Project Agape Microcredit and Health of Women Agricultural Traders in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the impact of Project Agape. Microcredit on the health of women agricultural traders in Nasarawa State. Purposive and random sampling were used to select 20% of participants and non – participants. Questionnaires were administered to 176 participants and 176 non – participants. The data were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics and F- chow test. The result showed that 92% of the participants had bad status, 55% had good and 26% very good status before the credit; 8% had bad, 45% good and 73% very good after the credit. The result for participants and non –participants showed that 62% of the participants and 38% of the non – participants had very good health status. Eleven percent of the participants, 19% of their children and 3% of their husbands visited the hospital 6 – 10 times a year before the credit; 2% of the participants, 3% of their husbands and 1% of their children visited the hospital 6 – 10 times in a year after the credit. The non – participants had more number of visits to the hospitals as 80% of them, 57% of their husbands and 96% of their children visited the hospitals 6 – 10 times in a year; 20% of the participants, 43% of their husbands and 4% of their children visited the hospital 6 – 10 times in a year. The result of sources of medical attention of the participants before and after revealed that 42% received medical attention from private source before and 66% after, 68% received medical attention from public hospital occasionally before and 53% after. Similarly 34% of participants and 22% non – participants received medical attention from private hospitals; 53% and 62% received medical attention occasionally from public, 27% and 20% of participants and non – participants received from traditional sources. The result of chow test showed that health had a calculated value of 104.59 which was greater than the critical value 3.85 at 5%. It was therefore concluded that the participants had better health status than the non – participants. It was recommended that more public medical facilities which are cheaper should be provided in the communities.

Keywords: Women, health, microcredit, trading