An assessment of some community development projects and their challenges as they affect rural women socio-economic empowerment: The case of Amahlathi Local Municipality, South Africa

The study aimed at ascertaining the effect of socio-economic empowerment as a poverty alleviation tool for rural women in Amahlathi Local Municipality. A further aspect of the study was to explore how (CDPs) have made lives better for the rural female beneficiaries of Amahlathi Local Municipality (ALM) to determine how the current community development projects (CDPs) are meeting the objectives of alleviating poverty; and to present appropriate framework to achieve the objectives of economic empowerment and poverty alleviation through sustainable livelihoods, community development/asset-based community development/approach towards the rural women of ALM. The study sought to examine the interaction between aspects of the involvements of women from rural areas with respect to CDPs. The study was carried out in the form of a small-scale case study. The data-collection research techniques comprised a selfadministered questionnaire with participants of selected CDPs; in-depth semi-structured interviews with the development stakeholders; and the analysis of key documents that the groups were willing to share with the researcher. The analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative. Conceptual frameworks were drawn from Sustainable Livelihood and Community Development theories. The study also examined the inter-relationship between women empowerment and economic development. Findings of the study revealed that the participation of women in CDPs led to the empowerment and advancement of women in sustainable ways. This was evident from 20 the improvements that the women gave responses to in their lives. Also, the findings showed that the family economic status of rural women beneficiaries on each of the CDPs observed in the study are better than before they join the development projects. Lastly, the findings showed that the various projects are effective and has contributed to the lives of the project beneficiaries. The officials, as well as, the managers supervising the projects also confirmed that the projects have achieved the purposes for its establishment