abstract: 'Worldwide, there is a wide gap between what women can contribute to the

  economy and what they actually contribute. One of the main barriers to

  women''s engagement in the labor market and productivity at work is the

  societal expectation that they should take care of their children in

  addition to meeting the demands of employment. Furthermore, those in

  informal employment face difficulties due to long working hours and

  environments that are not appropriate for childcare. To address this,

  Kidogo runs an innovative ``Hub \& Spoke{''''} model for low-income

  communities. Here, we present a study protocol aimed at evaluating

  whether the provision of quality childcare opportunities for working

  women through the Kidogo model is feasible and acceptable and whether it

  contributes to improvements in their incomes and productivity at work.

  The study reported in this protocol which is currently ongoing, employed

  a quasi-experimental design with two study arms: primary caregivers who

  use childcare services were recruited into the intervention (n = 170)

  and comparison groups (n = 170). Both groups are being followed up for

  one year. We are using a mixed-methods approach. Appropriate statistical

  methods including a difference-in-differences (DID) estimator will be

  used to analyze the effects of the intervention. We expect that the

  intervention will improve the quality of childcare services which in

  turn will improve the incomes of the center providers. We expect that

  providing improved childcare services will enhance women''s economic

  empowerment.'
affiliation: 'Okelo, K (Corresponding Author), African Populat \& Hlth Res Ctr Kenya,
  Nairobi, Kenya.

  Okelo, Kenneth; Nampijja, Margaret; Ilboudo, Patrick; Muendo, Ruth; Oloo, Linda;
  Muyingo, Sylvia; Mwaniki, Elizabeth; Langat, Nelson; Onyango, Silas; Sipalla, Florence;
  Kitsao-Wekulo, Patricia, African Populat \& Hlth Res Ctr Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.'
article-number: '237'
author: Okelo, Kenneth and Nampijja, Margaret and Ilboudo, Patrick and Muendo, Ruth
  and Oloo, Linda and Muyingo, Sylvia and Mwaniki, Elizabeth and Langat, Nelson and
  Onyango, Silas and Sipalla, Florence and Kitsao-Wekulo, Patricia
author-email: Kenato9@gmail.com
author_list:
- family: Okelo
  given: Kenneth
- family: Nampijja
  given: Margaret
- family: Ilboudo
  given: Patrick
- family: Muendo
  given: Ruth
- family: Oloo
  given: Linda
- family: Muyingo
  given: Sylvia
- family: Mwaniki
  given: Elizabeth
- family: Langat
  given: Nelson
- family: Onyango
  given: Silas
- family: Sipalla
  given: Florence
- family: Kitsao-Wekulo
  given: Patricia
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1057/s41599-022-01260-y
eissn: 2662-9992
files: []
journal: HUMANITIES \& SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS
language: English
month: JUL 15
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '27'
orcid-numbers: 'Langat, Nelson/0000-0003-2434-1953

  Okelo, Kenneth/0000-0003-1908-3371'
papis_id: 12157bfb627a9fc4cb989465c3b81eee
ref: Okelo2022evaluatingeffectiven
times-cited: '0'
title: 'Evaluating the effectiveness of the Kidogo model in empowering women and strengthening
  their capacities to engage in paid labor opportunities through the provision of
  quality childcare: a study protocol for an exploratory study in Nakuru County, Kenya'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000825997800004
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '2'
volume: '9'
web-of-science-categories: Humanities, Multidisciplinary; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
year: '2022'