In much of Africa, many women gain access to economic and social rights through marriage. However, when they divorce or are widowed much of the rights previously gained are lost. Gender inequality is the basis of a wider struggle that gives rise to some of the challenges faced by widows, and impedes their advancement. Widows are sometimes dispossessed of lands that may be their only means of income and have limited avenues for economic mobility.

In some instances, due to lack of education and training many widows are unable to support themselves and their children.

Widows are also subject to physical abuse. Violence against widows continue to be a concern; as widows fight to have their rights recognised. They are often deprived of resources to make effective changes in their lives at the micro level, and to their countries, due to the restraints that are placed on them by outdated laws and unfavourable customs. Many widows are not able to dictate their sexual lives, and may be forced or coerced into having sexual relations with their late husbands’ relatives or other men, which increases their exposure to sexual diseases including HIV and AIDS.

The lack of proper nutrition, access to health care and adequate housing are persistent issues.

In many African countries, including Kenya, there has not been a targeted focus on widows, as such, widows in general do not have the level of support required to assist them in a definite way. Widows were historically among the poorest, marginalised and vulnerable individuals in the western world in the late 19th and 20th centuries, however, introduction of pension schemes and widow benefits resulted in significant changes in the lives of those widows. This could one way to address the issue, over the long-term and should be an important goal as it pertains to legislation. However, the change has to start at the local or micro level where mechanisms can be put in place to support the immediate needs of widows.

This can be in the form of general training, providing tools and equipment and educational support for the children. Though challenging, this approach has proven to be effective and organisations such as Kee Widows work at the local level to assist widows.

To achieve sustainable results, institutions, organisations and government must work along with widows to bring about changes in various ways.

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Widows in some parts of Africa have endured violation of their human rights for many years, and the required changes necessary to shift this reality have not taken place at the speed needed for more tangible changes. Widows are discriminated against and denied many fundamental rights including the freedom of opinion and expression, the right to own and keep property after the death of their husbands, freedom from sexual exploitation, the right to an education and the right to adequately provide for and protect their children. The violence against widows is a cause for concern across many of these countries as widows are victims of physical, emotional and psychological abuse regardless of regions, ethnicity and economic circumstances.

Their health and safety come into question as many widows are forced to take part is burial rights harmful to their health, such as being forced to drink water that their husbands’ corpses have been washed in, scarification, sexual relations with her husband’s relatives and rape. Widows are often deprived of property that they should inherit at the death of their husbands. Property is often repossessed by their late husbands’ relatives, sometimes leaving widows and children homeless. It is not only relatively younger women that are affected as it has also been reported that many older widows in some African countries generally experience violation of their human rights.

Despite the fact that many women are abused and dispossessed, there are sometimes no policies in place to prevent this at the local level.

Why Women’s Rights are Violated?

Women’s property rights violation is often underlined by a number of issues including the lack of awareness on the part of many women about their rights and the provisions in law that could assist them. Customary practices, ineffective law enforcement, societal biases and a reticence as it relates to the general empowerment of women are also reasons the violations continue.

International Laws That Affect Women’s Right

We are an organisation that provides assistance to help protect widows inheritance, including facilitating and directing legal aid and community support. Even where women are not provided for there are international laws that protect the rights of women, such as, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and require governments to act to correct the disparities where they exist. Under these provisions women’s rights can be acknowledged and upheld.

What Can You Do

The circumstances of a woman’s economic and intellectual growth can spearhead the development of an entire nation. It is therefore imperative that we stand up, take notice and do something to make sure that widows are aware of their human rights, and the course of action to take when those rights are violated. As we work in the interest of these widows we need your support; it is necessary that you get involved and help us advance change.

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1. Building Centres

• Building help centres for widows in Kenya help to provide an avenue for widows to go and find a safe home, and to settle-in to prevent homelessness. It could give them bed and shelter, as needed. Also, provide night shelter for anyone in need.
• These building centres could also provide direct communication with other charity housing shelters and refer widows to agencies as needed.
• At these centres they would get an education and receive skills training.
• Centres could help them to find and apply for jobs.
• It could help widows to look after their health and well-being.
• Improve social skills by helping widows to meet new people and broaden their social network.
• Help with finding and facilitating volunteer opportunities.
• The building centres would provide link between needed widows and various services, such as all the service and support centres; the building centre could provide a direct link and be able to vet widows so that those that are more in need get assistance first.
• Facilitate education programmes to provide free education to the widow to help them to grow as individuals and help them lead a better life.

