Education of women and poverty reduction in Navrongo

Abstract

The study discussed how education of women could lead to poverty reduction among women. Data was collected on variables as age, educational level, dependency, income, access to healthcare; microcredit, water and sanitation, land and labour market. In all, 190 women from 10 different communities were interviewed. The selection was done using the lottery method in unbiased manner. Evidence of the problems relating to access to healthcare, microcredit, water and sanitation, land and labour market were explored and their relationship established. The study revealed that women with lower level of education and training tend to have lower incomes. This equally affected their ability to access healthcare, microcredit, land and employment. Also women with lower level of education were associated with large family size. This certainly drained economic resources for business, education and political participation. Efforts should be made conscientiously to encourage young girls to avail themselves for education and older women for training in trade or vocations of their choice. By this, younger girls would not rush to the towns and cities to be engaged as porters where the majority get pregnant and drop out of school. Efforts should be made by the Kassena/Nankana East District Assembly, Churches and Traditional leaders at discouraging early marriages in Navrongo. Also encouraging the illiterate mothers to practice family planning methods could help reduce the size of families which are reasonably large in Navrongo through public education to stop the incidence of large family size.