Global Fund for Widows

Widows’ Rights Are Women’s Rights The specific needs of widows and women heads of households are often not recognised as a critical aspect of women's rights. Despite progress in gender equality, many development and social programmes and policies do not recognise the intersectionality of widows’ experience – they don’t only face ill treatment as women, but also as widows. For instance, in regions where women already struggle to access financial services, microfinance initiatives that require a husband’s signature for loans effectively exclude widows altogether. This is why GFW is prioritises widows. When a woman loses her husband, her rights should remain intact. Yet for 120 million widows worldwide, this is far from reality: Legal Discrimination: In countless countries, widows are denied the right to inherit property or assets. This legal exclusion leaves them and their children destitute, robbing them of security and independence. Isolation: Stigma and harmful traditions often push widows to the fringes of society. Many face humiliation, exclusion, and even violence, stripping them of their dignity and self-worth. Economic Hardship: Without access to education, training, or work opportunities, millions of widows remain trapped in cycles of poverty. Discrimination against widows is a human rights violation. At the Global Fund for Widows, we are taking action: We are - fighting for laws that protect widows' rights, ensuring equal access to inheritance, property, and financial resources. - providing widows with training, resources and opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods and regain their dignity. - supporting communities to become more inclusive, creating environments where widows are treated with respect and valued as equals.   Here’s how you can help today: - learn: Discover more about the challenges widows face and the work we do at www.globalforwidows.org. - donate: Support widows by funding microbanks and entrepreneurial ventures that provide them with financial independence and hope for the future. #SustainableDevelopmentGoals #widowsabovepoverty #tanzania #womenentrepreneurs #financialinclusion #SDG5 #kenya #egypt #humanrights #genderequality

Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now   10 December marks Human Rights Day, and this year’s theme, “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now,” highlights the urgency of addressing issues that affect people’s lives today and the need to shape what comes next.   Among the groups that often go unnoticed are widows living in poverty - women who face obstacles to basic rights such as financial security, legal protection and access to essential services.   For many widows, losing a spouse means facing unfair inheritance laws and a lack of economic support that leaves many unable to provide for themselves or their families. These challenges are not inevitable; they arise from inheritance laws that deny them land, traditions that discriminate against them and economies that render them invisible - these are choices societies make. These societies could just as easily choose differently.   What would choosing differently look like? It would be actions, for instance, such as enforcing laws that grant widows equal rights to property, creating targeted economic programs that help them access capital, skills training and opportunities and healthcare policies that account for the unique pressures they face. None of this is radical, but it is long overdue.   These are practical solution, not luxuries – they are basic rights that provide widows with the opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities.   Human Rights Day is a chance to highlight how addressing these gaps benefits everyone. Giving widows the tools they need strengthens families, communities and economies and to build fair futures for everyone.   How can you help? ·     Understand the extent of widow’s rights abuse by reading GFW’s social media ·     Support GFW to help widows open businesses in Kenya, Tanzania and Egypt ·     Share their stories to raise awareness and challenge stigma.   #humanrightsday #humanrightsday2024 #ourrightsourfuture #kenya #tanzania #egypt #EndPoverty #EndViolenceAgainstWomen  

GFW is immensely grateful to Together Women Rise for their two-year grant announced earlier today. This essential support will go towards ending discrimination and stigma against widows living in poverty in Tanzania by providing 150 widows the funding and opportunity to open Widows’ Savings and Loans Associations (WISALAs). WISALAs are micro-banks that give widows access to capital, opportunity for entrepreneurship, and legal literacy – and the chance to exit poverty. This new group of widows can aspire to the same results as our existing WISALA owners. Widows in Tanzania join us with almost no income, after one year, nearly every widow can expect to be comfortably over the poverty line and 40% will be earning more than double Tanzania’s poverty line. WISALA owners are able to feed their families, send their children back to school and address their families’ medical needs. We are grateful to Together Women Rise for recognizing the transformative potential of WISALAs. #togetherwomenrise #EndGBV #endpoverty #widowsabovepoverty #tanzania #financialinclusion #womenentrepreneurs #microfinance #partnershipsforthegoals #partnerships #widowsrights #womensrights #legalliteracy

