In the customary practices of many patrilineal societies in Tanzania, a grieving widow is often stripped of her material possessions by her in-laws.[1] She is evicted from her home and the land that she shared with her husband and where she raised their children. Typically, the in-laws also take any assets used for income generation for the family. Now, a widow—often with children—lives in destitute poverty.
Thus, a UN report indicates that poverty levels among the widows in Africa
are the highest in society.[2]
Tamara Ezra states, “Both customary and Islamic law, the two predominant systems of intestate succession in Tanzania, limit women’s inheritance on the basis of their gender. Under customary law, a widow is generally denied inheritance altogether…Tanzania’s [customary] inheritance laws thus impoverish women and leave their survival at the mercy of men.”[4]
Dr. Elieshi Mungure of Tumaini University Makumira summarizes,
“The African widow traditionally still remains handicapped
in terms of finance and property inheritance.”[5]
Hope for Tanzanian Widows envisions a future of well-being for widows, shielded from predatory in-laws through legally binding wills that protects their homes and assets, thus reducing destitute widowhood.
Preventing widows from experiencing destitute poverty through legal wills
The project’s mission is to prevent poverty through equipping households with legal documents that protect widows in accordance with Tanzanian laws. Dissemination of legal aid is targeted through assistance by law students and seeking to leverage the established church, mosque, and community structures.
[1] Bethany Brown, “‘You Will Get Nothing’: Violations of Property and Inheritance Rights of Widows in Zimbabwe,” Human Rights Watch, January 24, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/01/24/you-will-get-nothing/violations-property-and-inheritance-rights-widows-zimbabwe. According to this report, in a contemporary African society, it is a common trend for widows to be victimized by stripping off their property and land assets following the death of their husbands.
[2] “Widowhood: Invisible Women, Secluded or Excluded in Women,” Women 2000: United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, December 2001, 8, 11
[3] “Widowhood: Invisible Women, Secluded or Excluded in Women.” Women 2000: United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, December 2001, 20.
[4] Tamar Ezer, “Inheritance Law in Tanzania: The Impoverishment of Widows and Daughters,” The Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law VII, no. 599 (2006): 601.
[5] Elieshi Mungure, “Widowhood: An Experience of Loss from an African Patriarchal Society” (Master’s Thesis, Dubuque, IA, Wartburg Theological Seminary, 2000), 150.