The 7th Goat Giveback: A group of women standing together each holding leashes to 2 pairs of goats.

THE NOVEMBER 9TH GIVE-BACK CEREMONY

Written By Thomas Kagwa

The 7th Goat Giveback: A group of women standing together each holding leashes to 2 pairs of goats.

Beneficiaries of the 7th Goat Foundation Giveback in Mariakani, Kilifi County, Kenya.

Under the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun on the Kenyan coast, an eager crowd gathers outside a church. Most community meetings take place here. However today, they are here for a different kind of engagement. The congregants were selected for a relief program by a philanthropic organization known as The Goat foundation. The founder of this pioneering venture is due to arrive shortly and tension is palpable. Times have been hard of late, and as the drought persists most villagers are facing starvation and malnutrition. Assistance in whatever form is literally a lifesaver. From a distance, a dusty convoy of three cars snakes its way slowly toward the village. Two pick-up trucks and a Toyota LandCruiser come to a halt outside the church. The crowd surges forward. Steve Down, the Founder, and CEO of The Goat Foundation steps out of the Toyota four-wheel-drive vehicle and walks purposefully toward church elders and a raft of community leaders. Mr. Steve Down realizes the crucial role played by these leaders. Local leaders help identify the most vulnerable members in need of immediate help. The waiting list for recipients is usually long and logistical planning and organization play a crucial role in the success of this project. Mr. Down exchanges greetings with most of the assembled crowd while nearby at a  makeshift stand some officials from his organization are busy sorting out the names of the beneficiaries of this program. 

Each family receives a male and a female goat, that hopefully will procreate and enlarge the herd while providing milk for drinking. These goats have been sourced from businessmen within the community. This ensures that the project benefits both the recipients and local businesses. Mr. Steve Down smiles and chats with the locals, feeling quite at home in a remote village thousands of miles from his hometown in Utah USA. 

The 7th Giveback: A white man standing, greeting an old woman amongst a group of women standing infront of him

The Goat FOundation Founder, Steve Down greeted one of the widows joyful to be part of the beneficiaries in the giveback.

His affability and charisma are infectious, and you are left with little doubt that Mr. Down holds a deep conviction about his purpose here. 

A member of his staff is scheduled to conduct a brief financial literacy class. Most recipients of these donations need training on how to utilize the animals they receive in wealth creation. This is one of Mr. Down’s proudest achievements. Whenever he comes back to visit a previous recipient of his donations, he is always amazed at the transformative improvement in the fortunes of those who made the effort to apply his financial literacy skills.   

Steve is also the founder and CEO of Financially Fit, a for-profit company in the Finance Education industry that offers financial literacy through personal wealth education. As a Cause Capitalist, he founded The Goat foundation, through which he donates 1% of Financially Fit’s earnings towards poverty alleviation by donating goats to the needy in society. 

Today Steve is witnessing the fruition of his vision created under the Cause Capitalism philosophy. The philosophy surrounding this concept blends philanthropy, entrepreneurial spirit, corporate social responsibility, and capitalism ideals into a mission whose purpose is to help the less fortunate members living in the surrounding community where his business was located. with a deep sense of purpose. Simply put, Cause Capitalism is where a for-profit business company agrees to partner with a non-profit organization and donates a percentage of its gross sales to the non-profit. 

Soon crowds begin to gather as other villagers noticed the presence of visitors. Every eye turns towards him. Apparently, they expect him to give a speech. Well, this was unplanned, Steve chuckles to himself as he turns to the church Reverend sitting on his right. The deeply lined face of the priest nods in a smile urging him to speak to the crowd.

Steve is aware that a lot still needs to be done, and as he walks back towards his vehicle to depart, his normally serene features harden in a steely determination with another resolve to help more people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE KILIFI GIVEBACK

A woman greeting a man while holding a pair of goats by their leash

A beneficiary of The Goat Foundation giveback in Majajani village, Kilifi County Kenya, greets Founder Steve Down

The Goat Foundation was started with a vision of reaching out to the most vulnerable families across rural Kenya. The founder, Steve Down, met a family at one of the funerals he attended during his first visit to Kenya. The woman who continues to propagate this vision was widowed and left with 4 children.  She only had a vegetable garden that she thought would sustain her young family. 

