One of the challenges of living in TZ is that there are so many palpable needs. Some of the most vulnerable are widows. In many patrilineal societies, the widow’s in-laws can take all the property of the grieving widow without recourse, leaving the widow in destitute poverty.
I learned about this from a pastor friend, Hoyce, with whom I was invited to join her in developing a paper on this concern and the role of the church in caring for widows. I brought in a section on a remedy through legal aid. I learned that IF there is a will, then the widow and her property are protected by Tanzanian laws, which are actually rather good (though it is the husband that writes the will!).
For the paper’s research, I met with a lawyer, who is a widow’s son and knows personally this story of predatory in-laws, which motivated him to become an attorney when he realized that the courts can protect these widows. So, with a bit of support from me, he has started an NGO, the Hope for Widows Initiative. The strategy is providing free templates to write wills with current information from the Tanzanian legal codes for couples (husbands!) to develop a will. Additional legal aid is available on a sliding scale, with those able to pay a modest fee makes it possible to provide pro-bono aid for the poorest.
However, one of the challenges is the taboo against writing wills. This is seen as cursing oneself to die, as only the dying write wills in many traditional understandings. So, in addition to some good theological teaching by the church, the other strategy is to develop a “joint declaration of marital property.” This is not technically a taboo invoking act! Yet, the joint declaration is not idea, as wills are officially registered with the government. Still, a joint declaration is enforceable through the courts of law.
This attorney is also a professor at Tumaini University Makumira, so one plan is to equip all the law students at TUMA to help family members to write wills when they go home during the breaks. We will also work through church networks—where the theological teachings that Hoyce developed—can be used to counteract the sense of taboo. The information and forms are currently online at:
https://www.mamaanya.com/hope-for-widows/ but the DRAFT dedicated website is under development at:
https://hope4widowstz.org/
Next month, we will gather those from the widows groups who will benefit from writing wills to protect their remaining assets for their children from further challenges from the in-laws.
Pray for the widows of Tanzania!
Mikitamayana Engai! / Mungu akubariki! / God bless you!