ABSTRACT

Poverty among rural women in Nigeria hinders the economic and social wellbeing of families. Alleviating such poverty is therefore a major issue for national survival. This study investigated the strategies for inculcating Home Economics based life (survival) skills among rural women as a panacea for poverty alleviation. The study was a descriptive survey that was based on four research questions. From a population of 1,815 respondents, purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 253 respondents (40 home economics teachers and 213 secretaries of registered women cooperative societies in ten Local government Areas of Anambra State. A 32-item questionnaire titled "Inculcating Home EconomicsBased Life Skills for Poverty Alleviation (IHELSPA)" was used for data collection. Data was analysed using mean ratings. The findings included that several Home Economics based life skills could be inculcated among the rural women using a range of networking approaches. Another finding was that various capacity building initiatives should be emphasized among the women. Finally, strategies like use of local languages; focused group discussions; using ICT resources; jingles; models, games and simulations; role models and drama presentations; adult literacy programmes; home visits and train-the-trainers technique could be used in inculcating Home Economics based life skills among the rural women. Among the recommendations was that Government and non-governmental organizations should mobilize communities, youth groups, and other private sector organizations to network and contribute in building the capacities of rural women in Home Economics based life (survival) skills