Women's Program

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

In 2008, SWIWSCO supported fifteen single women; three died from AIDS that same year. The remaining women range in age from 25 to 55. Of the twelve, 4 are widowed and the others were abandoned by their husbands. One is the grandmother to a child who has AIDS and lost both parents to the disease. Another cares for 7 of her own children and 3 grandchildren. The women live in deplorable housing conditions, mostly in a one room mud hut with no electricity, water or sewage. Those who are physically able to work earn less than $1.00 per day by collecting firewood from the forest to sell, selling fruit on the street or by coloring hair.

Why a Program that "Empowers"?

Tanzania is a traditional patriarchal society where women live with inequality, inadequacies and unequal access to education and health care. In the face of extreme poverty, domestic violence, societal discrimination, lack of education, gender bias, and a myriad of health problems including HIV, women carry the burden of supporting a family.

Education. Educational attainment for women is low and few girls reach secondary school. Uneducated women have no occupational alternatives other than being housewives. Educated women face strong traditional norms that divide labor along gender lines and place women in subordinate positions.

Violence. Violence against women is widespread, placing a serious health burden on women and their children, especially in light of the prevalence of HIV. Victims of violence in intimate partner relationships tend to have less than an 8th grade education, are blamed for having no children or too many children, and have experienced sexual abuse during childhood. Men are often polygamous and tend to view wives as acquisitions who have no voice or rights within the family. Despite physical and emotional abuse, women stay with their spouses because economic autonomy is virtually impossible.

Land Ownership. Kilimanjaro’s land is fertile, thus a highly valued resource. It remains under male control and is distributed thorough patrimonial inheritance practices. Laws generally prohibit land ownership by women. They can work the land provided they give all profits to their husband. This keeps women financially dependent, making them more vulnerable to household level poverty when familial relationships change.

Health. HIV disproportionately affects women. Many men have multiple partners, spreading HIV infection. Young women with no viable way to earn a living often become prostitutes, at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Rates of women who die during childbirth is high due to inadequate obstetric care. Female genital mutilation (FGM) continues as a coming of age practice, (amongst other reasons), for female children. Despite laws condemning the practice, men and women continue to defend FGM, often as a prerequisite for marriage.