2. Micro loans

Micro loan opportunities help businesses; even small amounts of credit can help to end the cycle of poverty:

• Giving small loans to widows could provide the capital the widows need to start small businesses and raise their children and family out of poverty.
• Micro loans may help to create new opportunities. This could have positive benefits on the local economy.
• Banks will not extend loans to those with little or no assets, and generally they do not engage in the small size of loans typically associated with microfinancing.
• It is usually difficult for widows to get loan since they usually have little or no assets to use as collaterals which banks usually do not grant loan without.
• Widows who micro loans are less likely to keep their children out of school for economic reasons.
• Micro finance loans help to empower women.

3. Generate livelihood

Income generating activities. Expand vocational and business training :

• Buying and renting or selling small lots of land to be used for agriculture.
• Provide widows with farming tools and supplies freely or at cheaper rates than they would otherwise purchase them for.
• Adult literacy programmes to help widows.
• Skills certification in areas such as hairdressing, computer skills, cooking etc.
• Entrepreneurial training.

4. Fundraising

• Fundraising opportunities to help widows such as charity balls, events, lotteries, concerts etc.
• GoFundMe can be set up to raise money to finance various income and educational programmes.

5. Collection drive and Donation programme

• Collection drives can be used to as a way of collecting equipment, clothing, educational materials and tools.
• Collection drives can be set up at schools, businesses and other organisations.
• Some organisations can be collection or drop off points for charities such as ours.
• Encourage donation of unused clothes or those in good condition.

6. Environment Factors

• Programmes to lead to, or facilitate better access to health care, better sanitation and clean drinking water.

The ways in which widows can be supported are many; if you are willing, you could make a profound change to their lives by contributing or participating in this movement.

The post Steps We Can Take to Ensure the Livelihood of Widows and Their Families appeared first on Kee Widows.

In many places around the world, a widow has certain rights that the law would confer on her. The law may intervene, even in spite of a ‘last will in testament’, and especially where young children are involved, to ensure they have some degree of comfort and, are provided for, if it is deemed possible or necessary in the circumstance. The widows of Kenya, however, are not so fortunate. This because the path following the death of a spouse is predefined by customs.

These customs many believe are not only unfair but jeopardise the health, emotional, physical and psychological welfare of the widow and her children. Widows suffer the indignity of being sexually and emotionally compromised; even facing death in circumstances where they refuse to participate in these old customs.

In Kenya, it is the custom that when a man dies, his brother or another male relative inherit his land. That often leaves his widow homeless and struggling to provide for her children. Widows find themselves kicked out of the family home, sometimes within months of the husband’s death – and even with very young children to care for. This is only one of the reasons Kenya is regarded as one of the worst places to become a widow.

Why is Kenya the worst place to become a widow:

In Kenya, widowhood is a process characterised by rituals, customs, forced remarriages, harassment, rejection, loneliness, poverty, loss of status, fear of the future and depression.

In the Luo culture, in particular, widows are encouraged to get a surrogate husband. This practice is called ‘widow inheritance’ – she, however, remains the property of her deceased husband until she participates in a ‘cleansing’ ritual, commonly called ‘widow cleansing’. A widow is deemed unclean unless she has sexual intercourse with a male relative of her late husband or another chosen male. Many widows are forced to take part in the local custom, which sees her being ‘inherited’ by the family of her late husband or another male; sometimes even a stranger. In other circumstances, widows feel compelled to participate in a ‘widow cleansing’ ritual because of they fear the consequences of rejecting the custom.

What we do and aim to do:

• Widows are vulnerable to exploitation because they often aren’t aware of their property rights. We educate them on their rights and where to get help.
• The widows in most cases cannot afford legal fees, making it hard for them to go through the legal process. As such we appeal to traditional local administration, such as councils of elders to mediate in cases of injustices.
• We liaise with other organisation that can lend support to widows.
• We provide widows with emotional and financial support, mentorship, and training, especially young uneducated widows and orphans.
• We help widows without shelter to put up houses on their land.
• We provide widows with food and assist with school fees.
• We help widows to grow food to feed their families and sell remaining foods to make an income.

Too many widows live in fear and often feel hopeless and helpless and that no one hears or cares about their plight. We see, hear and administer to many of these widows in their distress and we experience the tremendous changes in outlook and the joy and gratitude when they have achieved some measure of success.

