An examination of factors influencing empowerment of women in the delivery of pride microfinance services in Bukoto, Nakawa Division, Kampala

Abstract

The study was based on the factors influencing the empowerment of women. This study was conducted in Bukoto. The objectives of the study were to find out the key women empowerment activities/services of pride micro-finance in Bukoto, to inspect the ways through which specific activities/services of Pride Microfinance empower women, to analyze the challenges women in Bukoto face in accessing p ride microfinance activities/services and the sustainable ways to address the challenges women in Bukoto face in accessing specific activities/services of pride microfinance. The researcher employed research case study design and processed to show what existed in pride microfinance. A sample of 40 respondents was selected using simple random sampling technique together with purposive sampling which helped the researcher select the respondents of different categories. The study found out that development of women entrepreneurs, mobilization of women to save, investing in women’s projects, provision of financial services to women are the key women empowerment activities of pride micro-finance in Bukoto the central part of Kampala. Findings also revealed that development of women entrepreneurs encourages women to setup their own business, mobilization of women to save encourages women to gain finance independence, pride holds works for the women and provides them with information on financial management among others these have encouraged women empowerment. On the challenges women face in accessing services from Pride micro finance finding revealed women face a problem of the cost of making each loan cannot be reduced below a certain level while still allowing the lender to cover costs such as offices and staff salaries hence keeping interest loans high for some individuals, there is also lack of funds which is always perceived as the most important problems for pride microfinance institution, financial institutes often do not even have a system to check the person's identity which discourages some women from accessing funds. On the ways through which activities empower women findings revealed that Development of Women Entrepreneurs encourages women to setup their own businesses, Mobilization of women to save encourages women to gain financial independence, Pride Micro Finance holds workshops for the women and provides them with information on financial management. On the viable and sustainable ways to address the challenges findings revealed that the central government should set a lower bank rate to ease loan accessibility from microfinance institutions this prompt MFIs to set low interest rates on loans to encourage borrowing,