Steve Down learnt that goat farming was one of the climate-smart methods of agriculture that people living in ASALS were fast embracing. He took it upon himself to help this family by donating 2 goats (a he-goat and a she-goat.) 

This inspired his vision of ensuring no family lacks basic resources or goes to bed hopeless. 

So far, The Goat Foundation has donated 850 goats across Kenya and empowered 500 households through the cause initiative. Recipient families are asked to donate the firstborn goat from each pair to the next village family in need. This could provide perpetual giving of goats and nutrition. 

Our vision is in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals 1,2,&5. (No poverty, No hunger and Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls). We envision a hunger-free Africa where its most marginalized populations have a chance at wealth creation. 

The issue- What we are solving? 

  1. Poverty- to ensure widows earn a sustainable income through climate-smart agriculture
  2. Hunger- to ensure no widows and their beneficiaries go to bed hungry. 
  3. Injustice- to create awareness of the tribulations faced by widows and ensure their rights are withheld.  

Our Cause Capitalism Philosophy.

A man with many microphones held in front of him

Founder of The Goat Foundation, Steve Down Addressing the press during the goat giveback

Cause Capitalism according to Steve Down is when a for-profit company partners with a nonprofit, not as a gimmick but as a true sustainable partner. 

We believe that for-profit companies should ensure sustainability around the communities they operate in, to promote economic inclusion. 

Companies have to ensure people benefit positively from their creations. That is why we advocate for For-profit and non-profit partnerships. 

Non-profits address global issues by reaching out directly to vulnerable groups. They educate, enable and empower them. This can only be possible if they have financial access to ensure this happens. 

Therefore, we call on more stakeholders to join our cause capitalism initiative and make the world a better place. 

 

The 200 Goat Donation. 

Financially Fit through The Goat Foundation will donate 200 goats to 100 low-income households in Mariakani, Kilifi County. We work through partnerships with like-minded institutions and strongly believe in the power of the media to amplify the impact of climate change on low-income households fully dependent on agriculture and call for mitigation across all sectors. For this reason, we invite you to witness the impactful donation from The Goat Foundation. 

We look forward to hosting you on the 8th of November 2022. 

 

HOW ADULT EDUCATION IS EMPOWERING WIDOWS IN RURAL KENYA IN THEIR EFFORT TO OVERCOME MARGINALIZATION

A bolack woman wi

TGF October newsletter – Empowering Widows with education to overcome marginalization.

The Goat Foundation has taken note of how the Kenya Adult Learners’ Association (KALA) plays an important role in promoting micro-enterprises and advancement in the informal business sector as a way of alleviating widows’ unemployment and high rural poverty in Kenya. We are cognizant of the fact that helping widows in the pursuit of socio-economic emancipation is a multi-pronged approach that requires the input of many stakeholders. 

 

The World Bank states that strong job growth is only possible with the legitimization of the informal business sector, which can increase household productivity. Accordingly, the Economic Empowerment Programme implemented by KALA tackles the vulnerability of farmers to climatic conditions – a serious challenge to development in rural Kenya – by equipping widows with skills which allow them to engage in other income-generating activities besides farming.

By focusing on widows in rural areas as a target group, KALA’s literacy programme addresses some of the country’s major problems: educational shortcomings, poverty, unemployment and social marginalization.

 

The Economic Empowerment and Functional Adult Literacy Programme has been implemented by the Kenya Adult Learners’ Association (KALA) in various rural areas of Kenya. The programme aims to provide hands-on training to economically empower widows by equipping them with basic literacy and functional skills. Economic empowerment refers to entrepreneurship and management training, which enables the target group to pursue income-generating activities. Such activities lead to important supplementary income, thereby reducing the dependency of households on income from weather-dependent activities such as farming.

