Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents many challenges for parents and service providers. Unfortunately, there are limited examples of parent-mediated interventions for parents of children with ASD that can help manage behavioral problems, especially those that can be implemented in both urban and rural communities. COMPASS for Hope (C-HOPE) is an 8-week parent-mediated intervention that enhances parent knowledge, behavior management skills, and supportive strategies. Telehealth-based interventions can be especially effective for rural communities due to its ability to address common barriers of geographic location and lack of resources. When implementing this intervention, the ability to decrease child problem behaviors as well as increase parental activation, self-management, perceived competence, and knowledge are essential to determine the efficacy of this treatment. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate these outcomes in the implementation of C-HOPE via telehealth in rural versus urban communities. 20 parents with children from 3-12 years of age with a diagnosis of ASD were sampled from two rural sites and two urban sites in Kentucky. Few differences were noted between the participants in the rural versus urban group at pre-treatment. Following C-HOPE, in the urban area, there were significant treatment effects in parent knowledge outcomes. In the rural areas, a significant effect was found in change of parent self-management skills of toileting issues. Future directions for telehealth treatments for this population are discussed. / M.S. / ASD is a developmental disorder that presents many challenges for parents and providers. Unfortunately, there are limited behavioral treatment options for parents of children with ASD, especially those that can be utilized in both urban and rural communities. COMPASS for Hope (C-HOPE) is a parent intervention that improves parent knowledge, management, and supportive strategies. Technology-based interventions can be especially effective for rural communities due to its ability to address barriers of geographic location and lack of resources. In this intervention, the ability to decrease child problem behaviors as well as increase parental activation, self-management, competence, and knowledge are essential for this treatment to be effective. The current study evaluates these outcomes in C-HOPE using technology in rural versus urban communities. 20 parents with children with ASD, ranging from 3-12 years of age, were sampled from rural and urban areas in Kentucky. Few differences were noted between the participants in the rural versus urban group before treatment. After treatment, in the urban area, there were significant effects in parent knowledge outcomes. In the rural areas, a significant effect was found in change of parent self-management skills. Future directions for technology treatments for this population are discussed.

Many historians have presented the narrative of Canada’s Second World War experience as a “good” war. Individuals and communities came together in patriotism and a common purpose to furnish the national war effort with military manpower, labour, financial contributions, and voluntary efforts. As the dark years of the Great Depression gave way to unprecedented levels of industrial and economic growth, falling unemployment rates, increased urbanization, and a wealth of social programs, Canada’s future was bright. However, this optimistic picture is not representative of Canada as a whole. Some regions fared better than others, and industrial Cape Breton was one of those that benefited the least from the opportunities presented by the war. Glace Bay, Cape Breton’s largest mining town and long-time hotbed of industrial strife and labour radicalism, serves as an ideal case study of the region’s largely unprofitable and unchanging wartime experience. Long plagued by poverty, poor living conditions, and underdeveloped industry, and desperately seeking to break free of its destitution, Glace Bay tried and failed to take advantage of wartime opportunities for industrial diversification and local improvement.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / William H. Meredith Jr / Walter R. Schumm / This study addresses a social capital literature that has mostly targeted a White majority population in the United States. Hispanic audiences, especially new immigrant populations, have not been primary survey respondents in most studies. Information about the social connectedness of minorities has come from secondary sources. The goal of this study was to understand to what extent Hispanic, compared to Anglo, families in rural Kansas experienced different levels of social capital in terms of social connectedness and community involvement. This study was done in English and Spanish in order to reach the under-represented population. According to political scientist, Robert Putnam (2000), it is through experiences of face-to-face interaction with those from different backgrounds that people learn to trust each other. Connections create networks that allow social trust to spread throughout society. At the individual level, there has been strong, consistent evidence that social connectedness has positive consequences. Individuals have the capacity and the choice to build their social connectedness and community engagement. Then those assets can be shared with the collective; be it family, organization, community, state, or country. When individuals have access to networks of supportive and accepting associates, it can generate an array of personal and societal benefits that include preventing or overcoming illness, preventing crime, mitigating poverty, addressing racial inequalities, supporting child development, improving health, and addressing other social ills. When one builds a stock of personal relationships and other social connections from which he or she can call upon in times of need, it is called social capital. This study, in part, assessed social connectedness and community engagement of people in Southwest County, a rural location in Southwest Kansas which has a 30% Hispanic population. Surveys were sent to selected households in English and Spanish, and two small focus groups were conducted in the two languages. Statistical analyses indicated support for the hypotheses when the independent variables gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and community longevity were analyzed with dependent variables made up of scaled items to measure social connectedness and community engagement. Race/ethnicity, education, and income appeared to be the strongest predictors of social connectedness and community engagement. Implications of the results are discussed.

