Women’s economic empowerment through community driven development: a case of the parish development model beneficiaries in Luwero District

Abstract

The study sought to document the effects of the Parish Development Model (PDM) on women’s economic empowerment in Zirobwe Town Council, Luwero District. The key themes of the study were to investigate the extent to which the Parish Development Model has improved women’s access to and control over productive resources, assess the extent to which the PDM (Parish Development Model) has enhanced women’s incomes and examine the effect of the Parish Development Model on women’s participation in decision-making processes. The study managed to reach 233 women participants using stratified random sampling technique and these took part in collecting quantitative data using the survey questionnaire. Qualitative Methods such as the Key informant interviews (targeting CDOs, Production Officers, Parish Chiefs, PDM SACCO Managers, Town Agents), IDIs (especially PDM Group Leaders/women leaders/representatives) and Focus Group Discussions (comprising women PDM beneficiaries) were conducted to attain a deeper understanding or perceptions about the PDM and WEE. The study employed both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to analyse the collected data. The study adopted Naila Kabeer’s (1999 and 2001) theoretical framework on women’s economic empowerment (WEE), which defines empowerment as “the expansion in a person’s ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them.” Kabeer conceptualizes WEE as a dynamic process involving three interconnected dimensions i.e., resources, agency, and achievements that together illustrate the pathways through which empowerment occurs. Findings revealed that PDM has enabled women to access and utilize productive resources such as land, enhanced women’s incomes through enterprise investment and profit generation, and increased women’s participation in household and community decision-making. PDM has contributed to improved well-being and economic resilience among women. However, implementation challenges were noted for both PDM implementers and women beneficiaries. Implementers faced challenges such as diversion of funds, inadequate financing, community mindset barriers, and spousal manipulation of women participants. Women beneficiaries experienced late fund disbursement, inadequate PRF amounts, unclear guidelines, heavy workloads, cultural constraints, market limitations, price fluctuations, poor record-keeping, low education levels, and limited land access. Recommendations included strengthening sensitization on PRF guidelines, mandatory pre- disbursement training, robust monitoring systems, need to increase budget allocations, strategic partnerships, and gender-sensitive household role-sharing initiatives. The study concludes that while PDM significantly contributes to women’s economic empowerment, deliberate and coordinated stakeholder efforts are essential to address implementation gaps. Future research should explore male household members’ influence on women’s participation, control over PDM resources, and decision-making power to optimize gender-responsive outcomes.