Examining the Effect of Post Conflict Recovery Programmes on Women Empowerment a Case Study: Amugu Sub-County

Abstract

This study examined the effect of post conflict recovery programmes on women empowerment: a case study ofAmugu sub-county in Alebtong district in Uganda.Northern Uganda suffered from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) WAR lasting two decades . After the war people were resettled back in their communities.

The Main objective was to examine the effect of post conflict recovery programmes on women empowerment in Amugu Sub County. The specific objectives were to: identify the Post conflict Recovery Programmes being implemented in Amugu Sub County; examine the gender specific strategies employed during the post conflict period in empowering women in Amugu Sub County; and to examine the socio economic benefit of the gender specific post conflict recovery program to women in Amugu Sub County.

The study design was a case study of Amugu Sub County. The study was qualitative in nature and conducted in Amugu Sub County, Alebtong district, Lango sub region in Uganda. Rural women aged 22 years and above were the main respondents and key informants who comprised of: LCs, women leaders, and sub county leaders. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire for the women and an interview guide was used for the key informants.

The study revealed that there were many post conflict recovery programmes run by both government and Nongovernmental orgarnizations after the ‘Lord’s resistance army’ war in northern Uganda. They had different interventions in Amugu Sub County. The interventions partly empowered the women. Among the areas women regarded as having been empowered were: ability to run small scale business, saving money with the Village Saving and Loan Association, Ability to meet medical bill because of economic empowerment, knowledge on gender based violence and better agricultural skills and participating in groups. Although majority of women felt empowered in different aspects, some few women reported not having had any impact from the programmes and they reported men still had the upper hand in decision making while the women’s decision was still less valued.

Better programming at national, programmatic and local (grassroot level) that aims at empowering women could go a long way in including issues that concern women and be more useful. The programming should be gender sensitive focusing on activities that are relevant to women’s needs which can result in empowering the women. Involving women in planning at the very start could go a long way in influencing the Programmes towards women empowerment

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