The electricity sector around the world is significantly changing towards the adoption of cleaner energy sources and its implementation through distributed generation technologies. The need to expand rural electrification to reduce energy poverty and the trends in decentralizing power generation are becoming major drivers of change. In Mexico, there are very few comprehensive studies on energy use and its impact on rural livelihoods. Energy studies in the development literature tend to analyze livelihoods that do not have access to modern energy services, and do not take into account that many rural communities, although connected to the grid, still may be considered energy poor. This research presents findings of current livelihood conditions of three rural communities in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, in the context of livelihood diversification and energy poverty. This paper also presents a feasibility study for the development of a community energy model that will fulfill energy and vegetable intake requirements for each community analyzed. Results show that these communities can potentially improve their livelihood conditions through the implementation of what this research calls a Community Integrated Sustainable Energy (CISE) model by reducing energy poverty and food insecurity. By adopting a CISE model, communities will become healthier by becoming supporters of energy conservation and energy efficiency strategies. The adoption of this community energy model will also encourage climate change mitigation by increasing resilience to vulnerable communities through enhancing food and energy security. The aim of this research is to inform stakeholders (including policy makers, urban planners, and community members themselves) of the current status of Chihuahua's communities and to start a dialogue in Mexico about engaging in a community-led, clean energy project that would generate electricity for those communities while preserving rural livelihoods.

O autor estuda o impacto da operação de postos rurais com utilização de pessoal auxiliar de formação elementar, em três comunidades isoladas no interior do Estado de Goiás - Brasil. As comunidades tinham entre 120 e 352 habitantes e distavam entre 58 e 67 km da sede do município. Fo raro realizados inqueritos \"antes\" e \"depois\", com intervalo de 1 ano e seis meses entre ambos. Uma quarta comunidade serviu de testemunho, na qual, no entanto, somente foi possível realizar o inquérito \"depois\". O inquérito aplicado envolvia a coleta de dados referentes a informações sobre cada membro da família, habitação, saúde, trabalho e relações de vizinhança, e foi idealizado por pessoal com experiência no local, tendo em vista o uso de termos regionais e sua aplicação pelo auxiliar rural. As conclusões são no sentido da impossibilidade de se avaliarem indicadores tradicionais de saúde num grupo de comunidades tão pequenas; de que houve modificação no padrão declarado de utilização de serviços, com diminuição da procura de serviços na sede do município pelas gestantes e principalmente, por parte da população em geral; e de que houve diminuição da procura do sistema informal de saúde (curandeiros e rezadores). Os resultados com relação à vacinação foram modestos face a escassez de imunizantes na região à época do estudo. Houve aumento do grau de informação com relação à saúde nas três comunidades. Houve melhora da qualidade da habitação, principalmente devido à construção de privadas higiênicas (fossas secas). Além do incremento acentuado na formação de hortas domésticas houve modificações da vida comunitária não previstas no projeto, que foram: aparente diminuição dos hábitos de mascar e aspirar fumo, incremento na proporção de famílias possuidoras de rádio e, principalmente, aumento de sua utilização como meio de obter informações de fora da comunidade e ainda aumento da frequência das viagens. Se estas modificações puderem ser atribuídas de fato à presença do atendente rural, o que parece possível, estaremos diante de um processo de modernização da comunidade, desencadeado pela presença do posto rural. Não foram identificados efeitos negativos da operação do posto. Especialmente a duração do período de amamentação (mediana em torno de 6 meses) foi mantida. O modelo de investigação parece ser passível de ser aplicado em outros serviços rurais do interior do país a custos muito baixos. O trabalho contém ainda breve resenha histórica da utilização de pessoal auxiliar em atendimento primário de saúde, especialmente em áreas rurais. / This paper describes the evaluation of the impact of health stations services on three isolated small villages in the Brasilian Amazon Region (State of Goiás). The communities, located 58 to 67 km from the town of Porto Nacional, by the Tocantins River, had between 120 and 352 inhabitants. A fourth village vas included in the study as a control group. A survey was performed \"before\" and \"after\" within a year and a half time span, but due to circumstancial reasons, it was only possible to conduct an \"after\" survey in the control community. The surveys were constituted