This study was undertaken in order to determine the contribution of the Chogoria Hospital's health education programme to the development of women in the Meru communities of the Kenyan highlands. The research was designed within the framework of the Gender And Development theory, focussing on the social structures and relations underlying women's development needs. The objectives were based on a review of the literature. Field research was then conducted over a three month period in Chogoria, Kenya. The research was based in ethnographic methodology, consisting of participant observation and interviews. The study found that the programme contributes to and perpetuates the traditional social structures and relations of Meru society, including the dominance of men over women. The programme's approach to participatory development was found to empower the existing power structure of Meru communities, obscure the development needs of women and increase their burdens of labour and responsibility. The study offers several recommendations to enable the CHD to better meet the needs of Meru women. The recommendations address the following issues: the commitment of the CHD to the empowerment of the community, of volunteers and of women; the role of dialogue and education about women, their potential and possibilities; the alleviation of women's burdens of labour and responsibilities; the placement of women's health and development at the centre of the CHD agenda; and the training of CHD staff in the full spectrum of community participatory development.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-110). / v, 110 leaves, bound 29 cm

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (LL.M.). / Written for the Institute of Comparative Law. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2009/06/17). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Admin.) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [424]-437).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Nov. 25, 2008). PDF text: xi, 165 p. : ill. ; 1 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3311306. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-161). Print copy also available.

High population growth rates, shrinking budgets, and urban migration are some of the factors that have led to an increase in demand for jobs in South Africa. This demand cannot be met by the formal enterprise sector and many job seekers have to be absorbed in the informal sector. With many people being unemployed it is important that they be helped to regain their self-esteem by being economically active. When people are economically active it leads to their empowerment and they are able to address their needs. Abbey (1999:3) indicates that strategies to combat poverty must concentrate on ensuring empowerment and creating opportunities for the poor. The informal sector consists of a large mass of the excluded such as women, the illiterate, the voiceless and the unrepresented. The people in this sector tend to lack the infrastructure, technical and managerial expertise or knowledge, financial resources, transportation and information that would make them successful. The informal sector plays a very important role in addressing the unemployment crisis and alleviating poverty for the majority of people in South Africa. Support for the informal sector can be through micro-lenders who can help finance the poor when formal lending institutions are not able to assist them (Kirsten, van Zyl and Vink, 1998:13). Women and children are the most vulnerable groups when it comes to poverty. The informal sector could help them become organised small entrepreneurs to enable them to provide a decent living for themselves and their families. But for many women it is difficult to find credit institutions that can help them to start their own businesses. Some of the reasons could be that they do not have a credit record, are unemployed and do not have collateral when they apply for credit. Micro-lenders can be of help as they are at times able to provide credit to groups of people who are not able to obtain credit from formal institutions to start their own businesses (Russell, 1995:33). This study was undertaken because research on the determinants of rural poverty emanates from the increasing concern to understand the reasons for the failure of development strategies in many Third World countries to reduce mass poverty. The living standards of the majority of the rural population in the Third World have failed to improve. In many countries there has been deterioration in their living standards, especially among the lower income groups. This has happened not only in countries where no significant growth in per capita income was achieved, but also in those countries or areas where growth has been rapid (Elkan, 1988:175). Increased poverty has been accompanied by increased under-utilisation of human labour. Development literature, on the whole, does not provide satisfactory explanations for this phenomenon. This has contributed to a failure to design and implement appropriate strategies and policies (Kirsten, van Zyl and Vink, 1998:11). Economists have been working on economic strategies for decades. The main purpose has been to tackle the issue of poverty by addressing the economic evils of the world. But despite all the impressive efforts by economists, politicians and other experts in different disciplines, the majority of the world's population continues to be trapped in absolute poverty: a condition of life characterised by diseases, illiteracy, high infant mortality, squalid surroundings and low life expectancy (Kirsten, van Zyl and Vink, 1998:14). / Prof. C.S. van der Waal

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Following South Africa's independence from apartheid rule, there has been progressive developments in policies that promote equity in all spheres including the water sector. Equality in the water sector is not only limited to water access, but also management of the water. This study investigated the factors that empower women in the water sector as an example of gender equity. / South Africa