CHAMA BUILDS HOUSE FOR A BURUNDIAN WIDOW AND HER 6 CHILDREN (EAST AFRICA)
One of the most consistent findings by various authors with regards to African widows is the degree to which they are economically self-reliant. Margaret Owen, a leading figure in the emerging women’s legal rights movement, explains that women in African nations are generally the poorest of the poor and the least protected by the law. She further points out that widowhood represents a social death for women, rubbing them of their status and consigning them to the very margins of society where they suffer the most extreme forms of discrimination and stigma. Habonimana is a widow with 6 children but…