Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This study explores how women’s social capital contributed to their empowerment through the Saemaul projects in rural Rwanda. Although women’s empowerment was not a goal, the projects led to women-driven community development, exemplifying bottom-up, emergent governance entirely led by women.

Paper long abstract:

As social capital has become a part of the poverty alleviation in international development cooperation, the unique value of women's informal networks, solidarity, and mutual assistance—especially within the feminization of labor in developing countries—has often been overlooked. This study explores how women’s social capital has contributed to their empowerment through the Saemaul projects in four rural Rwandan communities, using qualitative methods based on field visits and in-depth interviews. Through the Saemaul projects, these communities were lifted out of the lowest income bracket, with over 90% of residents escaping poverty. While women’s empowerment was not an explicit project goal, a key outcome was women-led community development initiatives. Saemaul volunteers, living in the field, abandoned standardized project plans and adapted initiatives to address women’s urgent needs. Motivated by the desire to “keep their children fed,” women actively participated in the projects, often more than men. This marked the first time women—previously isolated after the genocide—engaged in meaningful decision-making processes and formal economic activities. Critically, the Saemaul projects redefined women, who had historically been excluded from the public sphere, as "modern individuals" and pivotal agents of community development. One notable example was the rice cultivation project. Rather than imposing modern Korean farming methods, the project adopted a proactive, responsive, and inclusive approach tailored to Rwanda’s grassroots knowledge. Remarkably, women established a kindergarten to facilitate their participation in farming, taking charge of all aspects of the initiative, including securing funding, hiring teachers, and designing programs.This initiative showcased bottom-up, emergent governance led entirely by women.