GFW is immensely grateful to Together Women Rise for their two-year grant announced earlier today. This essential support will go towards ending discrimination and stigma against widows living in poverty in Tanzania by providing 150 widows the funding and opportunity to open Widows’ Savings and Loans Associations (WISALAs). WISALAs are micro-banks that give widows access to capital, opportunity for entrepreneurship, and legal literacy – and the chance to exit poverty. This new group of widows can aspire to the same results as our existing WISALA owners. Widows in Tanzania join us with almost no income, after one year, nearly every widow can expect to be comfortably over the poverty line and 40% will be earning more than double Tanzania’s poverty line. WISALA owners are able to feed their families, send their children back to school and address their families’ medical needs. We are grateful to Together Women Rise for recognizing the transformative potential of WISALAs. #togetherwomenrise #EndGBV #endpoverty #widowsabovepoverty #tanzania #financialinclusion #womenentrepreneurs #microfinance #partnershipsforthegoals #partnerships #widowsrights #womensrights #legalliteracy

"HIV thrives where harmful traditional practices subjugate widows" On World AIDS Day, we at GFW would like to share, "HIV Thrives Where Harmful Traditional Practices Subjugate Widows," drawing attention to how gender inequality and harmful cultural practices exacerbate the HIV crisis for widows. This insight echoes UNAIDS’ recent report, which emphasises the need to protect the rights of those most vulnerable to HIV. GFW work with creating economic opportunity and legal safeguards for women are essential if the global community is it achieve its goal ending AIDS by 2030. #worldaidsday2024 #endaids UNAIDS #HIV #healthforall #widowsabovepoverty

The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity. Every day, on average, 140 women and girls are killed by someone in their own family. Around one in three women experience physical or sexual violence. No country or community is unaffected. And the situation is getting worse. Crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities. Horrendous sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. And women and girls face a torrent of online misogyny. The situation is compounded by a growing backlash against women and girls’ rights. Too often, legal protections are being rolled back, human rights are being trampled, and women’s human rights defenders are being threatened, harassed and killed for speaking out. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy. Let's join forces to end the scourge of violence against women and girls everywhere.

Press release: Global Fund for Widows’ 16th Annual Gala: Corporate, Private, and Individual Supporters Unite for Widows’ Rights Thank you again to everyone who attended our 16th Annual Gala. Brenda Chikwe Mofya Evelyn Subramaniam Brian McGinley Hilda Suka Mafudze LEKOIL Limited Graça Machel Trust Heather Ibrahim-Leathers, CFA Kisioki Moitiko Fatima Martin Sanchez Jennifer Wu Sandy Debbas Pierre E. Debbas Elena Sáenz Feehan Georges Sabe Laura Osman

Amb. Hilda Suka – Mafudze, AU PR to the USA, Honored with the Global Fund for Widows Advocate of the Year Award Accepting the prestigious award, the AU Permanent Representative to USA expressed her appreciation to the GFW and said, the African Union (AU) has a crucial role in advocating for widows’ rights and addressing the challenges faced by millions of widows across Africa. “It is up to us – leaders, community members, and advocates- to amplify the voices of widows. This means pushing for legal reforms that protect their rights, demanding access to social services, and ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect.” AfricanUnion Hilda Suka Mafudze The World Bank UNFCU FOUNDATION INC Brenda Chikwe Mofya Heather Ibrahim-Leathers, CFA

