Tanzania has joined the rest of the world in marking International Widows’ Day, with a firm commitment to advancing the rights, welfare, and economic inclusion of more than 1.3 million widows across the country.
This year’s commemoration, led by the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, was held in Iringa Region and featured the official launch of the 2025 National Coordination Guidelines for Widows.
The document aims to strengthen support systems and guide national efforts to protect widows from discrimination, social exclusion, and economic hardship.
Observed every year on June 23, International Widows’ Day was established by the United Nations in 2010 following the advocacy of the Loomba Foundation.
It aims to shed light on the many challenges widows face worldwide. According to global estimates, there are around 258 million widows, with nearly 115 million subjected to poverty, abuse, or neglect.
In Tanzania, the 2022 Population and Housing Census reported 1,396,262 widows, representing 4.4 percent of the country’s total female population.
This year’s theme, “Enhancing Economic Opportunities to Drive Widows’ Development,” highlights the need to create inclusive systems that enable widows to participate fully in economic and community life.
It also reflects the government’s intention to improve access to services, raise public awareness of widows’ rights, and support widows through policies and practical initiatives.
Among the government’s interventions is the provision of legal protection through the Legal Aid Act of 2017, which has increased access to justice for vulnerable groups, including widows.
The Village Land Act of 1999 also supports women’s rights to own and inherit land. Through the Mama Samia Legal Aid Campaign, more than 2.6 million Tanzanians including many widows have received legal education on issues such as inheritance, land rights, wills, marriage, employment disputes, and gender-based violence.
To expand these services, the government has established 184 legal aid desks in local councils and deployed over 2,200 trained paralegals across the country.
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These efforts are supported by the digital platform Haki Sheria, which helps coordinate legal aid providers and track service delivery. Since July 2024, 377 organizations have been registered on the system, with 216 new paralegals trained in the same period.
Financial inclusion remains a key government priority. Through a policy requiring all local councils to allocate 10 percent of their internal revenue for loans to women, youth, and people with disabilities, the government has disbursed TSh 22.07 billion to 1,530 women’s groups, many of which include widows.
In addition, under the Public Procurement Act of 2023, 30 percent of government tenders are reserved for these groups. So far, 231 women-led groups have secured tenders worth TSh 3.3 billion.
To further empower women at the grassroots, the government has established 3,390 women’s economic empowerment platforms nationwide.
These forums help women especially widows organize in groups, access financial services, share knowledge, and work together to solve challenges.
At the same time, the government is encouraging informal traders, including widows, to register with the national database to benefit from funding and support through institutions such as the NMB Bank.
Other efforts include the establishment of gender desks at 420 police stations and 153 prison facilities to protect survivors of gender-based violence, including widows.
Tanzania is also implementing the second phase of its National Plan to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Children (MTAKUWA II 2024/25–2028/29), which targets vulnerable groups, including widows, with a focus on economic resilience and access to justice.
As the country heads into a general election later this year, the government is encouraging widows to fully participate not only as voters but also as candidates.
Their involvement in decision-making processes is seen as essential to advancing policies that respond to their needs and the broader goals of gender equality.
The Ministry has called on regional leaders to work closely with widows’ organizations to identify their needs and develop practical solutions.
At the same time, widows’ groups are encouraged to register with local authorities to formalize partnerships and access government programs.
Widows experiencing legal challenges are urged to seek help from trained paralegals in their areas, where services are offered free of charge.
Tanzania’s continued recognition and support of widows reflect the country’s broader commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the government has moved beyond policy statements to deliver tangible services, protections, and economic tools to some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
While challenges remain, the progress made so far offers hope for widows across the country and a strong foundation for even greater inclusion in the years ahead.