CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Since we are talking about Women’s Groups and socio-economic Development, we must first understand what a group is all about. What then is a group? In one sense, a group is defined as another and shares a common aim and goals together. This is a very broad definition because it includes groups of all sizes, from dyads to whole societies.

Aspects that members of the group share the same interest, value, ethnic or linguistic background roles and kinship. one way of determined   if a collection of people can be considered a group is if individuals who belong to that collection use the self-referent pronoun”we”.using “we” refers to a collection of people

Using “we “often implies that the collection thinks of itself as a greoup.Examples of groups include families , companies,, circles of friends, clubs local religious congregations.

In a sociological term, we distinguish between two types of groups based upon their characteristics. A primary group (typically a small social group whose members share closes personal, enduring relationships and are marked by concern for one another, shared activities and culture, and long periods of time spent together.) meanwhile a secondary group has large group members whose relationships are impersonal and goal- orientated. This distinction between primary and secondary groups was proposed by Charles Horton Cooley (197-47)

Talking basically about groups such as women’s group which are so many in Cameroon, one out of the many named the Roots and Tubers common initiative group Kumbo captured my interest of study. What motivates primary women groups like that of Kumbo Women Union to seek out one another really revolves around a few key issues. Women are really looking to find other women who are facing similar professional challenges. They are seeking advice from one anther they are looking for collegiality, and they are looking for people who are clearly with the same kinds of issues. That kind of connection makes them feel less alone in the organization and that they are part of a broader community to which they can turn for advice, support, counsel, mentors and role models.

These aspects of women’s group has made many African development policies and Western donor agencies in recent years to direct their attention towards the develop empowerment of women especially those in rural areas and their importance to the national economy.

It should be noted that the contribution of women to the development of their families and communities are extremely large. In Cameroon for example, they make up more communities than half of the country’s population and about 80% of agricultural food crop labour force.

In Cameroon for example, these groups are known as “Njangi Groups”. The aims of such groups are to provide financial assistance, socio-economic purposes as well as labour co-operatives. Collaborative work is really applicable to communities or the household level of production in order to increase output and reduce work load on individual women farmers. And it engages in different activities ranging from food crop production to the keeping of livestock around their homes.

1.2 Statement of Problem

In a general term, women play an important role in rural development through their co-operative and group activities. Most communities work such as co-operative farming, construction of houses and schools, community’s halls and churches are dependent on women’s labour. Despite the lack of statistics, it is clear that the contributions of women to both domestic and economic life of their communities are constantly undervalued. This is due to the fact that women’s needs are usually neglected in the allocation of resources, investments, credits, training and technology. From their roles, women are the most important managers of society’s resources. In Cameroon for example, they form 80% of the agricultural labour force but their production is greatly hindered by the above factors and this has an impact on their development.

Women’s Group like that of the root and Tuber Common Initiative Group Kumbo is  not less known in Cameroon and this constrains women’s access to collective resources that come from donor agencies

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objectives of this study are to find out the influence of communities based organizations like that of the Roots and Tubers Common Initiative Group, Kumbo on Women’s socio-economic development.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this research are;

1. To know the reasons for the formulation and objectives of the group.
2. To identify the group’s sources of finance and its collaboration with N.G.O’s or other groups.
3. To identify the kind of farm products they produce.
4. To find out the various activities carried out in the group.
5. To identify the problems faced by the women.
6. To provide possible proposals on how groups could solve their problems.

Check Out: Gender Studies Project Topics with Materials