ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction that includes an outline of the book structure, as well as the purpose of this research. It explains why the notion of informal learning/literacy from the village women’s perspectives was investigated and gives details of the increasing importance of listening to women’s voices through an ethnographic approach. This book is based on research conducted in Narok County, Kenya in 2011. To explore grassroots women’s learning activities and their empowerment processes in relation to community development, three research approaches engaging women in a Maasai village produced a wealth of evidence about women’s informal learning and literacy, and their links to gender issues and poverty in their communities. First, discourses about women’s informal learning/literacy and their empowerment in the context of development will be discussed in relation to postcolonial feminist theory. Second, the research methods based on an ethnographic approach will be described, followed by the presentation of findings via a narrative and thematical analysis of interview data across two chapters. Through providing insights into local women’s engagement with informal learning/literacy in one community, this study also aims to raise the significance of people-driven development activities.
