“Rejecting the inevitability of poverty”: Empower women for sustainable rural livelihoods through community-based employment intensive rural infrastructure maintenance projects

Abstract

This paper discuses the extent to which employment-intensive rural infrastructure maintenance projects can be used as a tool to empower women to achieve sustainable rural livelihoods using Siyatentela rural road maintenance program in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, as a case study. A mixed method approach was employed to assess the program. Overall, this evaluation indicates that Siyatentela has benefited the community by way of employment creation, skills and knowledge transfer, improved access to socio-economic opportunities through access to cash and better transportation thus positively impacting community welfare and livelihoods