The Level of NGO's intervention and Women empowerment in Kitgum town council
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
This particular chapter looks at the Background to the study, the problem statement, the purpose of the study, the study objectives and research questions. It also elaborates the significance of the study, and the scope of the study
1.1 Background of the study
The 1995 Beijing Declaration, the 2000 Millennium Declaration and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002 - 07) have all endorsed comprehensive plans of action to improve the conditions, rights of women and their communities, combat poverty, hunger and ensure the inclusion of women in all efforts at ensuring sustainable development, (Chen et al., 2005).
World Bank Group (1999) noted that in the last decade, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have gained increased attention among scholars and practitioners of development. They have become increasingly important agents of the development process in the countries of the South, in all of their main areas of work such as humanitarian relief, long-term development, policy formation and political advocacy (Attack 1999). On the other hand, there is a current view that NGOs constitute a viable alternative to government as channels of development assistance, particularly in developing countries. Some of the NGOs’ functions and advantages, according to Streeten (1997) are (1) they are good at reaching and mobilizing the poor and remote communities; (2) they have helped to empower poor people to gain control of their lives, and they work with and strengthen local institutions; (3) they carry out projects at lower costs and more efficiently than the government agencies and (4) they have promoted sustainable development.
According to Friedman (1992), promoting empowerment is of particular interest to some NGOs working with poor women. Although four decades of development (1950-90) yielded important benefits to women, significant gender gaps still remain. Improvements in women's
1.0 Introduction
This particular chapter looks at the Background to the study, the problem statement, the purpose of the study, the study objectives and research questions. It also elaborates the significance of the study, and the scope of the study
1.1 Background of the study
The 1995 Beijing Declaration, the 2000 Millennium Declaration and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002 - 07) have all endorsed comprehensive plans of action to improve the conditions, rights of women and their communities, combat poverty, hunger and ensure the inclusion of women in all efforts at ensuring sustainable development, (Chen et al., 2005).
World Bank Group (1999) noted that in the last decade, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have gained increased attention among scholars and practitioners of development. They have become increasingly important agents of the development process in the countries of the South, in all of their main areas of work such as humanitarian relief, long-term development, policy formation and political advocacy (Attack 1999). On the other hand, there is a current view that NGOs constitute a viable alternative to government as channels of development assistance, particularly in developing countries. Some of the NGOs’ functions and advantages, according to Streeten (1997) are (1) they are good at reaching and mobilizing the poor and remote communities; (2) they have helped to empower poor people to gain control of their lives, and they work with and strengthen local institutions; (3) they carry out projects at lower costs and more efficiently than the government agencies and (4) they have promoted sustainable development.
According to Friedman (1992), promoting empowerment is of particular interest to some NGOs working with poor women. Although four decades of development (1950-90) yielded important benefits to women, significant gender gaps still remain. Improvements in women's