United Nations Women, under the Fund for Women's Property and Inheritance Rights, have announced the distribution of 1.5 million dollars in small grants to 20 grassroots and organizations in Africa.
A statement from the UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet says the grants are intended to be a critical strategy for addressing women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Bachelet says there is evidence that increasing women's economic security through access to assets such as land, property, income, credit and skills training helps to prevent HIV. She says it strengthens the ability of women to mitigate its impact in their households and communities — especially when women are the main providers of care in AIDS-affected households.
The Ugandan recipients are the organization Collaborative Efforts to Alleviate Social Problems, the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA), Slum Women’s Initiative for Development and the Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV.
Collaborative Efforts to Alleviate Social Problems will use the money to enhance the capacity of 180 women self-help groups in the Lango sub-region. Through the groups it intends to advocate for property and inheritance rights by establishing community-level paralegal aid services for women to pursue their claims.
National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda will work with the informal justice system in Kaberamaido District by building the capacity of community paralegals, clan and traditional leaders, and Land Boards.
Jinja District will benefit from the grants through the Slum Women's Initiative for Development. The organization will help women’s groups in Jinja’s slums to access community paralegal networks, and to increase the participation of women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in community decision-making processes.
Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS intends to expand legal support services through licensed legal practitioners, paralegal teams, and community-owned resource persons in Lira and Masindi districts.
The Fund for Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights was launched in September 2010. It is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency.
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