Strength in Adversity: Support for Widows, Single Mothers, and Their Children 

Widows and single mothers in Tanzania frequently carry the full weight of providing for their families, often without the social safety net, inheritance rights, or economic opportunities that might otherwise ease the burden. Many struggle  to secure enough food, safe housing, healthcare, and school fees for their children, with little margin for unexpected setbacks like illness or crop failure.

Maryknoll helps these families move toward a more secure and self-sufficient future through a combination of practical support and skills development. Assistance includes vocational and skills training that helps women generate their own income, agricultural support for families who rely on farming, healthcare assistance, home repairs for structurally unsound housing, and financial aid to cover urgent needs.

This project reflects the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, with particular attention to widows and single mothers, figures given repeated priority throughout Scripture, and the Dignity of Work, equipping women to provide for their families through their own skill and labor. It also embodies Maryknoll’s charism of accompaniment, walking alongside women rebuilding their lives after loss or abandonment rather than offering assistance from a distance.

Gifts to this project provide skills training, agricultural assistance, healthcare, and home repairs that help widows and single mothers in Tanzania build lasting stability and a better future for their children.