Self-directed organizations in rural Kenya : from participation to empowerment

Abstract

In the development field, the current received wisdom is that participation increases the effectiveness and the sustainability of development projects. Unfortunately, participation is not uniformly understood and is often conceptually simplified, so that the complex relationships and social structures within a community as well as resource and knowledge limitations are not recognized as factors in the success or failure of a project. As well, participation processes and their attendant links to empowerment suggest that development projects, rather than focusing exclusively on participatory techniques, should widen their focus to encompass collaborative alternatives which allow for empowerment on a broader scale and grant development recipients the ability to set their own agendas.

This report examines participation and empowerment in self-directed organizations in rural Kenya. Organizational structure and function are described, and empowerment is assessed. It is concluded that empowerment can occur through self-directed development efforts.