Helping self-help groups help themselves: Training of leaders of women’s groups

Assisting popular collective efforts in basically a matter of introducing change from above into groups which have emerged from below, that is, from the grassroots. Such assistance amounts to a type of intervention, which may disturb the delicate equilibrium among all groups within a social movement or a nation, or may upset the internal functioning of particular groups. Although it seems preferable to keep outside interference to a minimum, it sometimes becomes necessary to directly assist groups through financial aid or training. This article looks at one type of assistance given to women's self-help groups in Kenya — leadership training for leaders of these groups. It evaluates this training under these headings: the specific type of intervention, points of intervention and impact of intevention