Aims and Objectives:

  • Improve the lives of widows through functional literacy by increasing the enrolment of learners in literacy classes;
  • Facilitate entrepreneurship and management training for widows and facilitators;
  • Improve networking and sharing of experiences among groups/members through peer learning exchange programmes;
  • Initiate a capital savings grant to widow groups;
  • Provide learning and teaching materials for the literacy classes; and
  • Monitor and supervise small businesses and literacy classes.

 

The first area is the empowerment of widows’ groups through the application of economic and literacy skills (functional adult literacy).

The second aspect is based on developing economic literacy skills where adult learners acquire reading, writing and arithmetic skills, while KALA integrates supplementary entrepreneurship and management training outside the traditional reading and writing context.

The third component of the KALA literacy programme is a supplementary kitchen-garden programme, which is meant to improve widows’ knowledge of agricultural production and food provision. In addition to contributing to widow’s empowerment, the kitchen-garden programme has domestic importance, as women are the main providers of food at the household level. Due to unpredictable weather patterns, subsistence farming cannot always guarantee a sufficient food supply, or indeed a surplus income. Issues of poverty and hunger in rural areas are therefore alleviated through the kitchen-garden project.

 

The fourth aspect focuses on health. In order to improve health conditions in rural areas, the KALA literacy programme includes primary health education, as well as information on HIV and AIDS control, prevention and care. Widows also learn about the care of orphans and vulnerable children, enabling them to provide children with basic health care services.

The empowerment of widows through literacy has meant that they have become more actively engaged in decision-making at the household level, and widows can pursue and advocate their own interests. One impact of the programme has been the alleviation of women’s marginalization within society, as improved literacy has given widows’ a greater level of social, economic and political status.

ADVANCING WIDOW’S RIGHTS TO LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES THROUGH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

A group of people smiling standing next to a woman holding a goat by its leash

Widows have a right to own property

Over the last decade, Kenya has taken some steps to promote fairness and secure women’s rights within the institution of marriage. The promulgation of the progressive 2010 Constitution and the enactment of the Matrimonial Property Act of 2013 (‘MPA’) have been significant steps in the right direction. The act abolished the unconstitutional marital powers of the husband and placed husbands and wives on equal footing. Men and women who are married in civil marriages in community of property must now consult each other on all important financial transactions, as equal partners. 

Before the Act was passed, the common law concept of “marital power” gave the husband the right to control the joint estate. Even though half of everything belonged to the wife, the husband had the authority to administer the estate on behalf of the couple.

Section 5 gives equal power to spouses married in community of property: to dispose of the assets of the joint estate; to contract debts for which the joint estate is liable; to administer the joint estate.

Section 6 states that “a spouse married in community of property may perform any juristic act with regard to the joint estate without the consent of the other spouse”. 

Provides women married in a community of property equal access to bank loans and ownership of property without the consent of their partner.  

Makes the age of consent for entry into civil marriage 18 years for both sexes, and provides that men and women are equal before the law.

Provides that immovable property, such as a communal house, must be registered in both spouses’ names. The sale of such property has to be approved by both parties. Likewise, the act provides for equal guardianship over minor children of the marriage.

When a marriage in community of property ends, any liabilities are settled out of the joint estate. If the marriage ended in divorce, the remainder of the estate is normally divided equally between the spouses. 

If the marriage ended due to the death of one spouse, the surviving spouse keeps his or her own half-share and the deceased spouse’s half-share is distributed in terms of the law of succession or intestacy.

 

In marriages out of community of property, the assets and debts of the husband and wife remain separate. Ownership of property remains with the person who acquired it. If the marriage ends, each spouse retains his or her own separate belongings.

The Act also makes it clear that both husbands and wives in marriages out of community of property bear responsibility for making contributions to household necessities in proportion to their resources. Both spouses are jointly and severally liable to third parties for all debts incurred by either of them for necessities for the joint household. A spouse who has contributed more than his or her fair share for such necessities has a right of recourse against the other spouse.

Couples who have entered into antenuptial agreements sometimes use a variation of community of property known as the “accrual system”.

In this system, the property owned by the husband and the wife before the marriage remains their separate property, and property acquired during the marriage is administered as separate property. When the marriage comes to an end, husband and wife share equally all of the property and assets that were added to the household during the marriage. There is no sharing of losses, only of profits.

