Enhancing Women's Land Rights and Ownership

Themenfeld: Gender Equality

Co-financing

Human Rights & Civ. Soc.

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problem & solution

Women in Songwe District, Tanzania, faced discrimination in land ownership, with established socio-cultural norms restricting their access and decision-making power. Men controlled resources, sidelining women from agricultural and economic participation.

ADP Mbozi initiated a project to facilitate women's access to land, secure land rights and participate actively in decision-making processes. The approach was based on legal training, advocacy for gender-equitable land policies, community sensitisation, establishing women’s groups, and mobilising traditional leaders.

the experience

The project was implemented in six structured steps:

Community sensitisation: Extensive community dialogues and training sessions using the Role Model Men Technique, which involved influential male role models, community peer educators, traditional leaders, and elders to challenge restrictive socio-cultural norms and enhance awareness of women's land rights.
Legal training: Women were trained in Tanzanian land rights, registration processes, and legal documentation to navigate bureaucratic barriers.
Formation of women’s groups: Facilitated the creation of women's groups to support collective advocacy, mutual assistance, and resource mobilisation, enhancing women's negotiating power
Cross-sector collaboration: Engaged local government bodies, NGOs, legal advisors, and community groups to provide comprehensive support, including legal assistance, technical guidance, and financial aid, ensuring women could successfully acquire and register land.
Monitoring and evaluation: Continuous assessment ensured the project’s sustainability, measuring progress and addressing challenges as they arose.

Challenges

Deeply embedded resistance to women's land ownership from male community members and leaders.
Limited initial understanding of legal rights among women, requiring extensive and continuous education.
Ensuring sustained male engagement and support throughout the process.
Bureaucratic hurdles in legal registration processes.
Limited financial resources for legal aid and land documentation.

Impact

Over 100 women successfully secured legal land ownership, significantly enhancing their economic independence.
Positive shifts in community gender norms, increasing acceptance of women’s ownership of land and decision-making roles.
Improved household livelihoods, food security, and sustainable agricultural practices through equitable resource distribution.

Lessons Learned

Legal education must be practical, continuous, and closely aligned with real-life processes for securing land ownership.
It is not enough to train women and grant land access: mentoring, monitoring and community support systems are essential to sustain change.
Establishing women's support groups significantly strengthens advocacy and facilitates resource mobilisation.
Consistent engagement and advocacy with traditional leaders and men are important to break down stereotypes and stigmas.