of a questionnaire which gathered personal data of each family member, housing conditions, health patterns, working and neighborhood relations. They were designed by local experienced technicians, including regional language (idioms) and the feasibility of interview by tbe health aide. Conclusions are established in terms of evaluation impossibility of the traditional health indicators in tiny communities like the ones which were observed and in such a short time span. Clear changes were observed in the stated patterns of health services utilization, including a decrease in the town medical and public health services demand by pregnant women and mainly by the general population and a decrease of demand on the communities informal health system (healers, herbalists). The vaccination program showed modest results due to lack of the immunizants in the region at that period. In all three experimental communities, an increase in the health knowledge and housing quality scores was observed. The latter was related chiefly to the construction of privies. Besides an improvement also in the cultivation of backyard gardens, some unplanned effects upon the communities vere observed: (1) a descrease in proportion of adults chewing and sniffing tobacco, although the \"modern\" habit of smoking didn\'t suffer any modification (2) increase in radio set ownership and its utilization as a news-gathering device (instead of the \"traditional\" source - travelling neighbors) and (3) increase in the frequency of trips outside the community. lf, in fact, these modifications can be related to the presence of the rural bealth atation, as is seems probable. they could be identified as a \"modernization pattern\" of population practices under the action of the primary health worker. Although searched for undesirable results of the aides\' action were not identified. Particularly the breast-feeding period was maintained or slightly increased. The author concludes recommending the convenience of the research model for utilization in similar situations because cf the survey\'s applicability by auxiliary personnel and its remarcably low cost. The paper includes also brief historieal and theoretical comments on auxiliary-health personnel utilization in primary health care delivery systems specially in rural areas.

O presente trabalho constitui uma investigação teórica e etnográfica dos significados variados e diversos atribuídos aos direitos de reconhecimento entre quatro comunidades da porção continental de Cananéia, no litoral sul paulista, envolvidas em mobilizações enquanto comunidades remanescentes de quilombo ou comunidades tradicionais. Parte-se de uma análise sobre a dimensão normativo-conceitual dos direitos de reconhecimento: suas categorias, referenciais e sentidos prevalentes, resultantes das disputas políticas e conceituais que permearam a inscrição de seus enunciados e regulamentações. A seguir, a tese se volta a uma contextualização histórica e social da formação dos bairros de Mandira, Ex-Colônia, Taquari e Santa Maria, dentre os processos mais gerais que conformam o cenário rural da Baixada do Ribeira, mas também a partir de suas origens específicas. Especial atenção é dedicada aos eventos de aguda transformação das relações territoriais dos grupos, com a chegada maciça de grileiros e das regulações do meio-ambiente que põem em risco a própria continuidade de seus territórios e também motivam a conformação das comunidades como agentes políticos coletivos mobilizados por direitos. Apesar destas características mais gerais que são comuns às localidades pesquisadas, as narrativas dos agentes revelam como, em cada comunidade, as percepções quanto à passagem dos direitos de herança para a moldura coletiva prevista pelo reconhecimento do direito quilombola são atravessadas por modulações e disputas específicas, que podem desafiar tanto as categorias legais quanto os sentidos privilegiados e mobilizados pelos movimentos que agregam as comunidades em torno da luta por direitos. Além disso, os engajamentos em torno do reconhecimento, em cada comunidade, também respondem ao estado tênue e dinâmico das relações de sociabilidade local, e não podem ser desvinculados das questões que afastam ou aproximam famílias, repõem pertencimentos e atualizam a todo momento os limites das comunidades, a partir das avaliações morais que situam as ações e reputações dos agentes. Deste modo, da perspectiva dos agentes locais, os significados assumidos pelos direitos de reconhecimento respondem tanto ao conjunto de experiências compartilhadas de desrespeito que criam as condições para as mobilizações coletivas, como também ao quadro dinâmico de uma economia local do respeito, a partir da qual pessoas, famílias e parentes manejam suas questões e articulam disposições diversas em relação à luta por direitos reivindicados pelas comunidades. Tal diversidade de significados permite entrever como os agentes locais podem interpretar direitos e disputar demandas de reconhecimento de maneiras criativas e imprevistas pelas categorias legais, a partir de motivos morais que não podem ser meramente reduzidos ao predicado