Socio-Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Mvita Sub-County, Kenya

Improving sustainable livelihoods of women in the society is one of the most effective means of poverty alleviation. In Mombasa County, the livelihood of women living with HIV/AIDS is affected by poverty, drugs and substance abuse and prostitution. This study examined the influence of socio-economic empowerment initiatives by faith based organizations on livelihoods of women living with HIV/AIDS in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County, Kenya. The specific objective was to explore the influence of capacity building on the livelihoods of women living with HIV/AIDS in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County, Kenya. The study was anchored on developmental asset theory. The study used convergent parallel mixed method approach. The target population comprised of 1744 women living with HIV/AIDS registered by the faith based organizations. A sample of 313 respondents was sampled using simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data analyzed thematically. The findings also showed a positive significant correlation between capacity building and livelihoods of women living with HIV/AIDs (r=0.229, p=0.000<0.05). This study recommends that the management of registered FBOs should conduct a needs assessment before undertaking any capacity building initiatives. The study suggests that similar studies should be replicated in all the sub-counties in Mombasa County to compare results. Keywords: Socio-Economic Empowerment, Livelihoods of Women, Capacity Building