“The African Union is well-positioned to elevate the status of widows and ensure they are not left behind.” This was a statement by H.E. Hilda Suka Mafudze, African Union Ambassador to the United States at last night’s gala. Her statement embodied the atmosphere at our 16th Annual Gala, where non-profits, corporations and individuals came together to do exactly as Ambassador Suka-Mafudze said – to ensure that no one is left behind in the quest for sustainable development. At our gala last night, we celebrated guests of honor H.E. Graça Machel, African Union Ambassador H.E. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, and honoree Kisioki Moitiko for their dedication to economic opportunity, financial inclusion, and legal protection for widows and female-headed households living in poverty. We also announced a partnership between the Graça Machel Trust and GFW to extend GFW’s programs to Mozambique. We broke our own fundraising records bringing together representatives of banking and finance including HSBC, and international non-profits such as Oxfam, as well as other GFW’s funders, supporters, and staff. Upon announcing the partnership between her trust and GFW, H.E. Graça Machel, former First Lady of South Africa and of Mozambique, renowned humanitarian, and Nelson Mandela's widow said “There is rarely a more damaging status than to be invisible in the eyes of your society. The work of GFW is designed to ensure that widows and their children are heard and seen and can live healthy, stable, and dignified lives.” GFW and the Graça Machel Trust, H.E. Ms Machel explained, will run a WISALA pilot in Mozambique. H.E. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, African Union Ambassador to the United States received GFW’s Advocate of the Year Award reiterating the African Union’s commitment to human rights, social justice, and inclusive development in Africa. Recipient of GFW’s Financial Inclusion Award, Kisioki Moitiko, Director of International Collaborative, GFW’s partner in Tanzania outlined the success of WISALAs in his region saying that widows in WISALAs “have broken the glass ceiling. They are building new homes, and they are so empowered that they have run for our district council.” The funds raised during the evening will support GFW’s initiatives with widows in low-income communities in Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. The team at GFW would like to thank everyone who attended the gala, donated, or supported us in any way. With your help, we are able to keep pushing for fair and equitable development that includes widows.  #widowsabovepoverty #gracamachel #gfwannualgala #FairFutures #fairfuturesforwidows #genderfinancing #fundingforgenderequality #theworldbank

“The African Union is well-positioned to elevate the status of widows and ensure they are not left behind.” This was a statement by H.E. Hilda Suka Mafudze, African Union Ambassador to the United States at last night’s gala. Her statement embodied the atmosphere at our 16th Annual Gala, where non-profits, corporations and individuals came together to do exactly as Ambassador Suka-Mafudze said – to ensure that no one is left behind in the quest for sustainable development. At our gala last night, we celebrated guests of honor H.E. Graça Machel, African Union Ambassador H.E. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, and honoree Kisioki Moitiko for their dedication to economic opportunity, financial inclusion, and legal protection for widows and female-headed households living in poverty. We also announced a partnership between the Graça Machel Trust and GFW to extend GFW’s programs to Mozambique. We broke our own fundraising records bringing together representatives of banking and finance including HSBC, and international non-profits such as Oxfam, as well as other GFW’s funders, supporters, and staff. Upon announcing the partnership between her trust and GFW, H.E. Graça Machel, former First Lady of South Africa and of Mozambique, renowned humanitarian, and Nelson Mandela's widow said “There is rarely a more damaging status than to be invisible in the eyes of your society. The work of GFW is designed to ensure that widows and their children are heard and seen and can live healthy, stable, and dignified lives.” GFW and the Graça Machel Trust, H.E. Ms Machel explained, will run a WISALA pilot in Mozambique. H.E. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, African Union Ambassador to the United States received GFW’s Advocate of the Year Award reiterating the African Union’s commitment to human rights, social justice, and inclusive development in Africa. Recipient of GFW’s Financial Inclusion Award, Kisioki Moitiko, Director of International Collaborative, GFW’s partner in Tanzania outlined the success of WISALAs in his region saying that widows in WISALAs “have broken the glass ceiling. They are building new homes, and they are so empowered that they have run for our district council.” The funds raised during the evening will support GFW’s initiatives with widows in low-income communities in Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. The team at GFW would like to thank everyone who attended the gala, donated, or supported us in any way. With your help, we are able to keep pushing for fair and equitable development that includes widows.  #widowsabovepoverty #gracamachel #gfwannualgala #FairFutures #fairfuturesforwidows #genderfinancing #fundingforgenderequality #theworldbank