In a lesser known initiative, Unite operates the Brave Widow’s Program in service to impoverished widows in Tanzania. Last week, we very sadly lost one of our beloved members, Margreth Urassa. Margreth was just 52 years old. She was widowed 26 years ago and has since struggled to raise her two surviving sons on her own. A victim of extreme domestic violence and HIV, Margreth was the epitome of courage, grace, faith, resilience, hard work, hope, and determination. She was a beloved member of our Unite community. To Margreth — as we do with every member of our Brave Widow Program — we provided business grants, interest-free loans, and financial support; entrepreneurship and professional development trainings; one-to-one mentorship; medical care; monthly food relief; and more. But perhaps most importantly, we provided Margreth a safe and loving Unite “family” in which she was always welcomed, always cherished, and always respected.
Margreth was a true entrepreneur… She saw opportunities everywhere. She was always very optimistic and even at the very end of her life, she was planning projects. Margreth made and sold organic juices and pastries at all Unite events. She grew a garden from which she self-harvested maize, beans, vegetables (spinach & pumpkin), and fruits (papaya & mango). She was a skilled tailor who also embroidered bed-sheets and fabrics. Margreth even received custom orders for hand-made batiks, face masks (during the time of COVID), hand bags, and stuffed animal inserts from clients overseas in America. For years, Margreth served as Secretary of the Unite Brave Widow group.
“Mama Urassa’s greatest life mission was to educate people with HIV/AIDS and counsel them with a message of love and hope. She also always worked to support her fellow Brave Widows by teaching them how to sew and doing whatever she could to help them succeed in their small businesses. She was a fighter.”
— Hosiana Thomas, Unite Brave Widow Program Manager (pictured below 2nd from right)
Above: The Brave Widows gathered together on International Women’s Day in March 2024. Click HERE for a 1-minute video of that event. Margreth is standing in front of Unite Founder Anne Wells.
Across Tanzania, hundreds of thousands of women have lost their husbands to HIV/AIDS, disease, and accidents. Oftentimes, after a man dies, his surviving wife and children face extreme challenges including economic hardships, social stigmatization, and abuse and mistreatment from the husband/father’s extended family. Relatives of the deceased often take back the husband’s properties, leaving the surviving wife and children with little to nothing. Othertimes women are forced to marry one of her husband’s brothers to keep his “property” within the family. Children are particularly at risk as they are often forced to drop from school and are left uniquely vulnerable to physical and sexual violence as well as teen marriage and slave labor.
Unite is committed to empowering impoverished-yet-entrepreneurial widows with grants and loans, mentorship, legal and medical support, food relief, and more to not only help them survive but to thrive and achieve independence, dignity, self-respect and self-reliance.
Click here to watch a 2-minute memorial video for Margreth Urassa.
A few Unite Brave Widows pictured together at Unite Food Program HQ in Dar es Salaam (Margreth Urassa is 4th from the right).
Below is a gallery of images from Margreth Urassa’s funeral, which was held last week Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and sponsored by Unite.
A special thanks to Unite photographer, filmmaker, and marketing manager Richard Munisi.