After their husband’s death, widows are often driven off their land, because their in-laws claim the land for themselves – often by force. The widows are powerless against such acts of arbitrary power, because there is nobody to protect them. They and their children fall into extreme poverty. There are no confirmed figures, only alarming estimates* which say that one out of three widows suffers this fate.

Violence is a frequent reason why women leave their marriages. Most of these women got married much too young. In fact, UNICEF statistics say that 40 percent of women aged 20 to 24 married before they were 18, ten percent were even under 15.

Women leaving an unhappy marriage will often suffer the same fate as widows: they will struggle through life on the fringes of society. To date, the Gejja Women Foundation, our local partner in Uganda, has helped 140 widows, single mothers, and girls without school-leaving qualifications to build a livelihood for themselves. Working in startups, they manufacture a whole range of goods, such as bio soap, fruit wines and washable and reusable sanitary towels.

Together with the Gejja Women Foundation we can help more women to lead an economically independent life. That is why we ask you to support us. Help us to secure the future of widows, single mothers, and girls without school-leaving qualification – thus giving a happy life to their children too.