Empowering Ering The Rural Foor In Lesotho: The Work Of Send A Cow
Ramosoen, Mosili Violet, Nurhadi
2016 | Tesis | Pembangunan Sosial dan KesejahteraanABSTRACT This research aims to investigate the extent at which the lives of the rural poor changed after they participated in empowerment programs offered by Send a Cow in Lesotho. In the world today, third world countries are vulnerable to poverty and so is Lesotho. Based on poor economic situation, high unemployment rates amongst other factors, 57.1% of the population lives below the national poverty line. Poverty is truly the country’s worst enemy with the rural poor extremely suffering. In an effort to help fight against this situation, Send a Cow Lesotho developed agricultural programs that help empowers the poor especially the rural poor. Known for taking a comprehensive approach to poverty, the Sustainable Livelihood Framework was used to investigate changes that occurred in the lives of the rural poor after they became beneficiaries of Send a Cow Lesotho. This framework is famous for improving an understanding of livelihood, in particular the livelihood of the poor. The Sustainable Livelihood Framework presents the main factors that affect people’s livelihoods and is founded on the belief that people require a range of assets to achieve positive livelihood outcome. For this research, four capital assets (human capital, social capital, physical capital and financial capital) were used to assess the improvements in the lives of Send a Cows beneficiaries. The research applied multiple research methods under qualitative research, therefore interviews were conducted amongst four Send a Cows employees, also questionnaires were distributed amongst 33 Send a Cows beneficiaries in three districts of Lesotho. In Mafeteng district 17 questionnaires were distributed to the beneficiaries while in Maseru district 9 questionnaires were distributed and in Berea district seven questionnaires were distributed. Data analysis comprised of descriptive analysis obtained through the use of micro-soft excel and thematic analysis. The results show that Send a Cow Lesotho was able to develop much of human capital and social capital amongst the poor and less of physical capital together with financial capital which are more significant when it comes to eradication of poverty in Lesotho. Furthermore, results indicated that Send a Cow was able to attain food security in the lives of the vulnerable to a certain extend through empowering of the poor. However, poverty eradication comprises of a lot of factors not only on food security, therefore Send a Cow Lesotho needs to improve its program to strengthen assets base of their beneficiaries in order to fully alleviate rural poverty in Lesotho. Keywords: Empowerment, rural poverty, sustainable livelihood.
Kata Kunci : Kemiskinan
