Nyanam International

Nyanam International: A first-time grantee in 2022-23

Widows are among the most discriminated against and disenfranchised social groups in Kenya. They face a stigma that brings social isolation, sexual vulnerabilities, and economic deprivation. Nyanam’s mission is to provide social support through leadership circles and four integrated programs in leadership, health, livelihoods, and land justice to help widows reclaim their dignity and economic independence, and thrive in their communities.  

Kenyan women own very little land; land rights are typically attached to their husbands. While the law provides for widows to inherit their husband’s property, their rights are often illegally taken away. Widows are often forced to flee from their homes and often must rely on transactional sex to survive. Widows with land produce food from their own labor, are cushioned from food price volatility, and earn additional income to meet family needs every time they harvest from their farms. Nyanam proposes to implement a fifth program to help widows to overcome legal obstacles, maintain land access and ownership, and preserve their land rights.  

Through this new program, Widows’ Poverty Alleviation through Land Ownership (WPALO), a pilot number of widows will be trained on property rights, and a subset of them will be selected to be trained as paralegals. In addition, a group of assistant chiefs and chiefs will be trained on women’s land rights and land succession processes.  Nyanam’s legal organizational partners will also provide legal clinics, support conflict resolution meetings, and represent widows in courts as needed for a group of 50 widows who will file land succession cases with the Kenyan courts in 2023 with the hope of achieving land titles in their names by 2024.

For more information, see: https://www.nyanam.org/