An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Communication Strategies Used By Caritas Nairobi in Disseminating Poverty Reduction Information in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies used in poverty reduction programmes by Caritas Nairobi. The study was conducted in the slums that are under the Archdiocese of Nairobi: Mukuru kwa Njenga and Mathare slums. The following objectives guided the study: to determine the communication strategies used by Caritas Nairobi; to identify the issues/themes communicated by Caritas Nairobi in its poverty alleviation messages; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies used by Caritas Nairobi in disseminating poverty reduction messages. The participatory development theory guided the study. The study used descriptive research design and targeted 88 respondents. A sample of 72 respondents (project beneficiaries) was selected. The sample was purposively selected to include only those who were members of Caritas Nairobi programmes. Questionnaire and interview were the instruments of data collection and the collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 was used as an aid in the data analysis. Some of the study findings were: that most of the communication strategies used by Caritas Nairobi had a positive impact on poverty reduction among the targeted population members; that meetings and word of mouth were the most effective media for communicating Caritas projects‟ information; and that project information was mainly communicated through Kiswahili although there were instances when English was used. Among the study‟s recommendations was that regular communication by Caritas Nairobi to its programmes‟ beneficiaries be regularly done through telephone, meetings, and face to face discussions as these were critical to effective dissemination of project information.