Social Impact Assessment of Livelihood Promotion Programmes in Coastal Kenya

Abstract

Livelihood comprises all activities that individuals, households or communities engage in to sustain a living, “comprising the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living” (Chambers & Conway 1991, 6). Earning a living not only affects the economic situation (and the ability to cater for different needs) of an individual and their household but also the social status of the individual and/or household members (WHO 2010). However, persons with disabilities do not seem to benefit equally from mainstream employment (WHO 2011) and mainstream livelihood promotion programmes (WHO 2010) and “commonly earn less than their counterparts without disabilities” (WHO 2011, 239). The impact of mainstream as well as disability-specific livelihood promotion programmes on their beneficiaries with disabilities remains a research gap.