Towards Self Sustaining Communities through Participation In Self Help Groups (SHQs); The Case Of United Rabbit Farmers Self Help Group, Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

The concept of a self-sustaining community is one that is inevitable as developing nations work towards achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Community Based Organizations as well as Self Help Groups play a major role in improving the livelihoods of the people, especially women in the developing nations. The case ‘United Rabbit Farmers’ has been selected with the view that it shall inform the nation on ways through which similar groups can be employed towards achieving sustainable communities. The main objective of the study was to examine the changes in the livelihood status of the SHG members. The research design employed in this study is the diagnostic research studies while the target population was members of the united rabbit farmers’ self-help group. The sample size consisted of five respondents who were drawn from the target population through purposive sampling. Interviews from the respondents were transcribed, manually coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that members are able to save regularly and access development loans. Furthermore, they were also able to venture into selfemployment such as fish farming, rearing rabbits and chicken, making bricks using a brick interlocking machine they purchased. The paper concludes that standards of living for the program participants improve and they tend to be more food secure.