CASE STUDY – KNOWLEDGE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE BEING USED TO EMPOWER WIDOWS IN KITUI COUNTY, KENYA

Woman dressed in green overall and boots bent picking plants on a farm

Sustainable agriculture is empowering widows in Kitui County, Kenya

Widows are a vulnerable demographic lacking in economic means, social capital and means to protect their individual rights. In recognition of their unique status as societal pariahs, community-based organizations in Kitui County came together and brainstormed ideas for creating sustainable livelihoods for widows living amongst them. Earlier on, it was evident that sustainable agriculture would be transformative and practical. It was a consensus that through a communal collaborative effort, widows could grow crops and raise livestock to guarantee them a source of food and income. 

Sustainable agricultural practices were intended to protect the environment, expand the natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility in areas where it was practised. Based on a multi-pronged goal, sustainable agriculture was chosen as it increased profitability, and income, and promoted environmental stewardship.

Kitui region is located in the Arid and Semi-arid region of Kenya that receives little rainfall which is often sporadic. 

Among the activities undertaken were:

  • Rotating crops and embracing diversity.
  • Planting cover crops and perennials.
  • Reducing or eliminating tillage. 
  • Applying integrated pest management (IPM). 
  • Integrating livestock and crops. 
  • Adopting agroforestry practices. 
  • Managing whole systems and landscapes.

It should be understood that these widows were women previously displaced from their matrimonial homes, and they lacked the technical skill of utilizing scanty ecological resources to practice agriculture.

The introduction of this activity was therefore revolutionary in a sense. Previously destitute mothers could now look forward to harvesting their crops and selling them at local markets. The proceeds from this would then be used to pay for their children’s school fees, rent living quarters and purchase dignified clothes. The resultant social effect was the emergence of a class of empowered widows, who no longer looked at society with a bowl in hand, begging for sustenance. 

As a sustainable agricultural practice, the resulting effect was;

  • Increase in productivity, employment and value addition in food systems.
  • Protection and enhancement of natural resources.
  • Improved livelihoods that fostered inclusive economic growth.
  • Enhanced resilience of widows, whose socioeconomic ecosystem could withstand different economic shocks.
  • Adapt governance to new challenges especially as widows acquired social capital and economic power, they were able to hire legal aid to advocate for and speak for their rights.

The example of how widows were rescued from the throes of poverty and propelled to a life of hope and dignity is what the goat foundation aspires to and continues doing across the country. Scores of women have received a pair of goats from this foundation and the socioeconomic outcome has been similar. At the Goat Foundation, we felt encouraged to observe how different aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals were being attained by the simple act of communal cooperation, training and inculcation of relevant skills. It is for this reason that our foundation not only offers a pair of goats to widows, but we also provide crucial financial literacy training that ensures these women can start to grow their financial base through making informed decisions. 

 

HOW CBOs ARE ENGAGED IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE ‘CLEANSING RITUAL’ IN WESTERN KENYA

A woman seated on a chair with ash smeared on her face. She is carrying a small child crying and beside her is a short girl standing

Widows are subjected to cleansing rituals in some parts of Kenya

When a husband passes away in western Kenya, it represents not only the loss of a spouse but also the passing of a provider for the family and a change in the woman’s standing within the community. In the traditional culture, the widow must undergo purification following the spouse’s passing.

The ritual requires widows to have sex with strangers who are sometimes HIV-positive and do not use protection. The sexual cleansing is done as part of the transition process for the widow to become eligible to remarry and is also conducted to cleanse the widow of evil spirits resulting from the death of her husband.

After the cleansing has taken place, the widow is expected to be inherited by a man, traditionally an in-law. In recent days, in-laws are now less willing to inherit a widow due to the economic burden, which has led to men who are not relatives asking for payment to perform the rituals.

Entrenched tradition, poverty, and hunger are some of the main challenges that these community organizations face in the quest to stop women from agreeing to participate in the cleansing. Poverty makes the widow agree to participate in the ritual so the man can take care of her and the children.