da (falta de) conscientização. Assim, as elaborações locais instigam à articulação de interpretações cada vez mais expansivas e abrangentes na formulação dos direitos de reconhecimento por parte da lei e do Estado. / This is a theoretical and ethnographic research on the various meanings that can be assigned to the rights to recognition among four rural communities in Cananéia (a coastal town in the south of São Paulo state, in Brazil), as they mobilize for their rights as quilombos or traditional communities. We start by analizing the normative-conceptual aspects of the right s to recognition as such: their prevailing categories, references and legal meanings, which result from the political and conceptual debates underlying their legal and regulatory status. A historical and social contextualization about the four localities Mandira, Ex-Colonia, Taquari and Santa Maria follows, in which not only their common processes but also their specific historical origins are considered. We give special attention to the transforming events that impact the groups territorial relations, such as the arrival of land grabbers and the imposition of environmental restrictions. Such events risk the very integrity of their territories, but they also motivate the upcoming of the communities as collective political agents striving for their rights. Notwithstanding these general features, in each community, the change from costumary inheritance rights to the collective property framework, as predicted by the quilombolas right to recognition, suggests new, specific disputes, that defy both the legal categories and the prevailing meanings mobilized by the social movements which aggregate communities in the struggle for their rights. Besides, in each community people and families engage in the struggle in different ways, as they respond to the dynamic state of local social relations and issues, which can bring together or weaken family bonds, modify the conditions of belonging to the community, as people evaluate the actions and reputations of one another. Thus, from a local perspective, the meanings implied in the rights to recognition consider both the shared disrespectful experiences which enable agentes to mobilize collectively and the dynamic state of the local economy of respect, which is assessed by people, family and relatives in managing their issues and setting their varying dispositions towards each communitys struggle for rights. These various, disputed meanings allow us to observe how local agents can interpret and elaborate upon morally motivated demands for rights which are creative and unexpected in the framework of legal categories. Therefore, local settings imply the need for more extensive interpretations regarding the rights to recognition, both on the legal formulations and the corresponding state policies.

Essa dissertação estuda as práticas culturais que transformam a paisagem das comunidades rurais Buracada, Santa Catarina e Pedra Alta, localizadas nos municípios de Muriaé e Rosário da Limeira na Zona da Mata de Minas Gerais. Paisagem é compreendida nesse trabalho como a expressão da interação de elementos construídos e não-construídos, e entre estes, os homens. Adotamos uma abordagem cultural da paisagem e a consideramos como em constante transformação. Buscamos na antropologia contribuições metodológicas para embasar o trabalho de campo e a interpretação da paisagem estudada. Nossa pesquisa de campo criou, através do relacionamento com um núcleo familiar, uma rede de interlocutores que nos auxiliou no processo de conhecimento dessas transformações. Para construir nossa interpretação aliamos nossas descrições aos relatos dos comunitários e a experiência de campo. Identificamos elementos na paisagem e procedemos com investigações sobre os mesmos, a fim de reunir conhecimento sobre o conjunto de práticas culturais locais que consideramos determinantes na transformação da paisagem. Compreender essas práticas culturais mais determinantes abre um caminho de continuidade para outras reconstruções. / This dissertation studies the cultural practices, which transform the landscape of the rural communities Buracada, Santa Catarina and Pedra Alta located in Muriaé and Rosário da Limeira municipalities, Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais State. Landscape is understood as an expression of the interaction between constructed and nonconstructed elements, men included. Investigates the landscape through a cultural perspective and considers it to be in constant transformation. Methodological contributions from anthropology consolidate our fieldwork and landscape interpretation. Creating a network within the communities\' population facilitated our investigation of these transformations. Our interpretation is based with the combination of our descriptions, interviews and fieldwork experience. Identifies landscape elements and proceeds with investigations on them to gather knowledge about the local cultural practices which we consider most determining of the landscape transformation. To comprehend these practices create the possibility of further reconstructions.

