Women entrepreneurship training and poverty alleviation in the republic of south Sudan: a case study of Juba County.
Abstract
The study objectives which guided this study were; to examine the training programme conducted by BRAC for women in Juba County, assess how the women are putting into practice the knowledge and skills acquired in the training in Juba County and to evaluate the impact of the knowledge and skills acquired on alleviation of poverty among women entrepreneurs in Juba County. The study employed a qualitative approach and it was descriptive in nature. The samples for the study were forty women graduates and the trainees of BRAC and four trainers and four government officials. Data was analyzed qualitatively.
Findings indicated that the training provided by BRAC in Juba County was very relevant to the society needs. Several training modules are in place ranging from such areas of knowledge as microfinance, health, livelihood, life skills, farming and general agriculture. Women are also putting in practice the knowledge they have gained from the training given to them by
BRAC. Many women are running businesses on both small and large scales as a result of the skills they gained from the training. The findings also showed that women graduates from the
BRAC trainings were having a lot of challenges. Some of the key challenges are, unfair terms in getting loans, uncertain policies on the loans to the entrepreneurs, erratic actions of the law enforcers in implementing government directives which always lead to the loss of properties because of demolitions carried out in the interest of structural development in town. Deriving from the findings of this study, there is need to study the policies and the possibility of women in business, drawing on experiences from other trade unions in the region. There is also need for government to put in place friendly policies to protect the interest of women.