How Pangani Villagers Push for Gender and Climate Justice

Mar 26, 2023 | Ramadhani Ismail
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Globally, women and children remain the biggest sufferers when it comes to climate change. The numbers double and triple in second and third world countries, especially in communities where women are both the bread winners and nurturers of their families.

These challenges are exacerbated in situations where women lose their spouses and are left to fend for themselves and their families after losing their property.

Such is the story of Shemsa Juma*, a resident of Pangani district in Tanga region. After being married for over ten years, Shemsa lost her husband to sickness in 2010 and was almost unfortunate enough to suffer cruelty at the hands of her in-laws.

“I am a mother and a widow. After the death of my husband, his family wanted to confiscate all the property that I owned with him, and only give me a little,” she narrates.

Among the properties she was at risk of losing was a farm she and her late husband had purchased that was the source of their sustenance.

Shemsa is not alone in the challenges she faces as a woman in societies that view a woman as a second class citizen.

Many women in this region face challenges that have been made even more difficult by climate change effects.