O autor estuda o impacto da operação de postos rurais com utilização de pessoal auxiliar de formação elementar, em três comunidades isoladas no interior do Estado de Goiás - Brasil. As comunidades tinham entre 120 e 352 habitantes e distavam entre 58 e 67 km da sede do município. Fo raro realizados inqueritos \"antes\" e \"depois\", com intervalo de 1 ano e seis meses entre ambos. Uma quarta comunidade serviu de testemunho, na qual, no entanto, somente foi possível realizar o inquérito \"depois\". O inquérito aplicado envolvia a coleta de dados referentes a informações sobre cada membro da família, habitação, saúde, trabalho e relações de vizinhança, e foi idealizado por pessoal com experiência no local, tendo em vista o uso de termos regionais e sua aplicação pelo auxiliar rural. As conclusões são no sentido da impossibilidade de se avaliarem indicadores tradicionais de saúde num grupo de comunidades tão pequenas; de que houve modificação no padrão declarado de utilização de serviços, com diminuição da procura de serviços na sede do município pelas gestantes e principalmente, por parte da população em geral; e de que houve diminuição da procura do sistema informal de saúde (curandeiros e rezadores). Os resultados com relação à vacinação foram modestos face a escassez de imunizantes na região à época do estudo. Houve aumento do grau de informação com relação à saúde nas três comunidades. Houve melhora da qualidade da habitação, principalmente devido à construção de privadas higiênicas (fossas secas). Além do incremento acentuado na formação de hortas domésticas houve modificações da vida comunitária não previstas no projeto, que foram: aparente diminuição dos hábitos de mascar e aspirar fumo, incremento na proporção de famílias possuidoras de rádio e, principalmente, aumento de sua utilização como meio de obter informações de fora da comunidade e ainda aumento da frequência das viagens. Se estas modificações puderem ser atribuídas de fato à presença do atendente rural, o que parece possível, estaremos diante de um processo de modernização da comunidade, desencadeado pela presença do posto rural. Não foram identificados efeitos negativos da operação do posto. Especialmente a duração do período de amamentação (mediana em torno de 6 meses) foi mantida. O modelo de investigação parece ser passível de ser aplicado em outros serviços rurais do interior do país a custos muito baixos. O trabalho contém ainda breve resenha histórica da utilização de pessoal auxiliar em atendimento primário de saúde, especialmente em áreas rurais. / This paper describes the evaluation of the impact of health stations services on three isolated small villages in the Brasilian Amazon Region (State of Goiás). The communities, located 58 to 67 km from the town of Porto Nacional, by the Tocantins River, had between 120 and 352 inhabitants. A fourth village vas included in the study as a control group. A survey was performed \"before\" and \"after\" within a year and a half time span, but due to circumstancial reasons, it was only possible to conduct an \"after\" survey in the control community. The surveys were constituted of a questionnaire which gathered personal data of each family member, housing conditions, health patterns, working and neighborhood relations. They were designed by local experienced technicians, including regional language (idioms) and the feasibility of interview by tbe health aide. Conclusions are established in terms of evaluation impossibility of the traditional health indicators in tiny communities like the ones which were observed and in such a short time span. Clear changes were observed in the stated patterns of health services utilization, including a decrease in the town medical and public health services demand by pregnant women and mainly by the general population and a decrease of demand on the communities informal health system (healers, herbalists). The vaccination program showed modest results due to lack of the immunizants in the region at that period. In all three experimental communities, an increase in the health knowledge and housing quality scores was observed. The latter was related chiefly to the construction of privies. Besides an improvement also in the cultivation of backyard gardens, some unplanned effects upon the communities vere observed: (1) a descrease in proportion of adults chewing and sniffing tobacco, although the \"modern\" habit of smoking didn\'t suffer any modification (2) increase in radio set ownership and its utilization as a news-gathering device (instead of the \"traditional\" source - travelling neighbors) and (3) increase in the frequency of trips outside the community. lf, in fact, these modifications can be related to the presence of the rural bealth atation, as is seems probable. they could be identified as a \"modernization pattern\" of population practices under the action of the primary health worker. Although searched for undesirable results of the aides\' action were not identified. Particularly the breast-feeding period was maintained or slightly increased. The author concludes recommending the convenience of the research model for utilization in similar situations because cf the survey\'s applicability by auxiliary personnel and its remarcably low cost. The paper includes also brief historieal and theoretical comments on auxiliary-health personnel utilization in primary health care delivery systems specially in rural areas.

