High rates of HIV and poverty continue to place women in a precarious economic situation in Zambia. Mortality from HIV infection is high, leaving many households single headed and creating almost a half a million orphans.
In addition to these adversities property grabbing is considered normal in our cultural tradition and is very prevalent in our community’s today. This practice is when the male's family claims the property of the deceased from the widow and the children is one of most prevalent forms of gender violence that creates poverty in women.
This is why in order to improve the lives of widowed women in Zambia, Habitat for Humanity’s goal under the Vulnerable Group Housing program is to build capacity of these vulnerable women so that they know their rights to own and protect their land and other assets in the event of their husbands' death, an issue of increasing importance in the area of HIV/AIDS. Nellie Nachilima, 46 years experienced this violation when her husband died in 2001 she was left with the responsibility of taking care of 12 family members among them grandchildren from her late daughter and son and extended family (daughter in law and an aunt). Nellie’s in-laws felt that the property belonged to them and she had no right to inherit the land or property.
Nellie narrates her story…
My life became difficult, very difficult when my husband died, I had nowhere to go. I thought I would run mad from the psychological impact it had on me. My husband’s family took everything we owned. I had an out of body experience. It was as though I was outside my body watching these people doing this to my family, I couldn’t believe that whilst I was grieving for my husband all they could think of was the little property we had.
Luckily, soon after this ordeal my neighbors lightened my burden by offering to look after my children whilst I looked for a place to live. |
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It was hard at first because no one was able to offer a permanent place for us to squat, so I had to continue searching for a piece land that I could call my own.
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As soon as I secured a piece of land I was determined to work hard and put a roof over my head. I began to mould clay bricks so that I could build a simple structure with my children. I prayed to God for strength because I knew that I needed to make the best of the situation if my children and I were to survive. The mud house was a nightmare during the rainy season because it was always dump and we also suffered many aliments like malaria, influenza and cholera, but it was home it kept us together.
‘I am overjoyed, look at me now. I never imagined that I would be a proud homeowner; God is a God of miracles’ said Nellie. |
On 22nd December 2010 Nellie and her family moved her new home, thanks to Habitat for Humanity and partners. |
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