You gave her the paper that saved her land

“I woke up one morning to find that a man had started building a house on my land!”

To you, that might sound unbelievable. But that’s what happened to Vivian, a single mother and caregiver to eight from rural Zambia.

Vivian works hard farming her land to support her family. But faced with the possibility of losing it, she felt what many women in her community know well — a sinking feeling of powerlessness.

“As a woman, I felt hopeless,” she recalled. “I thought I was going to lose the matter.”

But, thanks to you, Vivian had something the man didn’t.

She had official ownership papers. In Zambia, many women work on farms, but are prevented from owning them due to long-standing social and cultural norms.

Thanks to your steadfast support of iDE’s Her Time to Grow project, Vivian received an official ownership certificate for her land. When the dispute went before the Chief, he asked one question: “Who has the papers?”

Vivian showed the Chief her certificate. When the Chief saw his own signature on her papers, he dismissed the case immediately, in her favour.

“My land was saved,” she said, beaming. “I no longer have to worry about anyone trying to grab it again.”

Vivian pushed through her fear and doubt. She showed up, fought for herself, and won.

And your support made sure she had the tools to do it.

With your help, 156 women — and counting — have received land ownership certificates. Now they can confidently build better futures for their families on land that is undeniably, legally, theirs.