Through our research, interactions, and experiences as teacher educators with young children and their families, various types of family support are provided in the teaching and learning processes in rural communities. A common theme reported within the landscape of rural communities is to connect families and their children with schools that use effective community partnerships and collaborations. Cheatham and Santos (2011) claims that, “a critical component in increasing parental involvement is effective collaboration between teacher and family” (p. 76). Across the nation, usual requests for parental and collaborative support in most school environments takes on a variety of forms – from parent teacher conferences, school governance actions, school program events, volunteering, and an endless number of other engaging activities. In remote and underserved areas, “Rural schools can provide an important social and cultural function for the area’s residents as well, drawing community members together from a wide geographic area” (Corrigan, 2013, p.49). On the other end of the spectrum, schools in rural communities often have inadequate technology usage, lack instructional resources, and the inability to disseminate information in a timely manner on issues concerning education, healthcare, economic development and sustainability, and limited professional development for teachers and parents. In 2017, the College of Education at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, partnered with “North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation” to financially support 10 pre-service teacher candidates as summer interns. The interns completed 10 weeks of service learning experiences in rural and underserved communities. The overarching goals for the interns was to develop service learning immersion experiences and produce authentic artifacts for children and families with support from various community agencies in rural and underserved counties across North Carolina. The conceptual framework for this collaborative service learning internship program consisted of three methodology phases: Phase I. Orientation and Leadership for the Future. A leadership team provided orientation sessions for all participants and selected the interns and different educational partners from various rural environments. Phase II. Service Learning Immersion Experiences with Blended Research Activities. Interns developed service learning immersion plans and implemented a series of intentional service and research experiences based on the needs of schools serving families, children and community agencies. The interns utilized technology and evidence-base activities to meet the project’s goals. Each intern had a mentor that supervised the diverse service immersion and research-blended experiences. Phase III. Leadership Reflections and Next Steps. Interns and community partners assessed and evaluated the program effectiveness by means of surveys, questionnaires’ and follow-up discussions. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data was disseminated and the interns engaged in reflective presentations in their field of study. This presentation provides alternative strategies which focus on a teacher education internship program using service learning immersion experiences with established community partnerships specifically with schools and educational organizations in rural communities. This presentation also illustrates interns producing high quality service learning artifacts including technology-based products relative to student attendance, parents’ professional development, food pantries, summer backpacks and wellness initiatives to support the family and children needs in the community.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Rural areas of South Africa are characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty resulting from lack of economic infrastructure. This led to the initiation of the Comprehensive Rural Development (CRDP) in 2009 to address poverty and lack of development in rural areas. Infrastructure provision to rural communities was identified as one of the main priorities of government. It was piloted in Muyexe village of Limpopo Province due to its lack of basic infrastructural services. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact made to cooperatives through the utilization of the infrastructures in terms of income generation and poverty alleviation. It also aimed at determining how sustainable the programme will be in the long-term. The key research questions asked were to determine if infrastructure provision could contribute to poverty alleviation and to determine how sustainable such programmes may be. Again, the study had to evaluate how the programme was implemented, to identify challenges faced and the gaps. It also recommends the solutions for future implementation of the programme. The study used a quantitative survey questionnaire which was administered to 30 beneficiaries of the projects. The findings of the study revealed that infrastructure for farming, brick laying, arts and craft and cosmetics manufacturing were provided to the cooperatives depending on their needs. The infrastructure provision programme contributed to improving the working conditions of the cooperatives but the impact made in terms of job creation, income generation, improving livelihoods and poverty alleviation is limited to a number of households. The programme had loopholes during its implementation due to lack of integration between the spheres of government and also lack of proper consultation. Cooperatives are still faced with a high challenge of lack of infrastructure because the infrastructure supplied was insufficient. The study recommends that proper consultation must be done to ensure that there is maximum participation by all concerned stake holders including the community. Effective mechanisms for training, supervision and designing of monitoring tools must also be done. Due to time, a larger sample could not be done and future research needs to be undertaken on a lager sample and also on the management of infrastructure provided to ensure that there is accountability amongst cooperatives.