The CBOs that are non-profits are now supporting women’s groups that have come together to reverse the traditional practice. The groups meet once a week to offer solace, and advice to each other while preaching against the ritual to other women in the community.

As much as these women are doing something great to meet and try to stop the rituals, it’s not easy for them in the community. Many have faced death threats and some have been attacked for speaking against the practice.

The CBO has also formed men’s Barazas to try and speak to them and discourage the practice. The tradition, though, is so entrenched in the community that it’s very difficult to try and talk them out of it. The Kenyan government has also tried to enact an act that protects women against domestic violence and promotes gender equality but the act still goes on.

One of the interventions that the community-based organizations are carrying out to assist the widows in having a business of their own that can support their families is equipping these women with the skills necessary to enable them to make a living. Through their women’s organizations, the CBOs provide charity grants to help them launch businesses that say no to poverty and hunger.

The Goat Foundation is committed, in line with the sustainable development goals, to helping widows support their families through economic empowerment. We give the widow’s family a pair of goats as part of our contribution. Our intention is to give the recipients two goats—one male and one female—in the hopes that they will breed and produce additional goats.

A widow looks onto the horizon

Is Africa ready to abandon some of its widow passage rights to uphold the dignity of widows? 

A widow looks onto the horizon

Drum rolls, upbeat music, and people dancing over lit fires. A description of a typical funeral set up among many communities across Africa. Here, death is ‘celebrated’ as a right of passage. People feast, mourn and send off their loved ones to the ‘spirit world’ safely. The loss of a loved one marks the beginning of doom, especially for widows. During this ceremony, they are comforted by their fellow women and surrounded by much love. But as soon as the funeral ends, a new life that may be marked by extreme hardship begins for these widows.

Cleansing rights like drinking the water that was used to bathe their husband’s corpse begin. Others are required to cut off their hair, go to the stream to bathe, and sleep beside their husband’s dead bodies. Among widowed households in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Uganda- widows are forced to participate in sexual cleansing. This means widows must have unprotected sex with their husband’s brother or other relatives, or with a professional village, cleanser to ‘remove the impurities that have been ascribed to her.

According to MS Magazine, widows in the South Eastern part of Nigeria go through a period of isolated confinement. This ranges from 8 days to 4 months after their husband dies. ‘In this period, the widow is not allowed to leave her room and her hair is completely shaved. She is expected to sit on the floor and wail at the top of her lungs every morning and is not allowed to take a bath or change her clothes till the body of the deceased is buried.’

The prejudices against widows are embedded in the African culture. While there are some positive customs, the negative ones overweight the good in the intention of the positive customs. It is important to note that these cultures contribute to the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS among the widow communities and the belief that widows should be treated inhumanely through generations.

While many may argue that widows can choose to not participate in such customs, these rites and practices intersect with the economic freedom of widows. They control their ability to be accepted and own property rightfully from their husbands. Failure to participate in these activities calls for banishment and dispossession of their property.

The only way widows across rural Africa can unlearn these practices is through economic empowerment. If they are rightfully given opportunities for wealth creation, they can leave these practices behind and stand on their own financially.

A man with microphones infront of him

THE RATIONALE FOR CAUSE CAPITALISM

Cause Capitalism is a call to action for corporate organizations to exercise deliberate social compassion by proactively pledging humanitarian assistance to communities around them. Between seeking to maximize profits, fulfill shareholder expectations, and secure the cheapest production factors, corporate executives find little time for exercising deliberate programs to benefit the communities around which they operate. I am aware that multinational corporations no doubt bring massive investment to developing countries.

Foreign direct investment and new technologies introduced by multinationals spur GDP growth and the growth of different micro industries. Multinationals are also beneficial for developing countries in terms of bringing employment opportunities and new technologies that spill over to domestic firms. Furthermore, multinational companies often benefit from government subsidies, which could in the future be linked to investment in local firms. 

However, as it has been widely documented, some of these multinational corporations migrate their business to third-world countries for more nefarious purposes than what’s advertised.

In industrialized nations, labor laws and unionization have kept wages relatively high and protected employee rights. Companies are required to provide health benefits, paid vacation, and ensure anti-discriminatory practices. Companies are additionally mandated to observe strict environmental protection activities such as cleaning their effluent, proper disposal of waste, and cleaning up after industrial accidents. 

