THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WIDOWED HOUSEHOLDS

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Climate change is affecting widowed households

The Goat Foundation has traversed the far reaches of Kenyan communities visiting widows far and wide. These widows have no access to grain storage facilities or bank account savings. Being dependent on the produce generated on land, it follows that these widows depend on a steady and predictable climate to raise their meager crop and livestock holdings.

A saying goes, when it rains it pours, and climate change brings with it severe and unpredictable weather phenomena. If it isn’t flooding, it is a prolonged drought that completely devastates all vegetation. Crops wither and die, and animals lack food, and simply fall down and die. Poor widows end up with no means of earning a livelihood.

Elsewhere in the world, the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts threaten lives in these front-line communities, driving people from their homes and jeopardizing food sources and livelihoods. All these effects increase the likelihood of more conflict, hunger, and poverty.

The Goat Foundation collects data on the economic situation of widows around the country and we know that they rely on agriculture and natural resources to survive. For these widows, the effects of climate change — shifting weather, limited water sources, and increased competition for resources — are a real matter of life and death. Climate change has turned their lives into a desperate guessing game.

To earn a living, widows are forced to seek work as casual laborers, work as prostitutes or simply stay home and starve. Their children drop out of school as their mothers can no longer afford to pay school fees. Some of these children are then exploited as child workers, sold off in human trafficking, or into prostitution.

In 2010, the United Nations declared that “climate change is inextricably linked to poverty and hunger.” Seventy-five percent of the world’s poor living in rural areas count on natural resources such as forests, lakes, and oceans for their livelihoods, the organization noted. And climate change is playing havoc with those resources.

Here’s how climate change is impacting the families of widows and their children in Kenya:

  • ‌Prolonged droughts devastate food supplies and dry up water sources.
  • ‌Withered crops and starving animals destroy families’ livelihoods.
  • ‌Torrential rains, floods, and landslides flatten or sweep away their homes.
  • ‌Strife can occur within communities, as widows compete for available arable land.
  • ‌Widows’ families become separated, as their children relocate to search for work.

It is therefore a matter of paramount urgency for us who work in aid relief to advocate for the adoption of strict measures to mitigate the risk in global temperatures.

The lack of financial cushioning against emergencies is another factor that we must consider. If widows can be helped to save some income, they will be in a position to withstand the absence of direct agricultural produce.

Lastly, The Goat Foundation also emphasizes the need for diversifying means of agricultural production by practicing climate-smart agriculture so that if one practice, say crop planting, is devastated by floods, widows can rely on goats for food and as a source of income.

 

A widow looks onto the horizon

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

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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

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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.”

FROM THE HEART OF A WIDOW

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The Goat Foundation Founder, Steve Down at a Goat Giving ceremony in Machakos.

Losing a loved one is hard. Imagine losing your all abruptly. Losing your partner, your support system, and your greatest cheerleader. Life as you know it takes a drastic turn and believe me it becomes dark. The partner you lose is like losing a part of you. No book written under the sun can prepare you for this. It is a heavy transition and really, there is no getting used to it. You just learn or is it re-learn how to live life.

When my husband died he left with me. Ironical right? It was crazy, it was as if I was in a trance. How? He was not sick, he was whole and hearty. Got into his car, kissed his newborn child and me goodbye, and left for the day just like any other day. Before he left as if he could tell he would not return, he left his phone only to return and spend a few more minutes that turned into an hour and a half playing with his new daughter. He was running late but that did not seem to matter. When the phone calls became too many to bear, he left gave us his daily dose of affirmations and dad jokes, and left. That was it.

He went to work and the next time I would see his car it would take a minute for me to tell what type of a car it is. He had an accident on his way to work and his short life was cut short. Through the mourning period, I was in a trance, I was in a daze, and I barely remember any conversations I had at that time. It was difficult but here I am whole and hearty with a well-raised and blessed child thanks to God and generous and giving foundations such as the Goat Foundation. As a widow you need a village, you need a support system and a sustainable one because what next?

The Goat foundation is that village for many widows across the county. It is breaching the gap for widows who would otherwise have been forgotten. It is returning pride and smiles to the widows. The Goat foundation is not your ordinary nonprofit, it is a nonprofit that lives and pushes cause capitalism. Through their for-profit institution Financially Fit they channel resources to caring for and empowering widows in marginalized communities. No, they do not give them money because in today’s economy money comes and goes very easily and fast. They provide an empowering avenue for widows through goats. YES…. GOATS. For this cause, they give 100 widows 2 goats each. A male and female and I dare say this is a neat idea because goats, as you know, have the shortest gestational period and within no time a widow can move from having two goats to multiple with proper care of course.

As we marked International Widows Day a day that is hard for all widows alike. However, this one is a special one for the widows across the country that have so far been impacted by this great cause. The Goat Foundation’s promise is that 10 million widows will receive 20 million goats in the next 10 years. Now that is what we call Capitalism with a cause. Cause Capitalism brings abundance and a fair shot at wealth creation for all widows. God Bless Cause Capitalists worldwide.