Influence of Microfinance Institution on Economic Empowerment of Women

This study set out to investigate the influence of Microfinance Institutions on economic empowerment of women; the case of Nyalenda Slums in Kisumu district in Kenya. Women play critical role in national development unfortunately they are worst affected by poverty and multiple disadvantages. Microfinance institutions have been viewed as key stepping stone to enable women graduate from poverty to more stable economic situation by providing women with alternative sources of financial services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of microfinance institutions on economic empowerment of women in Nyalenda slums. The study was guided by the following three objectives: First to establish the extent to which entrepreneurial training influence economic empowerment of women in Nyalenda slums; Second to examine the level at which financial services offered by microfinance institutions influence economic empowerment of women in Nyalenda slums and third to investigate the extent to which the role played by women groups in accessing microfinance services influence economic empowerment of women in Nyalenda slums. The research design used for this study was descriptive survey.