Abstract
M.Ed.
This research was conducted in order to elicit and describe the perceptions of a group of young women who have participated in the Umendomuhle Community Education Project as to how it has influenced their lives. The secondary aim was to discover weaknesses and strengths in the project, and to help improve it. The Umendomuhle Community Education Project was initiated in order to increase the number of adult learners at the community centre, to help improve the standard of living for the community, and to empower young women with practical skills so as to increase self-employment. The project’s secondary aims were to develop the young women’s independence and to free them from the mentality of perceiving men as their source of income. This study was conducted with a sample of ten young women participating in the Umendomuhle community development project. The findings indicated that participants developed a change in self-esteem by respecting and trusting the self, respecting others, developing values acceptable to community and interpersonal skills. They also developed practical skills like agricultural skills, business skills, and personal finance management.