Uncomfortable with these stringent supervisions and faced with the prospect of reduced profits, most companies relocate to third-world countries where laws are lax or non-existent. With deep corporate pockets and sleek PR campaigns, these organizations receive licenses to operate in regions where access to cheap labor and raw materials is guaranteed. 

Companies in the least developed countries feel less obligated to observe social responsibility. Having paid their way to the highest government echelons, these corporations launch lucrative businesses that stash 99% of their profits abroad in tax havens, while delegating a minuscule amount of their earnings to local projects as initially envisaged.

Multinational companies look to reduce their liability in regions where they operate through the practice of outsourcing. Outsourcing takes place when a company hires or contracts another company, which is not related to the first, to do some type of work. Outsourcing work decreases the liability of the multinational through the contract of the work. The contract states that if there is to be any liability at all in the contract, the liability will be shared by both the principal and the contractor.

Another way in which these multinational corporations minimize liability is through renegade regime regulation. Multinationals can use the jurisdiction of one state to protect themselves from the jurisdiction of another. These companies use this to their advantage by seeking “refuge” in certain states, so-called secrecy havens. 

Liability reduction has given international companies the ability to be unaccountable and reckless in business practices. In the past, these megacorporations have been untouchable through the use of contracts, lack of policy enforcement, and basic corporate organization. The difficulty arises when placing responsibility on these companies as most are to be held accountable under national laws. With the wide scope of the actions of multinational corporations and their transnational nature, it is no wonder that national law cannot deal with these issues. 

One way to keep these conglomerates liable for all the actions that they undertake. That solution is international law. In four applicable ways, the international community can start holding the right people accountable for the activities that they undertake.

Communities must also be appraised of their environmental rights, labor rights, and social protection rights.

There have to be mechanisms by civil society and local non-profit organizations to recognize companies that show deliberate social responsibility and environmental protection. Conversely, lawbreakers and irresponsible exploitative practices must be called out and highlighted. Robust legal institutions must uphold existing laws so those rogue organizations can account for their practices.

Locally, independent multi-stakeholder committees must be encouraged to oversee the company’s activities and supervise adherence to laid down regulations. National governments should tax these multinational companies and use these funds for environmental protection purposes and as insurance against disasters such as oil spillage. Community advocacy and local participation in legislative frameworks are encouraged too because the voices of local communities are best placed to indicate the failure or success of investment strategies.

Given the rampant abuse of power, privilege, and position by some companies, it is not only fair but logical that we urge these corporations to contribute a percentage of their gross income to a charitable cause. multinational corporations can partner with a non-profit with the aim of supporting a worthy cause such as housing, water, sanitation, environmental clean-up, or food for impoverished communities. This will not only paint these companies in a positive light but will effect real change for communities in these countries.

In most third-world countries, their citizens no longer rely on governments for the provision of basic social infrastructure. Given the massive wealth and influence wielded by multinational companies, it can be competently argued that societies can depend on these corporations to bring about social and economic change, and by doing so escape the delineating label affixed on them such as “The Evil Corporations,” “Tax Evaders,” or “Exploitative Capitalists.”

INJUSTICE: WHY WIDOWS ACROSS AFRICA FACE OMISSION ON LAND RIGHTS.

A widow beneficiary of The Goat Foundation receiving a pair of goats

A widow beneficiary of The Goat Foundation receives a pair of goats.

In traditional African society, sons get to inherit property from their caregivers. Daughters on the other hand suffer the sin of omission as it is believed they will be catered for by their husbands when they are ready for marriage. This reflects the general belief around land ownership across Africa. Land rights tend to be held by men. For women of all ages to access land, they have to have a male relative; either a husband or father.

For many widows, the narrative changes as soon as they lose their husbands. A study conducted by UN Women found that in Zambia, more than one-third of widows lost access to family land when their husbands died. This is a representation of what happens across the continent. Given the cultural beliefs that surround property inheritance, widows are left destitute with no one to turn to.

