Abstract

Women hold a crucial position in the growth of a nation and account for over half of the global population. Therefore, they cannot be overlooked by developmental initiatives and strategies. Worldwide, development programs strive to enhance women’s empowerment, viewing women as primary beneficiaries with the goal of advancing their livelihoods and empowerment.

In Cameroon, similar to other African nations, the initiatives of development organizations and NGOs are largely focused on achieving women’s empowerment. However, there is limited information regarding the types of activities and their combinations, as well as the domains and levels of empowerment attained through these development initiatives. Frequently, women are entirely excluded and not regarded as primary targets and beneficiaries of these initiatives.

Consequently, the needs of women are rarely addressed by certain development projects. This research therefore investigates the impact of development projects on the empowerment of rural women in the Kumba City Council (KCC). The study employs a descriptive research methodology and utilizes a questionnaire along with an interview guide as tools to gather data. Purposive and stratified sampling techniques were utilized to select 130 participants for the research.

According to the findings, the primary targets of KCC projects are disadvantaged rural women, children, and men. Additionally, the research findings indicate that the main activities of KCC include training in business competencies and capacity development, as well as providing microcredit to women for starting new businesses or expanding existing ones. KCC also offers education to women on issues concerning women’s rights and organizes workshops and seminars focused on home management.

The study also observed that domestic violence, limited access to land and limited access to decision making are key challenges of rural women. Using the Longwe’s and Rowland’s framework, the study revealed that rural women in the Municipality were empowered up to the level of welfare and access and little or no empowerment at the level of control .In sum, Kumba City Council (KCC) projects are generic and little emphasis has been given to the rural women’s needs. The study recommends that emphasis should be placed on the education of the girl child which will enhance and improve the participation of rural women in the decision-making process.

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