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You're here > Plan International Home  >  What we do  >  HIV and AIDS  >  Plan projects  >  Planning For Succession in Uganda

Planning For Succession in Uganda

In many communities where Plan works, children are being raised by parents who are ill or dying of AIDS.

Plan’s programs help to strengthen community and family coping mechanisms and develop services that offer relief and peace of mind to families and children faced with an impending death.

Protecting the inheritance of widows and orphans is one such initiative.

In 2001, a study in Uganda conducted in partnership with Plan found that more than one in five orphans and widows had lost all or part of their inheritance because of theft by relatives. The Ugandan law upholds the rights of widows and orphans to claim their inheritance. But women and children are often not aware of their rights and cannot speak up in their own defence.

Plan therefore entered into a partnership with the Association of Uganda Women Lawyers (FIDA) to provide legal aid to people living with HIV and AIDS. Plan and FIDA aimed to raise awareness among women and children about their rights of inheritance, follow up cases of violation of these rights, and reinforce universal birth registration as an essential first step to assure the property rights of orphaned children in the future.

FIDA conducted community seminars on legal aspects of HIV and AIDS; provided legal counselling associated with mobile and stationary HIV testing and counselling services; produced and distributed information material on succession planning and on birth registration; trained volunteers to assist families in preparing wills; and represented poor families in court on issues related to property grabbing.

An evaluation after almost three years of the program found a significant reduction of legal rights abuses in the District where Plan works. Women were more aware of their rights, and more confident about seeking redress when family members tried to deprive them of their inheritance. More and more people started to report cases of property grabbing to local courts, and there was an increase in inheritance disputes being resolved through alternative dispute management.



Adobe Acrobat file Protecting the legal rights of women and children, Uganda [PDF, 500kb]

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Case study

Joice's story
“I was one of the first people trained by FIDA. We received training in human rights, the rule of law, will-writing, inheritance, and how to deal with cases of domestic violence, defilement, and rape.

“People know that we are FIDA volunteers, and that we are there to help them. When someone has a problem they come to us. If the cases are difficult we refer them to FIDA. Most cases have been settled amicably.

“I know that people living with HIV and AIDS are suffering from the violation of their rights. You may find that when a man dies, clan members come and chase the widow away from the home. They grab all the property and even blame her for bringing the disease into the family. But since FIDA came and trained us we are living peacefully. People know that the law will deal with them if they violate our rights. This is good, we are happy.”
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