Often, the families of the deceased are the perpetrators. They may want another male in the family to take over land and property. In other regions, widows are forced into ‘inheritance’ to protect the family assets. This means that the brother or any able male related to the deceased marries the widow and takes over property rights.

What factors contribute to this?

1. Low literacy levels:

Tertiary education uptake across Africa has been slow over recent years. For women especially, incentives like lowering university entry marks have been able to see many take up education. But across rural regions, girls drop out early due to poverty.

This makes them vulnerable to early marriages. Having no self-sufficiency skills, their roles are limited to child-bearing and tending to domestic work that is unpaid. Over the period, their most productive years are lost, and at the entry of the job market – only minimal jobs are available.

2. Knowledge of land inheritance and property rights is unknown.

Although most African countries are trying to embrace progressive laws on property rights, the implementation is slow.

Most women across rural regions would quickly go to local administrations to solve land disputes. Settlement is expensive and takes a lot of time. According to one of our beneficiaries, they do not believe in justice systems as men intimidate them into bribing their way to victory over land disputes.

Given that most widows living in extreme poverty now have wills, they have no rights to claim over the land.

3. Patriarchy and Cultural beliefs.

The role of women across rural Africa was previously limited to caregiving and nurturing. Although times have changed, patriarchy remains a cultural force that bars women from rightful land inheritance.

How should widows be protected against harmful rights?

Widow’s voices have to be united by a movement that impacts their lives. From a local standpoint to a magnified international level, it is upon us to ensure that we humanize widow’s rights by;

1.) Coming up with favorable policies that support widows access to land rights.

In Kenya for example, forcibly evicting a widow from her matrimonial home and land is considered illegal. More countries need to ensure widow rights are upheld and justice is easy to come by.

2) Create more awareness on laws that protect widows.

The Kenyan constitution calls for parties in a marriage to have equal rights during and even after a marriage ends.

  • The Marriage Act: This act calls for registering all marriages. It immediately grants women a legal basis for land ownership claims.
  • The Matrimonial Property Act: This protects women’s rights to property acquired during marriage.
  • The Land Act: This provides spouses protection from having their home or land leased or sold without their knowledge.
  • The Law of succession: This law gives both male and female children the same inheritance rights.

3) Educate against discriminatory social and traditional practices and beliefs.

More young girls should be empowered to attain education and gain self-sufficiency skills. This liberates them from depending on male relatives on land rights.

Further, men should be educated against the notion that sons are to be bestowed land rights and daughters  should negotiate use of land through male relatives.

THE SUFFERING OF ELDERLY WIDOWS ACROSS DEVELOPING NATIONS.

An elderly woman looks on.

Watch Lydia’s interview by clicking here.

The prices of food commodities globally have gone up. This could be directly linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia actively supplies Kenya with 32% of its wheat imports. The impact of this has been felt by low-income households, among them widowed households across rural Kenya.

Lydia is among the majority of widows across Africa who have to care for both their children and grandchildren. Old and nearing retirement, elderly widows have it rough. They have to work twice as harder to ensure their families are well cared for. In the case their children died and are left to care for their grandchildren, the responsibility to put them through school falls on their shoulders.

Elderly widows have been left to inherit debts from their spouses and children. A majority of them have low-literacy levels and entering the job market has often proven difficult. For such women, menial jobs are readily available. But with aging, comes physical changes that do not allow them to undertake strenuous labor.

A solution for elderly widows.

When The Goat Foundation was started, The Founder’s goal was to address global poverty by offering long-term sustainable solutions to wealth creation. Poverty among widowed populations is gendered and the only way to alleviate is to ensure every population has a chance at wealth creation.

Elderly widows across rural Africa like Lydia are benefitting from our initiative. Through the gift of goats, they are able to cater to their immediate and long-term needs. With arable land to shelter these goats, they are to take care of them and ensure they reproduce. This goes on as they equally receive financial education on how best to increase their goat’s output in producing milk and manure.

On top of these, they learn business practices on value addition that ensure additional income. For example, in the comfort of their home, they can easily make butter, ghee, and other dairy products that are high in demand across the markets in Kenya.