Women Participation in Project Planning and Implementation in Northern Uganda Social Action Fund

Abstract The study sought to examine the role of women participation in project planning and implementation in Northern Uganda, a case of Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF). The study was guided by three objectives; the first objective was to examine the factors affecting women participation in project planning and implementation, the second objective was to establish the level of women participation in project planning activities and thirdly to establish why men and women perceive the notion of community participation in general and women’s participation in particular. The study was guided by a descriptive survey design and a total of 140 respondents were sampled from a total of 250 target population. The study findings indicated a mean of 3.8143 as the highest mean concerning social heritage as the highest factor that brings about women participation in development projects and NUSAF in particular, was affected by social, political and economic factors embedded at community, national and global levels. The argument in the study was that women’s participation in development activities could help make women’s voices heard and be considered in development processes. Moreover participation coL~d help to expand women’s knowledge, skills and experiences hence promoting their livelihood, wellbeing and national development in general. The study recommends that government and other development partners should ensure that gender equity in the planning and policy making process is considered and thus women’s participation is prioritised. The study recommended that Government and other development agencies have to make sure that there is proper implementation of development policies and plans that match with people’s needs. Also, the gender division of labour in project activities seemed to discourage women from asking for representation, both men and women had to attend work because it was difficult to ask a husband or wife to go and work on behalf while the assigned work is for opposite gender. In this case all men and women had to participate in work.