Impact Of Economic Empowerment In Poverty Reduction: SOS FSP Zimbabwe

This research was carried out in two Bindura Districts covering Manhenga, Maizelands Farm and Bindura Urban in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. The research focused on the economic empowerment programmes implemented by SOS Family Strengthening Programme (SOS FSP) on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe. The focus was on assessing the impact of these on poverty reduction. SOS FSP’s programmes targeted households which contained orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs), whom they supported with education and healthcare so as to eradicate the effects of poverty. The vulnerability of these households was mainly as a result of the effects of HIV and AIDS. The research problem was “Why the prevalence of poverty had continued to rise despite the various poverty reduction initiatives by various stakeholders in the two Districts of Bindura”. The purpose of the study was to make an assessment of the impact of economic empowerment initiatives in poverty reduction from the programmes implemented by SOS FSP, a development stakeholder in Bindura District during the period 2010 to 2014.