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Many of these widows feel they have no rights. Not only are they spurned by the families of their late husbands; many find themselves and their children out of their homes and dispossessed by their husbands’ families. Reports show that Kenyan widows suffer from discrimination, systematic seizure of property and even evictions by their late husbands’ relatives.

This unfortunate tragedy is an accepted norm in the society and individuals and organisations, like Kee Widows charity, are fighting to raise awareness, and also assist widows – the widows need our help now. At this very moment, thousands of widows find themselves and their children not only without possession but with no place to live and no food to eat.

This significantly affects the future of these children whose education and scope for success are limited by their inability to have regular meals or a place to rest their heads at nights, moreover to even contemplate a future where they can become productive members of the society in which they live.

Why your help is needed

‘We were waiting for our deaths’ – this was the word of a Kenyan widow saved by tribal elders in 2016. Reuters reported that the widow was disinherited by her in-laws because she refused to accept the old custom which required her to sleep with another man, in what is dubbed ‘widow cleansing’. Many who observe the custom sees a widow as unclean unless she is ‘cleansed’ through sex with a relative of her late husband and sometimes even a stranger. The widow in question was HIV positive and the ritual involved unprotected sex, which meant her partaking in this custom would also involve the possibility of spreading the virus to at least one other person and quite possibly to even several other people. This was her reality, and many widows as we speak, live in this fear and feel helpless but to follow a custom that they don’t believe serve their interest out of the fear of what would happen if they didn’t – in many cases the result is death.

What if this was your story, or your mother’s, your sister’s or your daughter’s?

You can do something to help Kenya’s widows, you can offer hope to a widow and her children by contributing to our organisation. When you give to Kee Widows here are some ways the experience can positively impact you and those around you:

1. Pleasure of giving
When you give you feel the pleasure of knowing that you are contributing to the life and welfare of women and children who genuinely need your help. You can rest assured that even one family might have food on their table; that a child may be able to attend school and have a chance at a better future.

2. Get tax deduction
We are an approved charity and this means you can claim for tax deductions against any monetary contributions you make.

3. Pass on value of giving
Let your giving be a family experience, so your children can also experience the pleasure of helping those less fortunate who are unable to help themselves, or improve their lives. This experience provides you with an opportunity to teach your children about how vastly different life can be in other parts of the world, how important it is not to look the other way, and also do what you can to make the world a better place for everyone.

4. You decide how and what to give
With Kee Widows, donations can be made in cash and kind. Widows and their children need clothes, utensils, books, pencils, other material things and also a helping hand. We will accept your donation however you are able to give it.

5. Profound impact
Make a profound impact on the lives of these oppressed women. Not only are you giving them hope – you are also opening the door to new possibilities for their children – possibilities which means the chance to get a better education, to play a role in improving not only their lives but by extension their families’ lives and the standard of living of their communities.

Everyone can positive impact if they decide to, and every donation, of whatever magnitude, can change lives.

You can make a difference.

The post Help A widow In Need With A Charity Donation appeared first on Kee Widows.

Without the help of organisations like Kee Widows, thousands of widows may die, hundreds of thousands more will go without food, shelter and the hope for a better future.

There are many ways you can support our cause, here are some ideas:

Give what you can:

The easiest way to support Kee Widows is to give a monetary donation. You could also donate in whichever way you are able to – eg: money, supplies and time.

Social Media:

Share our website and links on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google plus.
– tweet us, post our images on Pinterest, share on Google Plus, LinkedIn, and other social platforms.

Word of mouth:

Tell your family and friends about us – tell them why you want to help and why you think they should help also. They might be willing to learn more about the charity knowing you are also a part of the experience.

Send to your mailing list:

Send an email to your mailing list and tell them about us and the work we do. You don’t have to write your own content – just take an excerpt from any of our pages that you feel provide the type of information you would like to share.

Pamphlets and brochures:

If you have the material and willingness, you could help by producing and passing on brochures and pamphlets. You could use the information from our website to help you formulate the flyers, pamphlets, and brochures.

Fundraising:

You could also support us through fundraising events and activities. This could include organising raffles, cake sales, and garage sales. If you have an online shop you may give your customers the chance of an opt-in contribution at checkout.

Traditional advertising:

You could also help us spread the word about what we do through traditional advertising outlets such as Google Adwords and Facebook advertising. This would help us reach a wider audience and get more people involved in helping Kenya’s widows.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list and you may have other suggestions wish to make.

Let us know how you want to make a difference today!

The post How You Can Spread Awareness to Support Kee Widows appeared first on Kee Widows.