangings, bottle holders, bags and accessories, home décor items, and many more are made using natural fibers like jute, banana, coir, sisal, bamboo, etc. The present paper will explain the procedures used for manufacturing these crafts using natural Sisal fiber. The data has been collected from various organizations for the process and methods used to manufacture these crafts. Producing a craft using natural material and eco-friendly processes helps in reducing the carbon footprint (the number of greenhouse gases, mostly CO2 released into the atmosphere by any activity) and makes the manufacturing process more environmentally friendly. Many Indian handicrafts and artisans have incorporated the ideology of eco-friendly fashion and contributing to reducing the environmental impact of these handcrafted products. Natural fibers are promoted in large quantities for making handicrafts. The growing popularity of fiber crafts is following the huge demand for Eco-friendly products throughout the world. Fibers extracted from bananas, sisal, Pina, and jute are mainly used to produce crafts.

Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in Violent-conflict Settings: Challenges and Opportunities

Empowering women through entrepreneurship in violent-conflict contexts not only improves socioeconomic welfare of women but also help in restoring peace and social inclusion in society. This paper aims at exploring the challenges and opportunities facing women empowerment through entrepreneurship in violent-conflict contexts. A qualitative research approach is employed for achieving the objective of the study. Data for the study were collected through an in-depth semi-structured interview and participant observation. A total number of twenty-three (23) participants were purposely selected from five different communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria. The major findings of the study revealed that the challenges facing women an entrepreneur in a violent-conflict context is multifaceted and efforts to curtail these challenges also require a comprehensive and all-inclusive approach. The study further revealed that apart from the numerous challenges, violent-conflict environment also presents wide range of opportunities for exploitation. The study recommends that a more gender-sensitive entrepreneurship program is needed to achieve a sustainable peace in violent-conflict settings. Also, the need for adequate orientation for targeted beneficiaries towards achieving purposeful women empowerment programs.

FARMER- HERDER CONFLICTS AND THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC PREDICAMENTS OF WOMEN IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

Farmer-Herder conflicts in North Central Nigeria have been rife since 1999. The emergence, development, and intensity of these clashes are underpinned by socio-economic, religious, and political undertones. Majorly, the area is endowed with fertile land, abundant water, and mineral resources attracting peasant farmers and herders for sustenance. The study made use of both primary and secondary sources. The study discovers that women are a powerful force in agricultural production, processing, and utilisation, and were seriously affected by these conflicts. This is because women have been killed, displaced, raped, and maimed, while their farming activities were truncated leading to joblessness, abject poverty, and food insecurity. Against this background, the study suggests that the government and other humanitarian bodies should focus on women empowerment programmes in North Central Nigeria. While anti-open grazing laws should be enforced in a manner to ensure that both farmers and herders live a symbiotic, resourceful, peaceful, and harmonious life in Central Nigeria.

Household Microenvironment and Under-Fives Health Outcomes in Uganda: Focusing on Multidimensional Energy Poverty and Women Empowerment Indices.

Young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are vulnerable to adverse effects of household microenvironments. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically SDG 3 through 7—urge for a comprehensive multi-sector approach to achieve the 2030 goals. This study addresses gaps in understanding the health effects of household microenvironments in resource-poor settings. It studies associations of household microenvironment variables with episodes of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhoea as well as with stunting among under-fives using logistic regression. Comprehensive data from a nationally representative, cross-sectional demographic and health survey (DHS) in Uganda were analysed. We constructed and applied the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) and the three-dimensional women empowerment index in multi-variate regressions. The multidimensional energy poverty was associated with higher risk of ARI (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.58). Social independence of women was associated with lower risk of ARI (OR= 0.91, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.98), diarrhoea (OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.99), and stunting (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.92). Women’s attitude against domestic violence was also significantly associated with episodes of ARI (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.93) and diarrhoea (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.93) in children. Access to sanitation facilities was associated with lower risk of ARI (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.68), diarrhoea (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.96), and stunting (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.86). Investments targeting synergies in integrated energy and water, sanitation and hygiene, and women empowerment programmes are likely to contribute to the reduction of the burden from early childhood illnesses. Research and development actions in LMICs should address and include multi-sector synergies.

Spatial Differences in Diet Quality and Economic Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Bangladesh: Results from the 2016 Household Income and Expenditure Survey

The study explored the spatial differences in diet quality and economic vulnerability to food insecurity with the association of sociodemographic characteristics at the household level in Bangladesh. This study was a secondary data analysis of Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data of 2016. Both statistical and spatial analyses were applied while assessing diet qualities in terms of the household dietary diversity score (HDDS), percentage of food energy from staples (PFES), and percentage of expenditure on food (PEF) as an indicator of the economic vulnerability to food insecurity (EVFI). The study’s findings revealed that the quality of people’s diets worsened as they moved from urban to rural area, and EVFI increased as they moved from the center to the periphery of the country. Nationally, the average HDDS was about 6.3, and the average PFES per household per day was about 70.4%. The spatial distribution of HDDS and PFES showed that rural regions in terms of settlements and the north, northwest and southeast regions had mostly low diet diversity. Besides, the average PEF per household per day was about 54%, with the highest in Mymensingh (57.4%) and the lowest in Dhaka division (50.2%). The average PEF in the households illustrated was highest in rural (55.2%) and lowest in the city (45.7%). Overall, based on the PEF at the sub-district level, the medium level of vulnerability comprised the highest share (69%) in Bangladesh. Age, gender, literacy, educational qualification and religion of the household’s head along with the number of earners, monthly income, area of settlements and divisions were significantly correlated with HDDS, PFES and EVFI. The study findings suggest that targeted interventions, including access to education, women empowerment and employment generation programs should be implemented in peripheral areas (north, northwest and southeast) to increase diet quality and minimize economic vulnerability to achieve sustainable food and nutrition security in Bangladesh.