Between 2010 and 2013, with support from the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, UN Women implemented a regional programme, "Action to Promote the Legal Empowerment of Women in the Context of HIV," to increase women's access to property and inheritance rights in nine sub-Saharan Africa countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe) as a means to reduce vulnerabilities to and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS. From 2011 to 2013, UN Women has awarded $2.2 million in small grants (of up to $75,000) to twenty legal service organizations, community-based/grassroots networks, and organizations of women living with HIV in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Grantees have enhanced the awareness of legislators, policymakers, local and traditional leaders, and communities on the specific vulnerabilities of women living with HIV or affected by AIDS. These vulnerabilities highlight property and inheritance rights violations in the context of national frameworks and community justice systems to safeguard and enforce these rights. Our grantees are empowering women living with HIV to report violations and pursue redress through rights-awareness and legal literacy interventions.
Programme achievements include:
To learn more about the issue and the programme's activities, please visit the links above and watch the videos below.