Rural Women’s Cooperatives and Family Standard of Living in Rwanda: A case of Urugero Cooperative in Gatsibo District.
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Date
2014
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Kabale University
Abstract
The study aimed at establishing the socio-economic impact of rural women cooperatives on the family standards of living in Rwanda taking URUGERO Cooperative in Gatsibo District as case study. The study was guided by three specific objectives namely: to study how women cooperatives’ support to farming has improved food production, family nutrition and food security, to explore the role of family and political education supported by cooperatives in women empowerment, community harmony and more accountability by public and community leaders and to investigate the relationship between increase of family assets and rural women’s cooperatives’ support to agriculture, trading and family education in Gatsibo district. The study was both qualitative and quantitative in nature. It used questionnaire and interview guide to collect primary data from the field. Both simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used in the study. It was found that most of the respondents involved in cooperative activities in the study area were in land tillage growing crops. It was further established that URUGERO women’s cooperative and all associated rural women’s cooperatives operating in the study area had recorded success in relation to their objectives. Finally, the study also found out that some measures had to be put in place towards encouraging creation of rural women’s cooperatives in order to enhance woman’s participation in the economic development of the country. These measures include better education of a rural women, empowerment and advocating, etc. Various recommendations were drawn, namely the need for government contribution to facilitate financially low investors, to establish a detailed set of policies and guidelines that should be followed for a better success in business, and especially to help women’s cooperatives get credit facilities and market for their products.
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Keywords
Rural Women’s Cooperatives, Family Standard of Living