CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH CONDUCTED
4.4. A CHIEVEMENTS
increases of 100% or more in terms of being a person with many friends and neighbours, dealing with women feeling isolated and alone, and in terms of being a person involved in community projects, dealing with addressing needs that exist in the immediate community.
SHG members reported a large increase, over 90%, in terms of being a parent who is able to care for all of her children's needs, dealing with the ability to cope with household demands; and over 80% in terms of being a person who is very aware of issues and involved in community action, dealing with awareness-raising amongst women. SHG members also reported increases in terms of whether they saw themselves as being the poorest person in their community (75%), in dealing with being able to view oneself in a more improved economic situation (75%); of being a person with much self-confidence and many skills, in dealing with building the esteem and capacity of women (63%); and of being a person who can make decisions in her home and whose voice is heard, dealing with feeling heard and respected within the household and being able to participate in making decisions in the household (42%).
4.4.2. Household achievements
Secondly, concerning changes to SHG members‟ households. SHG members were asked to rate their own perceptions of changes to their household before joining their SHG and then at the time of the study, with 1 being the lowest score that could be given and 3 the highest score.
Before joining SHG (average score
out of 3)
At the time of the study (average score
out of 3)
% increase from before to
present (average)
Change in household income/month? 1.1 1.6 45%
Change in ability to pay funeral costs? 1.5 1.9 27%
Change in number of meals for children? 2.3 2.8 22%
Change in the health of children? 1.9 2.1 11%
Change in ability to pay school fees? 2.0 2.2 10%
Change in livestock kept at home? 1.0 1.2 10%
Table 9 - Changes in SHG members' perception of benefits to their household from before joining their SHG to the time of the study
Table 9 shows that SHG members indicated positive changes and benefits to their household, again reflecting the perception of being in an improved situation than before joining their SHG almost 30 months before. SHG members reported increases of 100% or more in terms of being a person with many friends and neighbours, dealing with women feeling isolated and alone, and in terms of being a person involved in community projects, dealing with addressing needs that exist in the immediate community.
SHG members reported increases of between 20-45% in terms of the amount of household income received per month, of being able to pay towards funeral costs, and of the number of meals that their children eat daily. SHG members also reported a small increase of around 10% in terms of the health of their children, of their ability to pay school fees, and of keeping livestock at home. Most of the reported benefits to the household were financial or material benefits.
4.4.3. Household power relationship achievements
Thirdly, concerning the support and recognition of SHG members‟ contribution by their husbands/partners. SHG members expressed that their husband‟s response and attitude towards their participation in the SHG had generally been positive and supportive:
“My husband is very supportive - when I tell him what our plans are as a group he often gives helpful ideas for me to bring to the group.”
“Our husbands know that when we get up early for the gardens we work hard for our families.”
“He knows how good these meetings are for me and he sees the benefits to the home so he understands.”
This achievement relates to intra-household power dynamics which some women reported in a positive manner. It is possible though that other women may have had a negative experience and not reported it, relating to issues such as her bringing income into the home or wanting to participate more in decision-making. Unfortunately this study was not able to investigate this issue due to a limited amount of time for the focus group discussion.
4.4.4. Community perception achievements
Fourthly, concerning how other community members viewed the involvement of SHG
“Most never believe in what we are doing and sometimes the things they say can really leave one demotivated, but I don‟t care I just want to do my best.”
“I always say to them that our meetings are for women who want to take charge of their lives and make a difference by just saving a little every week.”
“After a while some tend to see that SHGs work for us, it might seem like we have little to show for it but we know better - who knows maybe one day they will come to us for help.”
“People want to be part of schemes that they can see huge changes and results in a short space of time, ours is a slow process and that doesn‟t appeal to them.”
“Most people want to receive something tangible, they don‟t believe in doing things for yourself so they don‟t really understand what we do, they think it‟s a waste of time.”
Community members were aware of the presence of SHGs in their community and had interacted with SHG members. Although SHG members received mainly negative comments from community members, the women themselves persisted with their group and saw it as an achievement that their group was recognised within the wider community.