The Precursor for Enhanced Rate of Individual Socio-Empowerment in a Funded Youth Group: Is it Access to Credit or Group Support System?

The unemployment and poverty has remained to be a major challenge in the world despite heavy investment directed towards youth and women empowerment initiatives. In doing so most Government and international organizations worldwide in an endeavor to increase socio economic empowerments (increase incomes) of the poor cohorts have used group funding as “a bullet magic”. The purpose of the article is to stimulate critical thinking on basic assumptions among policy makers and youth development practitioners that lays emphases on micro- credit provision but little attention on the group support dynamism as an agency of empowerment which yield to opportunity structure and achievement conditions of empowerment as alluded to by Kabeer (2001). The agency condition influences other conditions of empowerment and therefore the rate of individual socio economic empowerment. This then raises the question that many policy maker and researchers have not answered; that is, what determines or is the precursor and as such, a predictor of empowerment process in groups funding. By answering this question, we shall have the right vehicle through which to drive the agenda of youth empowerment with a renewed vigor and excitement. Since we would have found the medium on which other factors or conditions of empowerment (achievement condition) thrive on thus increasing the rate of individual empowerment. Finally the author’s thoughts are guided by the definitions of empowerment process by Kabeer 2001 and Kishor 2000 and the Model of Positive Youth Development (PYD) to explain and offer provoking thoughts and guidance to study findings by the Mbae F.N 2014 in Embu County Kenya on the influence of youth group funding on individual member’s socio economic empowerment in Kenya.