Nyanza province in Western Kenya is majorly inhabited by members of the Luo community, a Nilotic group that came into Kenya from Sudan. This community community's chief economic activity is fishing along the Lake Victoria and small farming activities.
Most of the Luo speaking people's activities are regulated by cultural and traditional practices that chiefly centre on sexual intercourse. In era of HIV/AIDS this is a sure way of helping spread the disease. It is no wonder that Nyanza province leads Kenya with the rate of HIV/AIDS infections and death. The onset of a planting season is commenced with sex, harvesting and even building a decent house after a spouse's death. When a man dies leaving behind a dilapidated house, the widow's only chance of repairing her house or building a new one is to accept the community's choice of a man to "inherit" her. Such kind of inheritance is usually against the will of the widow and does not take into account the incidental health risk to the widow who must now succumb to the whims of the villagers on pain of being sent away from her marital home. Forever.
A widow's only chance to decent housing is to risk their lives or have sex with HIV positive men thereby increasing their viral loads and decreasing their years on earth at great detriment to the orphans left behind.
A number of couragious women are joining hands with as to say NO to this inhuman and flagrant violation of the rights of these women and would like to have better houses for them and their children. Leaking houses bring cold and discomfort to young souls who shift all around the house looking for drier palces as it rains. This has put many children and widows to frequent threats of Pneumonia, Malaria, Coughs and many other diseases. Help us build homes for these women of courage and send a strong message politely and firmly that : Yes We Can".
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